The Home Course, in DuPont, Washington, was named by the USGA to host the eighth U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship, which will be played May 13-17, 2023.
It will be the second USGA championship to be held there, following the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links. The course also served as the stroke-play co-host for the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2021 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, each of which was contested at Chambers Bay.
The 2023 Women’s Four-Ball marks a return to the northwestern United States for the first time since the inaugural event was played in 2015 at Bandon Dunes in Oregon.
“The USGA is pleased to return to the Pacific Northwest, a region and community that we know will once again be supportive of women’s amateur golf, which is central to the association’s mission,” said tournament director Rachel Sadowski. “The championship’s format provides spirited team competition and the kind of risk-reward play that is exciting for both players and fans.”
The USGA also announced the 2023 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur will be played at Stonewall in Elverson, Pennsylvania.
The Irish Open, to be played at Mount Juliet from June 30-July 3, has a new title partner in a six-year deal with Horizon Therapeutics, a global biotechnology company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
The agreement for the Horizon Irish Open, which was engineered through the strategic alliance between the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, will increase the national open's prize money to $6 million, nearly double the amount of the 2021 purse for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
“We are thrilled to welcome Horizon as the new title partner of the Irish Open,” said Guy Kinnings, deputy chief executive officer and chief commercial officer of the European Tour Group. “It is a tournament which always holds a special place in the global golfing calendar thanks to its history, the world-renowned Irish fans and of course the many world-class players the island has produced.”
The 2022 Horizon Irish Open will once again form part of the Open Qualifying Series, with the top three players not already exempt earning a place in the 150th edition of the Open Championship, taking place two weeks later on the Old Course at St Andrews.
European Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood has been appointed an England Golf ambassador, joining Bronte Law in a role designed to increase the game’s appeal to a wide and diverse audience.
“Promoting the game in whatever way I can is pretty cool,” Fleetwood said. “I’m coming into that part of my life where I want to, and I’m fortunately able to, give something back to the game.”
The creation of a Tommy Fleetwood Academy in his hometown of Southport, England, has already introduced more than 600 children to golf and now he wants to honor the support he was granted in his amateur career.
“I got to travel the world, make friends for life, and represent my country,” Fleetwood said of his time in England Golf programs. “This is a chance to be a part of it again and help others enjoy what I did as a young golfer.”
Chief executive of England Golf, Jeremy Tomlinson, added: “It’s exciting to work alongside a man and golfer of Tommy’s calibre, amplifying the message that golf is a sport for anyone and everyone.”
The Nickelodeon television network is producing an hour-long golf special called the Nickelodeon Slime Cup that will feature a “Nick-ified” golf course, physical challenges, and doses of the network’s signature slime. The event will culminate with a final hole inside the Rose Bowl.
Production of the two-round tournament will begin this month at a Los Angeles-area golf course, with a premiere slated for this summer. The Slime Cup will feature four teams of three that consist of a professional golfer, a celebrity and a Nickelodeon star.
Among the confirmed participants are Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Lexi Thompson, actor Terry Crews and NFL players Saquon Barkley and Justin Herbert.
TAP-INS
The PGA Tour announced it will honor D.J. Gregory with the PGA Tour Courage Award (READ MORE). … Dimitrios Papadatos, Ben Campbell and Matthew Griffin will play in the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews after earning places through the Vic Open (READ MORE). … The newly named Epson Tour, the developmental circuit for the LPGA Tour, announced its 21-event schedule for 2022 (READ MORE). … The American Junior Golf Association announced it is reducing membership fees for 2022 (READ MORE). … SiriusXM confirmed the firing of former PGA Tour winner Mark Lye from his position as host of PGA Tour Radio after his derogatory comments about the WNBA. … LIV Golf hired Polly Handford, former director of legal and governance at the Football Association in London, to take on a similar role in the new organization.
Staff and Wire Reports