Bandon Dunes, USGA Form Long-Term Agreement: '29 Walker Cup, Men's And Women's Amateurs In Same Year

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What a great thing for amateur golf (or whatever we’ll call it as members of Team TaylormadeFilaSxrionCallaway and TeamAcushnetFJUnionGreen descend on Bandon Dunes in 2045).

Most exciting besides the 2029 Walker Cup and the 2038 Curtis Cup in which most of the contestants were just born, are the men’s and women’s amateurs going there in 2032 and 2041. It’ll be interesting to see how those are structured—they have time!—but it’d be neat to have the stroke play starting for one as the other is wrapping up (check out dates are non-negotiable for all but the finalists!).

The full USGA release on a substantial commitment to the resort over the next 24 years but starting almost immediately:

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort to Host 13 USGA Championships 

Long-term relationship kicks off with 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship 

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (July 20, 2021) – The USGA and Bandon Dunes Golf Resort today announced an agreement that will bring 13 USGA amateur championships to the resort over 23 years. The relationship will begin with the 74th U.S. Junior Amateur in 2022 and run through the 2045 U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior Championships, with eight different championships being played at the resort, including the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women’s Amateur, the Walker Cup Match and the Curtis Cup Match.

The 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur will be conducted from July 25-30, with Bandon Dunes serving as the host course for both stroke play and match play, and Bandon Trails serving as the second stroke-play course. Dates and courses for the other championships will be announced in the future. 

The resort will host both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Amateur in 2032 and again in 2041, marking the first time those two original USGA championships will be contested on the same site in the same calendar year. The resort will also host the U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior in 2045, which will mark the fourth time those championships will be conducted at the same facility in the same year. The agreement also includes the 2029 Walker Cup Match and the 2038 Curtis Cup Match. 

“With five championship-caliber courses and incredible support from the resort’s ownership, Bandon Dunes is the perfect location for these USGA championships,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director of Championships. “Mike Keiser has been an incredible advocate for amateur golf and his ongoing support for the USGA and our mission served as the vision for this partnership. We are excited to work together for years to come.”

The 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship will be the first U.S. Junior Amateur and eighth USGA championship hosted by the resort, making Bandon Dunes the first site to host eight different USGA championships. It will be the 39th USGA championship held in Oregon. 

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort previously hosted the 2006 Curtis Cup Match (Pacific Dunes), the 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur (Bandon Dunes), the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links and U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links (Old Macdonald and Bandon Trails), the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball (Pacific Dunes), 2019 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (Old Macdonald and Pacific Dunes), and the 2020 U.S. Amateur (Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails). 

“I love amateur golf. What the USGA does for amateur golf and to grow the game is exceptional. I built Bandon Dunes for all amateurs to enjoy the great experiences and spirited competition that golf provides, and we are thrilled to be hosting the USGA’s signature amateur championships for years to come,” said Mike Keiser, the owner of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. “We are particularly grateful to Mike Davis, who has been an advocate for Bandon Dunes since the resort’s earliest days. Amateur golf will always have a place at Bandon Dunes, and this commitment from the USGA is significant. We welcome all the great championships that the USGA will bring to the resort as Bandon Dunes is the home of amateur golf.”

The 73rd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship is being played this week at the Country Club of North Carolina in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. 

Future USGA Championships at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort:

2022     U.S. Junior Amateur

2025     U.S. Women’s Amateur

2029     Walker Cup Match

2032     U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur

2035     U.S. Girls’ Junior

2037     U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball

2038     Curtis Cup Match

2041     U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur

2045     U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior

Olympic Golf Fever Is...Not There Yet

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Axios survey

Axios survey

Take that, sport climbing! And water polo!

As the Tokyo games teeter on the verge of a superspreader event, they feel more like a money grab than ever. So it’s a challenge to focus on the incredible athletes and their quests.

In the case of golf, Americans seem to have only scant interest in the WGC Kasumigaseki according to an Axios/Morning Study survey of fans. Thanks to reader John for highlighting Jeff Tracy’s write up of the results which has Golf trailing almost everything in terms of fan interest.

As for the golfers, Collin Morikawa and Bryson DeChambeau reiterated their passion for representing Team USA next week, while Rory McIlroy is sounding increasingly annoyed he said yes. From Carl Markham’s Independent report:

"I am looking forward to getting another week's golf in and trying to get my game in shape. There's not much else to do there - so with 12 hours at the golf course hopefully I get my game into better shape.”

Boom! Kind of a long way to go to practice. But then he put on his Vice Commissioner’s hat.

"I'm not a very patriotic guy, I'm doing it because I think it is the right thing to do.”

Go Team Ireland! The visual version of these comments backed up what appeared in print.

Meanwhile the International Golf Federation charged with shaping golf’s inclusion in the Games is sending President Annika Sorenstam to the U.S. Senior Women’s Open. Growing the game!

The Best Players In 2021's Majors By Score And World Ranking Points

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Thanks to Collin MacGillivray for reminding me of the Royal Selangor Trophy he conceived up and which is given to the player who performed best in the majors.

Jon Rahm held off Louis Oosthuizen, Jordan Spieth and Colin Morikawa with a winning score of -24 to Oosthuizen’s -19, Spieth’s -16 and Morikawa’s -15.

Other players who made all four cuts but did not threaten for the grand prize:

Xander Schauffele
Paul Casey
Scottie Scheffler
Harris English
Robert MacIntyre
Ian Poulter
Stewart Cink
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Joaquin Niemann
Bryson DeChambeau
Shane Lowry
Matt Fitzpatrick

There is also the world ranking points approach that loops in players who missed the cut:

2021 Open: The Quadrilateral's Third Round Wrap

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Trump Predicts Turnberry Will Host The Open Again And He’s Right!

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An extra-special bit of meandering lunacy from the the 45th President of the United States was issued after apparently watching The Open at Royal St George’s. Thanks to reader Chuck for sharing.

Donald Trump is definitely correct here. Turnberry will host again. Just as soon as he sells it.

From the “many-time Club Champion” who says “controversy only makes thing hotter”:

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2021 Open: The Quadrilateral's Round 2 Wrap

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Links From The Road: Royal St George's And Sandwich Overview

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Sam Cooper’s dispatches from the road have led to more wonderful “content” pieces about links golf. He has a special passion for Royal St George’s and the surrounding area. It comes out in this 10 minute piece. Some of the footage was licensed by NBC for the stunning visuals accented by Stephan Dillane’s voice.

Enjoy!

Quadrilateral Open Notes: R&A Admits To Keeping Royal St George's Softer In Bid To Keep Balls Out Of The Rough

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The 18th at Royal St George’s (The Open Instagram)

The 18th at Royal St George’s (The Open Instagram)

The Quadrilateral: 2021 Open Championship Tuesday Wrap And Notes

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Oakland Hills Then And Now: 7th Hole Edition

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From Trent Jones back to Ross courtesy of Hanse…

Brooks: Bryson Is "Fair Game"

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Brooks Koepka was probed and prodded by a more traditional press conference setting, resulting in plenty to fill up Steve Stricker’s notes for the “Task Force" files. Usually these things are put in the files AFTER the Ryder Cup, not before.

Enjoy!

Q. Is there a point considering that the Ryder Cup is coming up later this year that you have to start getting along with Bryson somehow if you're going to be in the same team in September?

BROOKS KOEPKA: You realise it's only a week, right?

Q. But you are on the same team.

BROOKS KOEPKA: It's only a week. I mean, look, I can put it aside for business. If we're going to be on the same team, I can deal with anybody in the world for a week.

I'm not playing with him. I'm pretty sure we're not going to be paired together; put it that way. I think it's kind of obvious.

Oh I don’t know, Hal Sutton might have put you two together. Go on…

It doesn't matter. I don't think they're -- we're not going to be high fiving and having late-night conversations. I do my thing, he does his thing. Yeah, we're on the same team, but it's not an issue at all. I don't view it as an issue. I don't think he does.

He did NOT rule out a fist bump.

Like I said, I can put anything aside for a team, business, whatever, just to get the job done. No problem with that.

And we always knew it was the Liberty situation but always nice to have it fleshed out.

Q. When you explained recently the start of this thing with Bryson, you said that he went back on his word, which is why you sort of -- did you explain what he did? How did he go back on his word? Apologies if you have said that and I missed it. What made you think he had gone back on his word?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Yeah, it was at -- I said it a couple weeks ago. It was at Liberty. He didn't like that I had mentioned his name in slow play, so we had a conversation in the locker room, and then I guess we said something else in the press conference but didn't mention his name in it, and he walked up to Ricky, said something. It was, You tell your man if he's got something to say, say it to myself. I thought that was ironic because he went straight to Ricky. Ricky told me when I came out, hit a few putts, and then just walked right over to him, we had a conversation. We both agreed we'd leave each other out of it and wouldn't mention each other, just kind of let it die off, wouldn't mention each other's names, just go about it.

So then he decided I guess he was going on that little, whatever, playing video games online or whatever and brought my name up and said a few things, so now it's fair game.

Fair game. Take that opposing Ryder Cup team!