74th U.S. Women's Open Championship Recap: Round 2

Mamiko Higa shot a 6-under-par 65 in her first-ever U.S. Women's Open round on Thursday, and then rallied with birdies on three of her last six holes on Friday to post an even-par 71 and maintain a one-stroke lead in the weather-delayed Round 2 of the 74th U.S. Women's Open at the Country Club of Charleston. 

 

The round was suspended for nearly two hours in the late afternoon by thunderstorms, and when play was halted for the day at 8:24 p.m., Higa led Jessica Korda by one stroke.  Korda, 26, put together rounds of 69-68 to sit at 5-under 137.  Amateur Gina Kim, 19, of Chapel Hill, N.C., shot 1-over 72 on Friday for a 4-under total of 138 and sits in solo third among completed players.  And Celine Boutier, 25, of France, was also at 4 under with four holes left to play in Round 2. 

All Three Courses at Sea Pines Resort Named to Best Courses You Can Play in State by Golfweek Magazine

All three courses at The Sea Pines Resort have been named to the state list of "Best Courses You Can Play" in Golfweek magazine's annual "Ultimate Guide" that recognizes the most prestigious venues in the game. 

 

Harbour Town Golf Links is ranked No. 2 in South Carolina (and you already know how much I love this course), with Atlantic Dunes No. 8, and Heron Point No. 11.  In that order, they also were the top three courses listed on Hilton Head Island.  Golf courses must be accessible to the public to be eligible for the "Best Courses You Can Play" recognition. 

Nine Troon Courses Named to America's 100 Greatest Public Courses by Golf Digest

Nine Troon affiliated courses have been named to Golf Digest's ranking of America's 100 Greatest Public Courses.  Seven of the courses are Troon-affiliated properties and two, Gamble Sands and Tetherow, are OB Sports-managed facilities. 

 

Troon brands, including Troon Golf, Troon Prive, Troon International, Honours Golf and OB Sports, have 90-plus courses that have been or are ranked on domestic and international Top 100 rankings. 

PING Golf Signed Former World No. 1 Amateur Jennifer Kupcho

Less than two months after her impressive and historic win at the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur, Jennifer Kupcho, the most recent World No. 1 Female Amateur, has signed an equipment contract with PING.  Kupcho will make her debut as a PING staff pro at this week’s U.S. Women’s Open. 

 

Among her many achievements, Kupcho earned medalist honors in 2018 at the NCAA Division I Golf Championships and was the national collegiate Player of the Year.  Last summer, she was a member of the victorious U.S. Curtis Cup, Palmer Cup, and World Amateur teams. 

PUMA Golf Adds Amateur Golf Sensation Justin Suh to its World Class Roster of Athletes

PUMA Golf has added the former No. 1 Amateur in the World in 2018 and 2019 Justin Suh to its team of world-class athletes.  Per the multi-year agreement, Suh will wear PUMA Golf apparel, footwear, and headwear in all professional events in which he competes. 

 

Suh is set to make his professional debut this week at the 2019 Memorial Tournament, donning items from PUMA Golf's SS19 collection of apparel, accessories, and footwear. 

GOLFBUDDY an Official Sponsor of the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer

GOLFBUDDY will be a sponsor of the 2019 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, an LPGA Tour event to be competed June 7th to 9th at Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club, the Bay Course, in Galloway, N.J. 

 

The sponsorship is part of a partnership between GOLFBUDDY and the LPGA Tour.  Players will compete over 54 holes for a share of the $1,750,000 purse.  The defending champion is Annie Park. 

PGA National Resort & Spa Will Celebrate Women’s Golf Day and Month in June

PGA National Resort & Spa will celebrate both Women's Golf Day and Women's Golf Month in June to salute all women's golfers and celebrate their inclusion in the game we all love. 

 

On June 4th, the legendary destination will conduct a women's golf clinic from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on the Champion Course practice putting green led by PGA Professional Randy Raimondi.  The clinic will be followed by a nine-hole round on its classic Fazio Course.  And both will be complimentary for members and the public. 

Circling Raven Earns Idaho’s Top Spot in Golfweek Magazine Best Courses You Can Play by State in 2019

Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel's acclaimed championship course  Circling Raven Golf Club has garnered Idaho's No. 1 ranking in "Golfweek's Best Courses You Can Play by State in 2019. 

 

Owned and operated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Circling Raven is designed by Gene Batessprawls, and runs expansively across 620 acres of gorgeous Palouse Region topography (part of the Tribe's ancient ancestral homelands in the Idaho Panhandle).  It is one of many highly regarded amenities of the Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel. 

Giants Ridge The Quarry Named No. 1 in Minnesota on Golfweek Best State Courses You Can Play List

The Quarry at Giants Ridge golf resort received top billing in Golfweek's "Best State Courses You Can Play" rankings for the fifth consecutive year. 

 

Solidifying its position as the best public course in the Gopher State, The Quarry is built on the site of a former sand quarry and iron ore mine.  Dramatically raised tees and hazards forged from reclaimed and repurposed mine land set this Jeff Brauer design apart from other courses and provide dramatic Iron Range vistas. 

Myrtle Beach Comes Up Big in Golfweek Magazine's Rankings of South Carolina Best Public Courses to Play

Golfweek has unveiled its annual list of the "Best Courses You Can Play" in each state, and Myrtle Beach again made waves in the ranking of South Carolina's best public courses. 

 

Nine of the Palmetto State's top 15 public layouts were located along the Grand Strand, according Golfweek, highlighting the depth and quality of the area's offerings. 

Four Courses at Reynolds Lake Oconee Namedto Best Courses You Can Play in State

Reynolds Lake Oconee is in elite company as one of only three destination golf communities in the United States with four courses named to its state list of "Best Courses You Can Play"in Golfweek magazine's annual "Ultimate Guide" that recognizes the most prestigious venues in the game. 

 

Reynolds Lake Oconee's "Fab Four" on the "Best Courses You Can Play" list in Georgia include No.2 Great Waters, No. 4 Oconee, No. 8 National, and No. 10 The Landing.  The only other golf clubs with four or more courses on the list include Bandon Dunes in Oregon and Kohler in Wisconsin. 

Three Branson Area Courses Earn Top Spots in Golfweek's ‘Best Courses You Can Play by State

Buffalo Ridge Springs (No. 1), Branson Hills (No. 2), and LedgeStone (No. 6) were all named to Golfweek Magazine's annual "best in state" list of best golf course.  

 

While Buffalo Ridge Springs (an amenity of Big Cedar Lodge) earned a spot on the publication's "Top Courses You Can Play in America" list, ranking at No. 89. 

Bayside Resort Golf Club Breaks Ground on New Clubhouse

Bayside Resort Golf Club, a semi-private club in Selbyville, Del., recently broke ground on a new 23,000 square-foot clubhouse, with completion expected in 2020. 

 

The new larger building will replace Bayside Resort Golf Club's current 7,500 square-foot clubhouse and feature a new golf shop, Signatures restaurant and bar, a golf simulator, event and banquet spaces, and more. 

Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, Gary Player, Fred Ridley and Actress Jane Seymour to Introduce Inductees at World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Golf legends and luminaries including Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, Gary Player, Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley and actress Jane Seymour will introduce Inductees Dennis Walters, Retief Goosen, Billy Payne, and Jan Stephenson into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Monday, June 10th.   The late Peggy Kirk Bell will be introduced with a special tribute video featuring her family. 

 

The Inductees selected each presenter for the Induction Ceremony, which begins at 7:30 pm EDT at the Sunset Center in Carmel By The Sea, Calif., kicking off the U.S. Open Championship.  A record number of Hall of Fame members are expected to attend the ceremony, including the Selection Commission Co-Chairs Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Nancy Lopez and Annika Sorenstam. 

The 2019 Memorial Tournament: Inside the Course (Muirfield Village Golf Club Review)

This week the PGA Tour returns to Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio for the 44th playing of the Memorial Tournament.  Muirfield always attracts the strongest collections of marquee names, and everything about the tournament is prestigious.  It's name gives a nod to the game's origins, where the Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers composed golf's original 13 rules. 

 

Muirfield's design draws inspiration from Augusta National and Bobby Jones.  And with Jack Nicklaus as course designer and tournament host, the Golden Bear's stamp is seen everywhere.  The joke around here is that Muirfield is Jack's "other wife," and he even gave Barbara a necklace with the inscription "to my other gal" when the tournament was founded 43 years ago. 

5 Things to Know about the 2019 Memorial Tournament

One of the strongest fields of the year lands in Dublin, Ohio this week for The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club.  Muirfield opened in 1974 as a 6,969-yard track, and evolved into its current 7,392-yard, par-72 length with a series of nips, tucks, and wholesale redesigns. 

 

Of the 400-plus courses designed by Jack Nicklaus worldwide, Muirfield is considered his seminal masterpiece. Muirfield is a second-shot golf course with ample room off the tee.  However, the difficulty of each hole increases as you approach the greens, which are strategically bunkered and feature putting surfaces that are among the quickest and most undulating on the PGA Tour. 

Forest Dunes, Both Directions of The Loop Ranked Among America's 100 Greatest Public Courses

The Loop at Forest Dunes, the innovative reversible layout designed by Tom Doak, continues to garner the highest accolades from the golf industry.  In an unprecedented achievement, both golf course routings, Red and Black, have been ranked among Golf Digest's list of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses.  The panel ranked the Black No. 45 and the Red No. 47. 

 

Not to be outdone by the boutique Northern Michigan resort's newer addition, the original and immaculately-conditioned Tom-Weiskopf designed Forest Dunes course is ranked No. 28 on the list, putting all three Forest Dunes Golf Club layouts in Golf Digest's top 50.  Forest Dunes joins Pebble Beach, Streamsong, Bandon Dunes, and Kohler as the only resort properties with three courses distinguished among the nation's Top 50. 

Bay Harbor, Heather at Boyne Highlands Layouts Ranked Among America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses

Boyne Golf is one of the largest and most-lauded golf resort companies in the U.S., and two of its acclaimed resort golf courses have been ranked on Golf Digest’s 2019 - 2020 list of America's 100 Greatest Public Courses.  The Heather at Boyne Highlands Resort joins the distinguished roster for the first time, while the 18-hole Links/Quarry pairing at Bay Harbor Golf Club has been a staple on the list since 2003. 

 

Golf Digest's biennial review of America's top public courses uses nearly 1,000 low-handicap male and female golfers on its Course Ranking Panel, and asked each to submit ballots based on eight criteria including shot options, challenge, layout variety, distinctiveness, aesthetics, conditioning, character, and fun. 

Arcis Golf Embarks on Renovation of Tour Course at Weston Hills Country Club

Arcis Golf has begun renovation of the Tour Course at Weston Hills Country Club, one of the private club's two 18-hole Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designs, and one time home of the PGA Tour's Honda Classic.  The Players Course will remain open for play throughout the project. 

 

The Tour Course is undergoing a complete bunkering renovation, installation of Celebration Bermudagrass on all fairways, and building a new short-game area.  The multimillion-dollar project is being directed by award-winning Fry-Straka Global Golf Course Design, and is scheduled to be complete this fall. 

The Club at New Seabury Completes Renovations on the Dunes Course: Reshaped Features Enhance Playability and Experience

The Club at New Seabury has completed renovations to The Dunes Course as part of a multi-year, multi-million dollar Club investment, all in an effort to better position the course as a classically designed layout and improve the playability and enjoyment for all golfers. 

 

The course opened Memorial Day weekend with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, May 24th,with President and Executive Director Chris Card providing the welcome and opening remarks.