Fujikura, the leader in performance golf shafts, was honored to be the #1 driver and wood shaft on the PGA Tour. This included a victory for the tournament winner, who used all VENTUS shafts in his driver and woods.
At the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Tennessee, Fujikura sealed the #1 driver and wood shaft spot with a back-to-back victory for the eventual PGA Tour winner. In total, over 37.1% of the field used a Fujikura driver shaft during the week, with another 35.0% in the wood shaft count.
The audacity of youth is on full display in the 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship. In Round 2 of stroke play on Tuesday morning, a pair of 16-year-olds in the same group, Bowen Mauss and Preston Stout, matched 7-under-par rounds of 65 at Colorado Golf Club (CGC), the stroke-play co-host for the championship. Not to be outdone, two groups later, another 16-year-old named Blades Brown, from Nashville, Tenn., did them one better with an 8-under 64, matching the course record for CGC and earning a share of medalist honors.
Brown, who turned 16 in May, joined Round 1 solo leader Sampson Zheng, 22, of the People’s Republic of China; and Jackson Buchanan, 21, of Dacula, Ga., as co-medalists at 7-under-par 136, thus becoming the youngest co-medalist in championship history. The rising sophomore at Brentwood Academy in Nashville and a two-time state high school champion, eclipses Bob Jones, who was 18 when he earned co-medalist honors in the 1920 U.S. Amateur at Engineers Country Club in Roslyn Harbor, N.Y.
Megan Schofill is a creature of habit. This week at Bel-Air Country Club, she made winning look routine. The Auburn University graduate student became the first Tiger to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur, delivering a 4-and-3 victory over longtime friend and Southeastern Conference rival Latanna Stone.
Schofill closed out the match with a dart on the par-4 33rd hole, a 6-iron from 165 yards to 8 feet which set up a winning par when Stone lipped out her 5-footer to stay alive.
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If Latanna Stone goes on to win this championship, she will have earned it. In a performance that is reminiscent of Sam Bennett’s run at last year’s U.S. Amateur (he took out the 8, 9, 10 and 13th ranked players in the world) at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., en route to the title, Stone has now beaten the No. 7, No. 10 and No. 25 players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking to reach Sunday’s 36-hole championship match at the 123rd U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif.
In addition to their high rankings, Stone’s five wins came against three of her 2022 USA Curtis Cup teammates (Amari Avery, Rachel Kuehn and Rachel Heck), the 2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion (Yana Wilson) and the 2022 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion Thienna Huynh.
The 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship kicks of next week.
Here's a look inside the field.
The 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship kicks off next week.
Cherry Hills Country Club will be set up at 7,394 yards and will play to a par of 35-36–71. Colorado Golf Club, which will serve as the stroke-play co-host course for the two rounds of stroke play, will be set up at 7,560 yards and play to a par of 36-36–72.
Before this week, Rachel Heck had only played one competitive round since last October. Now she’s two matches away from winning the biggest title of her career.
Heck was relentless at Bel-Air Country Club on Friday, winning six consecutive holes in an 8-and-6 triumph over Catherine Rao, the largest U.S. Women’s Amateur quarterfinal victory in 51 years. The rising senior at Stanford is on to the semifinals at this championship for the second time in three years.
Four years after making her U.S. Women’s Amateur debut at age 11, Gianna Clemente, 15, of Estero, Fla., is back with bigger expectations and significantly more attention.
Entering the week as one of the hottest players in the field (she won the PGA Junior Championship last week), Clemente already has one USGA title under her belt this season, teaming up with Avery Zweig to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball in May at The Home Course in Dupont, Wash.
The National Club Association (NCA) and Club Management Association of America (CMAA) today released “Private Club Governance: A Handbook of Principles and Best Practices.” Written by a joint committee of experts from the associations, the new publication is a definitive guide to governance of private clubs, designed to be a framework of best practices for clubs at any place on the spectrum of effective governance.
“Governance is among the most discussed issue at any private club,” said joint Governance Committee Chair Tim Muessle, CCM, CCE, Chief Operating Officer, The Olympic Club, San Francisco. “This new publication was written to clearly define the standard of effective governance, offering best practices for club boards, committees and general managers/CEOs.”
The United States Golf Association (USGA) has announced that The Country Club of North Carolina (CCNC), in Pinehurst, N.C., will be the host site for two upcoming USGA championships: the 2030 U.S. Senior Amateur and the 2037 U.S. Women’s Amateur. These will be the fourth and fifth USGA championships held at the club.
“We very much look forward to continuing our relationship with The Country Club of North Carolina, which has been a great partner of ours for more than 40 years,” said Mark Hill, USGA managing director, Championships. “We know the community will support these events, the course will challenge the best amateur players in the world, and the club and its members will provide a world-class experience.”
Garsen has been working hard to improve upon the Quad Tour Pistol, and the major feedback was that it needed a more distinct pistol shape.
So that's exactly what they did. The Quad Tour Pistol NT adds a texture than provides a more tacky gripping experience.
Aspiring stars flock to Los Angeles from all over the world in their quest for glory. Briana Chacon only had to travel 30 miles. The Whittier, Calif., native shattered the U.S. Women’s Amateur 36-hole scoring record, following her opening 66 with a sizzling 65 to earn medalist honors at Bel-Air Country Club.
Chacon’s two-day total of 131 is two better than the previous record, originally set by Mariel Galdiano in 2016 and matched by Lucy Li and Selin Hyun two years later. Andrea Lignell also shot 133 this year.
The next generation Titleist T-Series irons family establishes a new standard in iron engineering, reaffirming Titleist’s commitment to creating the world’s best irons while providing golfers with optimized performance options from their shortest to longest iron.
The new tour-proven T-Series models – T100, T150, T200 and T350 – deliver unrivaled feel with effortless turf interaction in four tour-inspired shapes, each designed to maximize the three dimensions of iron performance: distance control, dispersion control and descent angle.
The introduction of the new Titleist U 505 and T200 utility irons provides golfers with enhanced feel and improved accuracy in two tour-proven shapes engineered to create more scoring opportunities from distance.
Week in and week out, Titleist is the most played utility iron on the PGA TOUR, providing players an unparalleled combination of high launch, increased ball speed and forgiveness at the top end of their set.
The FJ x Harris Tweed Premiere Series Hoylake shoes have been released and are a true embodiment of modern elegance. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, these shoes exude sophistication with their clean, elevated design.
This FootJoy limited edition collection includes the Field and Wilcox styles from the Premiere Series and are only available in limited quantities.
Caroline Canales thinks she’s played Bel-Air Country Club at least 100 times. But none of those instances were as nerve-wracking as her first tee shot on Monday at Bel-Air's iconic par-3 10th hole, when Canales, 20, was given the honor of hitting the first ball at the 123rd U.S. Women’s Amateur.
“I definitely felt the nerves with a big gallery watching,” said Canales, who grew up in Calabasas, just 20 miles from the iconic Los Angeles golf course. “That’s a tough tee shot. I think it’s one of the hardest holes. It was a nice honor and I’m really grateful for the opportunity, but I definitely felt some nerves there.”
Fujikura, the leader in performance golf shafts, was honored to be the #1 driver, wood and hybrid shaft on the PGA Tour. This included a victory for the tournament winner, who used all VENTUS shafts in his driver and woods.
At the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina, Fujikura sealed the #1 driver, wood and hybrid shaft spot. In total, over 37.6% of the field used a Fujikura driver shaft during the week, with another 34.4% in the wood shaft and 30.9% in the hybrid shaft.
Following her major victory at the Amundi Evian Championship, PXG LPGA Tour Professional Celine Boutier continued her title run with another impressive victory at the Women’s Scottish Open.
"These last two weeks really are a dream come true," Boutier said. "I have worked so hard and I am so incredibly grateful to the people and partners who have supported me along the way. PXG saw my potential in college, supported me in my transition to playing professionally, and continues to stand beside me today. I am thrilled to celebrate another win as part of the PXG Troops."
Bel-Air Country Club hosts the 2023 U.S. Women's Amateur next week marking the third USGA championship in the clubs history.
The classic George C. Thomas design is one of the country's most prestigious courses steeped in golf history. Here's a deep dive look into the 123rd U.S. Women's Amateur Championship.
