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Renowned golf course architect Arthur Hills, a prolific designer and a pioneer in the realm of environmentally conscious layouts, died last Tuesday in Florida at age 91.
The number of new courses designed by Hills exceeded 200 worldwide, and he renovated more than 150 others. Included among the updates were the adjustments he made to Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, before it hosted the Ryder Cup in 2004.
Hills served as president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects in 1992 and 1993, and was an inductee of the state golf hall of fames in both Ohio and Michigan.
In addition to his accomplishments, Hills also stood out as a mentor, said Quentin Lutz, the co-founder of the Outpost Club and a former partner with Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest and Associates.
“I am a much more worldly person for having known Arthur. We shared a lot of laughs,” Lutz told GGP. “He loved adventure and the challenge that the next project presented.
“He used to say to all of us, ‘You are only as good as your last project.’ He reminded us all to stay in the moment, and that the person you were talking to at that moment was the most important person in the world at that particular time. ... He was a pioneer and an entrepreneur; I learned a lot from him and will be forever grateful. ”
Hills designed the first Audubon Signature Sanctuary courses in the United States, Mexico and Europe. The first of those – Collier’s Reserve in Naples, Florida – is one of a plethora of Hills designs in that area of the Sunshine State, which led fellow architect Pete Dye, himself a past president of the ASGCA, to nickname Hills “the Mayor of Naples.”
The USGA announced Wednesday that Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, California, will host the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur, the 2026 Curtis Cup Match and the 2030 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.
Bel-Air, located in the heart of Los Angeles, is a private club with an 18-hole course originally designed by George Thomas and recently renovated by Tom Doak and Renaissance Golf Design.
“Bel-Air is one of the country’s most prestigious courses, steeped in golf history, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate three more USGA championships there,” said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director of championships for the association. “The USGA is looking forward to continuing to build our relationship with this esteemed club.”
The course previously hosted the 1976 U.S. Amateur and the 2004 U.S. Senior Amateur.
Former world No 1 Lee Westwood has confirmed he has no plans to represent Great Britain in this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Westwood is currently behind Tyrrell Hatton, Matt Fitzpatrick and Paul Casey in the race for a spot but has no intention of playing if he qualifies for the two-man team.
“I have already pulled out, I have given notice that I’m not going to play in the Olympics,” the 48-year Englishman said ahead of last week’s PGA Championship. “(There are) many, many reasons, a few family commitments, and I already proved a few weeks ago playing seven in eight weeks is not good for me.
“There are already a lot of tournaments crammed in around there – the Scottish Open, the Open Championship – I need a couple of weeks off between there and the FedEx in Memphis (Tennessee) and then there’s another week off and I could be playing three FedEx events, the PGA, another week off and the Ryder Cup.
“I want to be in good shape for all of those and I think going to Japan a week before Memphis, with all that is going on, is a bad idea. I’m at an age when I need to make a plan and stick to that moving forward or else my game suffers.”
The R&A has announced an increase in the number of places available at Final Qualifying for the 149th Open at Royal St. George’s.
It has indicated a minimum of three places will be available at Final Qualifying at Hollinwell, Prince’s, St. Annes Old Links and West Lancashire on June 29.
Five places also will go to the leading players on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai who are not otherwise qualified, on completion of the BMW International Open at Golfclub München Eichenried in Germany at the end of June.
A further new exemption category also has been added to allow a minimum of two golfers, not already exempt, to earn places in The Open through the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club on July 8-12.
Hannah McAllister will become the first female chief executive officer of Wales Golf.
McAllister, 42, currently the organization’s development director, will succeed Richard Dixon, who is retiring after 30 years at the top of the Welsh game. Her promotion makes her one of the first women to become a CEO of a merged national golf union anywhere in the world.
“I can build on Wales Golf’s strong foundations, grow and develop it further and lead our established team through the changes and challenges that lie ahead,” she said. “I will be looking to provide stability and create sustainability. ”
The R&A has reacted to current COVID-19 travel restrictions by overhauling its pre-qualifying system in Europe for this year’s AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie.
The Santander Golf Tour Zaragoza (July 22-24) on the LET Access Series and the Rose Ladies Series tournament the JCB Golf & Country Club (Aug. 5) will be used for qualification purposes with a minimum of six spots available at Final Qualifying at both events.
The qualifiers from the two events will join exempt players at Final Qualifying at Panmure on Monday 16 August. A minimum of three places into the AIG Women’s Open will be on offer at that event.
Staff and Wire Reports