Florida Golf Communities
Top Storylines From the First Half of the PGA Tour Season
With the conclusion of the U.S. Open, we have now hit the midway point in the PGA Tour season. The first half of the season did not disappoint when it came to storylines. From “drop-gate” to the anchored putter ban, there has been plenty to talk about already this season. Before moving on to this week’s Traveler’s Championship, we take a look back at some of the highlights from the first half of the season.
Brandt Snedeker looks unstoppable, until a rib injury stops him– Brandt Snedeker played the first month of the season about as good as anyone could ask. He had a third, two seconds, and a win at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am all in the first month. In his only non top-10 finish of that first month (a tie for 23rd at the Humana Challenge) he still managed to shoot 19-under par. Despite a rib injury sidelining him for a month and causing him to play a limited schedule, he has still recorded a sixth place finish at the Masters, an eighth place finish at The Players Championship, and a 17th place finish at the U.S. Open.
Tiger Woods wins for the second time at The Players Championship. Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Phil flirts with 59– Phil Mickelson has already had five top-10 finishes this season. One of which was his historic performance at the Waste Management Phoenix Open where he shot a four day score of 28-under par to win. Missing the all-time 72 hole scoring record by just two strokes, Mickelson made 11 birdies in the opening round, including on his first four holes, to shoot a 60. He nearly had a 59 until his birdie putt on 18 lipped out. Chances are he would give up that trophy if it meant turning his runner up at the U.S. Open into a win.
Tiger gets four wins before June– Tiger Woods won four PGA Tour events before the month of May, the fastest to four in a season in his career. The Jupiter Island Resident started with a win at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and then followed that up with wins at Doral, Bay Hill, and The Players Championship. While Torrey Pines, Doral, and Bay Hill are all courses Tiger has won on many times, the TPC Sawgrass has given Woods fits over the years. It was only his second career win at The Players.
First half of the season full of first time winners– There have been nine first time winners on the PGA Tour in the first half of the season. Russel Henley (Sony Open in Hawaii), John Merrick (Northern Trust Open), Michael Thompson (The Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens), Scott Brown (Puerto Rico Open), Kevin Streelman (Tampa Bay Championship), Billy Horschel (Zurich Classic of New Orleans), Derek Ernst (Wells Fargo Championship), Sang-Moon Bay (HP Byron Nelson), and Harris English (St. Jude Classic) all got their first career PGA Tour wins. There have also been two first time major winner to come out of the first two majors of the season. Adam Scott became the first Australian golfer ever to win a green jacket, while Justin Rose became the first golfer from England to win the U.S. Open in 43 years.
Controversy at every turn– The first half of the season has had its fair share of controversy. There was “drop-gate” with Tiger Woods at the Masters that resulted in a two stroke penalty but not a disqualification. There was the announcement from the USGA and R&A banning anchored putting starting in 2016. There was also the issue with Vijay Singh taking Deer Antler Spray and the pending lawsuit between him and the PGA Tour.
With the first half of the PGA Tour season in the books, we now look ahead to the second half of the season where two more majors will be played and someone will be crowned the FedEx Cup champion. If the second half is anything like the first, then we should be in store for a fun race to the finish.
Jupiter Dunes Offers Residents One of the Finest Short Courses
Jupiter Dunes is located near the ocean on Jupiter‘s natural estuary. A challenge for golfers of all skill levels, the beautiful course features 18 par 3 holes all with varying distances and challenges.
The Tim Fazio designed course opened up in 1973 and gives golfers the beauty of the south Florida layout, with the fun and challenging design that golfers have come to know and expect from a Fazio designed course. The course was redesigned in 2003, making it a modern course but still keeping that old school feel. At just under 2000 yards, golfers have the option to either ride a cart or walk.
Whether you are a new golfer, junior, or someone just wanting to work on the short game, Jupiter Dunes is one of the finest short courses not just in the Jupiter area but in the whole state of Florida.
Lessons are also available from golf coach Jeff Leishman. Leishman is the swing coach for PGA Tour pro Steve LeBrun. In addition, Jupiter Dunes offers a summer golf camp for children ages 6-14 and runs for three weeks in June and three weeks in July.
For tee times and pricing visit the Jupiter Dunes website at www.jupiterdunesgolf.com.
Justin Rose Wins First Major
It was setting up to be the perfect day for Phil Mickelson at Merion Golf Club just out of Pennsylvania. It was the first time he held the U.S. Open lead through 54 holes, it was his 43rd birthday, and more importantly for him, it was father’s day. After all, it was Mickelson who flew cross country on the eve of the Open so he was able to be home for his daughter’s eighth grade graduation. The same daughter that was born the day after his first runner up finish in 1999.
The stars were all aligned, but the putts didn’t fall. Once again, Mickelson came up short on Sunday at a U.S. Open as Justin Rose won his first ever major. It was Mickelson’s record sixth second place finish at the event.
After losing the lead early in his round Sunday, Mickelson holed out from 75 yards on the 10th hole for eagle to re-gain the lead back. It was at that moment when it seemed that this year was finally going to be the year for Mickelson to get that elusive U.S. Open championship. His wedge play, which had been strong and steady all week, ended up being his Achilles heel late in the day.
At the par three 13th, Mickelson drilled his wedge over the green and made bogey. Then, with about 121 yards left on the par four 15th, his approach shot to the green came up short. He had a chance to save par with one of his wedges but hit it 25 feet past the hole and had to settle for a bogey. It was that bogey that proved to be the dagger and opened the door for Rose to capture his first major.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
For Rose, the win was more special than it just being his first major. It was the first time in 43 years an Englishman has won our national championship. More importantly, it was a win on Father’s Day and a win for the man that helped teach him the game.
“I was 21 when he passed away and I always think about it as the time together we had was quality not quantity,” Rose told reporters after the win. “… My dad and I were lucky enough to spend a lot of quality time together learning to play the game, after school on the driving range, so I can look back at our life together with a lot of fondness.”
Rose shot even par on the final day to win which turned out to be one of the lowest rounds of the day. As the rest of the field was backing up, Rose stayed patient and it resulted in a U.S. Open championship.
Old Palm resident Charl Schwartzel started the day off just one shot back. Luke Donald (Bears Club) was just two back. Just like the rest of the field though, they fell victim to Merion’s nearly impossible set up. Ernie Els recorded one of the best rounds of the day and it still wasn’t good enough. The Jupiter resident shot a one-under 69 but still had to settle for a fourth place finish.
The stars all aligned on Sunday, and it was Justin Rose who was left holding the trophy. For complete coverage of the U.S. Open visit www.pgatour.com.
Rory Mcllroy Climbs “Rocky” Steps in Philadelphia
With this weekend’s U.S. Open being just outside of Philadelphia and yesterday being the last off day before play got started, Rory Mcllroy took in some of the sights of the historical city yesterday.
Rory Mcllroy via Twitter
Included was a stop at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a place made famous when Sylvester Stalone’s character ran up them in the fictional movie “Rocky”.
Just like thousands before him, the Palm Beach Gardens resident ran up the famed steps of the museum, racing his swing coach Michael Bannon to the top. He posted pictures of himself running the stairs in a Phillies hat and jersey to his twitter account with the caption “Can’t come to Philadelphia and not see the ‘Rocky’ steps!!”
Mcllroy was due to tee off today with Tiger Woods and Adam Scott at 1:14pm in the marquee pairing of the tournament. Heavy rain went through the Philadelphia area this morning resulting in a three hour and forty two minute weather delay that pushed the tee times of the afternoon golfers back. Mcllroy is now scheduled to tee off at 4:44pm.
Tee Times and Pairings For U.S. Open
The season’s second major gets under way tomorrow at the famed Merion Golf Club with 156 of the top professional and amateur golfers from around the world competing for America’s National Championship of golf. Just like in years past, the USGA has given us some compelling and interesting pairings for the first two rounds Thursday and Friday. Here is a look at some of those pairings as well as what time they will tee it up.
Char Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuzien, Tim Clark (7:33am Thursday on #11 and 1:03pm Friday on #1)- All three are from South Africa and Schwartzel and Oosthuzien are neighbors in Old Palm.
Rickie Fowler, Jason Day, Matteo Manassero (8:06am Thursday on #11 and 1:36pm Friday on #1)- All three young golfers are on the rise and are looking to capture their first major on the PGA Tour. Loxahatchee River resident Fowler finishing fifth in the 2011 British Open, Day had a runner up finish at the 2011 U.S. Open, and Manassero finished 13th at the British Open in 2009.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Marin Kaymer (12:52pm Thursday on #1 and 7:22am Friday on #11)- The three international golfers all have the distinction of holding the #1 ranking in the world at one point in their careers. Westwood earned in honors in October of 2010. The Old Palm resident held the ranking for 17 weeks before being replaced by Martin Kaymer. Kaymer held it for eight weeks before giving it back to Westwood in April of 2011. Westwood would eventually lose it for good five weeks later to fellow Old Palm resident Luke Donald.
Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Jim Furyk (1:03pm Thursday on #11 and 7:33am Friday on #11)- McDowell and Furyk are both past U.S. Open winners. Furyk won at Olympia Fields in 2003 and McDowell won at Pebble Beach in 2010. Johnson, the Loxahatchee River resident, is still looking for his first major.
Tiger Woods, Rory, Mcllroy, Adam Scott (1:14pm Thursday on #1 and 7:44am Friday #11)- This is by far the featured pairing of the first two rounds. The three are ranked one, two, and three in the world respectively. All past major winners, the three golfers are all intertwined in some way. Woods and Mcllroy are the two biggest golfers at Nike and have even become friends off the course. With Woods living on Jupiter Island and Mcllroy just down the road in Palm Beach Gardens, the two have been known to play a friendly round from time to time when they are off. Then there is the Woods/Scott dynamic. Scott’s current caddie, Steve Williams, was Woods’ former caddie until a fallout in July of 2011. Williams was on Tiger’s bag for all but two of Woods’ 14 majors and was on Scott’s bag when he won the Masters this year.
Jim Herman, John Nieporte, Adam Hadwin (2:31pm Thursday on #1 and 9:01am Friday on #11)- All three of these golfers advanced to the U.S. Open through local and sectional qualifiers. Herman, a member at Trump National in Jupiter earned the final qualifier spot at the New York sectional. Nieporte, who is the head golf pro at Trump International in West Palm Beach, qualified at the sectional qualifier in Bradenton.
For a complete list of pairings and tee times for the first two rounds, visit www.pgatour.com.
Toughest Par 3s in Palm Beach County
In honor of the long par 3s at this week’s U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, the Palm Beach Post released a list of the five toughest par 3s in Palm Beach County and two of them are located in the Jupiter area.
The Post named the par 3 17th hole at Dye Preserve as the toughest par 3 in all of Palm Beach County, playing at 240 yards from the back tees. With water to the right, the only real bailout is to the left. If you leave it short you will be in one of three bunkers that border the front part of the green. On a day where the pin is tucked in on the right side of the green the water comes into play even more.
Coming in at number five on the list is the ninth hole at Jupiter Hills Country Club. Playing at 227 yards from the tips, the par three ninth hole is the signature hole at Jupiter Hills. With a big valley between tee and green, there is not much room to miss on this tough par three. With Jupiter Hills hosting the State Amateur Championship June 20-23, the ninth hole will be a test for all golfers playing.
The other holes making the list was the 213 yard fifth hole at the Palm Beach Par 3 course, the 225 yard seventh hole at the West Palm Beach Golf Course, and the 220 yard eighth hole at Emerald Dunes Country Club.
Dustin Johnson Looks to Defend Title This Week in Memphis
Dustin Johnson comes into this week’s FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis as the defending champion. Just like last year, the Loxahatchee River resident comes into the event battling early season health issues.
Dustin Johnson won the FedEx St. Jude Classic in 2012. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
In 2012, Johnson started the season on a tear. He ripped off three straight top ten finishes in the month of February before a back injury sidelined him for nearly three months. In his second start back from the injury, Johnson shot rounds of 70-68-67-66 to earn a one shot victory and keep his win streak going. Since joining the PGA Tour in 2008, Johnson has won at least one tournament every year.
Johnson’s 2013 season has gotten off to a similar start. He opened up the season with a win at the Tournament of Champions, extending his win streak. Since that win though, Johnson has struggled. He has shown signs that his back issues have returned, playing in only three events since the end of March. Out of those three, the only event he was able to complete was the Masters when he finished in a tie for 13th. Since then, he has had to withdraw from The Players Championship after the first round and missed the cut this past weekend at the Memorial.
Johnson hopes that just like last year, the TPC Southwind course is just the medicine the doctor ordered. Dustin is grouped with Brand Snedeker and Davis Love III in the first two rounds. Just like Johnson, Snedeker is all too familiar with an injury derailing a season. Snedeker has been battling with a rib injury for most of the season.
Dustin and his two playing partners will tee off at 1:27pm on Thursday and 8:27am Friday. For complete coverage of the FedEx St. Jude Classic visit www.pgatour.com.
PGA Tour Canada Debuts This Week
The Canadian Tour has a long history of being a stepping stone to the PGA Tour for many top golfers. Golfers such as Steve Stricker, Stuart Appleby, and Nick Watney all got their start on the Canadian Tour before having successful PGA Tour careers.
This week, the Canadian Tour will kick off its 43rd season but with a new twist. For the first time since 1986, the Canadian Tour went through a re-branding this past off season when they were acquired by the PGA Tour.
Photo courtesy of Golf Canada
With the PGA Tour taking over, comes the added opportunity for the competitors on the Canadian Tour. For the first time in the tour’s 43 year history, there will be five 2014 Web.com Tour exemptions handed out to the top five golfers in points at the end of the year. The winner of the Canadian Tour season will receive full exempt status on the Web.com tour and will have the opportunity to qualify and compete at some PGA Tour events.
The tour kicks off on Thursday with the Times Colonist Island Savings Open, a staple on the Canadian Tour since 1981. The PGA Tour Canada will run through the middle of September, wrapping up with the Tour Championship of Canada September 9-15.
This year’s list of PGA Tour Canada participants includes several golfers from our area. Johnny DelPrete of Stuart, Hugo Leon of Tequesta, and Brad Tilley of Jupiter will all tee it up over the next several months with the goal of getting one of those Web.com Tour exemptions.
For more information on the new PGA Tour Canada as well as a complete list of tournaments and players, visit www.pgatourcanada.com.
Sporting Events Bring In Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Local Revenue
From the equestrian season in Wellington, to the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, and spring training in Abacoa, sports events in Palm Beach County has generated an estimated $260 million in the past year.
Big sporting events in our area not only bring tourism dollars in the way of hotels and restaurants, they also showcase all that the area has to offer. Sports teams and tournaments are a selling point for relocation, both for individuals and companies.
Roger Dean Stadium caters to local residents and visitors from February through September
“Sports is a major economic driver, in fact sports tourism is a big economic driver,” Palm Beach County Sports Commission Executive Director George Linley said last week at a luncheon at the Boca Raton Hotel and Resort.
For every big international event, such as the Honda Classic held at PGA National, there are local sporting events that are held throughout the year.
For example, after spring training ends in March, Roger Dean Stadium in Abacoa attracts local fans and families to its stadium during the minor league season. Between the two teams that play in the stadium, the Jupiter Hammerheads and the Palm Beach Cardinals, there is a game nearly every night of the week through September.
“It impacts our quality of life in Palm Beach County,” Business Development Board President and CEO Kelly Smallridge said at the same luncheon.
For more information on properties in any of these areas contact Waterfront Properties at (561) 746-7272.
Honda Classic Sets New Record for Money Raised
On the last weekend of February, the PGA Tour made its annual stop in Palm Beach County when the Champion course at PGA National hosted the Honda Classic. The event was won by Michael Thompson, which was his first win on the PGA Tour. In the coming weeks, the Honda Classic experienced another first.
The event, held in Palm Beach Gardens, announced Wednesday that it set a new record for money raised for its charity partners. The event raised and awarded a record $2.13 million to a variety of Palm Beach County charities, with the bulk of it going once again to the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation.
With a record attendance this year of nearly 170,000, the Honda Classic has benefited greatly from its move to PGA National and the big names like Tiger Woods and Rory Mcllroy that have committed to the event.
The Honda Classic moved to the Champion course at PGA National in 2007 and raised $430,000. In 2010, the event topped the $1 million mark and raised $1.85 million last year, the first time both Mcllroy (Palm Beach Gardens) and Woods (Jupiter Island) were in the field.
For more information on the Honda Classic, visit www.thehondaclassic.com.
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