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Augusta National Golf Club has announced ambitious plans to allow a limited number of spectators to attend this year’s Masters tournament, scheduled for April 5 -11.
Fred Ridley, chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club said: “Following the successful conduct of the Masters Tournament last November with only essential personnel, we are confident in our ability to responsibly invite a limited number of patrons to Augusta National in April.
“As with the November Masters, we will implement practices and policies that will protect the health and safety of everyone in attendance. Nothing is, or will be, more important than the well-being of all involved.
“While we are disappointed that we will be unable to accommodate a full complement of patrons this year, we will continue our efforts to ensure that all who purchased tickets from Augusta National will have access in 2022, provided conditions improve.”
The club is in the process of communicating with all ticket holders and have confirmed refunds will be issued to those patrons not selected to attend.
Ridley also announced that both the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the annual Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals will be played as scheduled with a limited number of patrons in attendance at both. Both events were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Martin Slumbers wasted no time stating the R&A’s position on possibly taking the Open Championship back to Donald Trump-owned Turnberry following the PGA of America’s decision to move the 2022 PGA Championship away from the US president’s course in Bedminster, New Jersey.
In a pithy statement, the R&A chief executive said:
“We had no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry and will not do so in the foreseeable future. We will not return until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself and we do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances.”
Turnberry has hosted the Open Championship four times in 1977, 1986, 1994 and 2009. The last of those saw Stewart Cink defeat Tom Watson in a play-off, as the 59-year-old American sought a record-equalling sixth victory.
Professional golf in South Africa has been put on hold following the announcement that a South African Swing co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and the European Challenge Tour has been postponed until April.
The tours had planned to stage three events in February but they now have been rescheduled for between April 22 and May 9. The swing, as it stands at present, comprises the Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club (April 29-May 2) and the Dimension Data Pro-Am at Fancourt (May 6-9), plus a still-to-be-named opener April 22-25.
The lingering presence of COVID-19 has been cited as the reason for the postponement.
Jamie Hodges, head of the Challenge Tour, said: “The decision to postpone these events follows consultation with all the stakeholders and was made with the health and well-being of all players and staff as our absolute priority.”
The decision was backed by Sunshine Tour commissioner Thomas Abt, who added: “In light of the current worldwide increase in COVID-19 cases and after consultation with our own health experts and GolfRSA and its Risk Management Strategy, we believe it is the most responsible course of action to postpone these tournaments.”
Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup selectors might need to pencil Ellen Hume’s name into the squad for the rescheduled match, 26-28 August at Conwy Golf Club in Wales, after the English player ran away with the South Atlantic Women’s Amateur Championship.
Hume took advantage of home-like conditions to take the title by five shots, despite making her debut in the prestigious event at Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach, Florida. The English international won in conditions she was used to from her native Hertfordshire. “The wind and the cold, it’s definitely English,” she said.
After opening with scores of 71, 72 and 71, the University of Mississippi student closed with 3-under 69, which she punctuated with an eagle-birdie finish. Her 5-under par 283 total was the only score under par.
At the end of last year, Hume finished second behind Canada’s Brigitte Thibault at the Women’s Dixie Amateur at Palm Aire Country Club in Pompano Beach, Florida.
She was a strange omission from the 17-player GB&I Curtis Cup group announced on December 3 considering she won the 2019 English Amateur Championship. Expect her name to be added to the list of players from which the eight-strong team will be named.
Lion Higo and Lukas Michel saved their best golf for down the stretch during their respective Australian Master of the Amateurs wins at Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne.
Higo birdied three of her last four holes in a closing 2-under-par 70. She was the only player under par for 72 holes, posting a 2-under 286. It gave her a six-shot victory.
The 17-year-old Gold Coast resident, the reigning Queensland Amateur champion, showed promising signs as a ballet dancer and then a gymnast before golf captured all her interest. She is heading down the US college route, having pledged to play for Pepperdine University.
Michel birdied four of his last four holes to shoot 3-under 69 and take the men’s title by two shots with a 6-under 282 total. The Melbourne native, winner of last year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, improves his status on the World Amateur Golf Ranking by two places to 74th. Higo jumps 82 places to a personal best of 548th.
Irish golf clubs are experiencing an unexpected positive turn as the COVID-19 crisis continues, according to new Golf Ireland chief executive Mark Kennelly.
Kennelly became CEO on January 1 this year, and believes Irish golf membership grew last year despite the pandemic. While he does not have current figures to hand, Kennelly believes the increase is in double figures. “It’s certainly north of 10 percent,” he told the Irish Independent.
“The figure is closer to 200,000 now,” he added. “Club membership was already ticking up slightly even before COVID which is already bucking the trend of our neighbouring nations.”
Ireland last had more than 200,000 golf club members in 2012. In 2018, the number of registered golfers stood at 182,398 according to the most recent figures from KPMG, which produces an annual participation report.
Paul Dunne and recent amateur world No. 1 Takumi Kanaya fill out the field at the Saudi International to be played at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, 4-7 February.
Akshay Bhatia, Harry Hall, Shergo Kurdi, Eduard Rousaud Sabate and Cormac Sharvin join Dunne and Kanaya as invites into a strong field featuring Masters champion Dustin Johnson, US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and leading Europeans Tommy Fleetwood, Sergio García, Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood and defending champion Graeme McDowell.
Irishman Dunne has had a tough time since winning the 2017 British Masters. He lost his European Tour card following the 2019 season, and placed 287th on last year’s Race to Dubai from just seven tournaments.
Kanaya turned professional in October after receiving the Mark H McCormack medal as leading amateur on the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 2020. He needed just four starts to get his first victory as a professional, winning the Dunlop Phoenix Masters on the Japan Golf Tour. The 2018 Asia Pacific Amateur Championship winner also won the 2019 Taiheiyo Masters as an amateur.
American Bhatia and Englishman Hall were on opposite sides in the 2019 Walker Cup at Royal Liverpool. The pair faced each other in both foursomes sessions, ending honours even as the USA won the match, 15½–10½.
After also receiving invites, Othman Almulla and Saud Al Sharif carry home hopes into the championship. Almulla made history in 2019 when he became the first golfer from the kingdom to turn professional. He will make his third Saudi International start after missing the last two cuts.
Sharif also missed the cut last year. He is currently ranked 1,250th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He made three Mena Tour starts last year and made two cuts, with a best finish of 18th in the Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open.
Colin Callander and Alistair Tait