COUNTRY CLUB OF CHARLESTON TO HOST 2019 U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN

USGA NEWS RELEASE

FAR HILLS, New Jersey – The United States Golf Association has selected the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina to host the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, to be conducted May 30-June 2.

This will be the second USGA championship conducted at the Country Club of Charleston. The club previously hosted the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, won by Emma Talley, 2 and 1, over Yueer Cindy Feng.

“We are thrilled to bring the 74th U.S. Women’s Open to the Country Club of Charleston after it served as such a superb venue for the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur,” said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman. 

“The U.S. Women’s Open is the most sought-after title in women’s golf, and we are confident the course will test the players thoroughly as they compete for the honour of hoisting the Harton S Semple Trophy in 2019.”

Scots Watson, Dryburgh and Walker at 

five-round LPGA Q School Final Tournament

 

Eight British and Irish players, including Scots Gemma Dryburgh, Sally Watson and Kylie Walker, tee off at LPGA International, Daytona Beach, Florida tomorrow in the LPGA Tour Final Qualifying  Tournament.
The others are:
Amy Boulden (Wales), Holly Clyburn (England), Becky Morgan (Wales), Hayley Davis (England), Stephanie Meadow (Ireland).
The tournament, to be played over the Jones and Hills courses,  is over five rounds and will end on Sunday, December 6. 
There will be a cut to the leading 70 and ties after four rounds (72 holes).
All players who survive that cut will be entitled to play on the Symetra Tour, the LPGA's No 2 circuit.
There is a $50,000 prizefund of which the player with the lowest five-round (90 holes) aggregate will win $5,000.

A field of 157 players will be competing for 20 Category 12 memberships of the LPGA Tours, allowing them to play in all events on the 2016 schedule.

Those who finish 21st through to 45th will earn LPGA Tour membership Category 17. In laymen’s terms, players who finish in the top 20 will have “full-time” status on the LPGA Tour while players who finish 21st through to 45th will have “conditional” status, i.e. access to some but not all the tournaments on the 2016 LPGA schedule.

 

Clubs invited to host England ch/ships England Golf is inviting clubs to put themselves forward to host national championships and tournaments. “We’d be delighted to hear from any club which is interested,” said James Crampton, the England Golf Championship Director. “Hosting an event is a great way for clubs to mark a special anniversary or to show off their course and become better known.” Among the clubs hosting 2015 events was Warwickshire’s Robin Hood Golf Club, which held their first national championship when they staged the English Senior Men’s County Championship - and they’d be happy to repeat the experience. “We wanted to raise the profile of the club,” said General Manager Martin Ward. “We had spent an enormous amount of money on the course and the greens and fairways had come on leaps and bounds. We felt the club was probably one of the best in the Midlands. “Ourselves, the green staff, the caterers, the bar staff, the pro and a lot of the members were very pleased and proud that the event took place – and the participants were very complimentary in their praise of the course. The word was spread very well!” Members supported the event as volunteers and those who wanted to play during the championship were able to take advantage of courtesy arrangements with other clubs in the county. “We satisfied all of the requests from everyone who wanted to play elsewhere,” said Martin. England Golf will soon start selecting venues for 2019 and is also filling the small number of remaining gaps for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.  England Golf runs almost 50 events each year, ranging from competitions for handicap golfers to prestigious championships which attract international fields.   For more information click here to email James Crampton. Picture Caption: Robin Hood Golf Club (Image © Leaderboard Photography). The venues for 2016 events are: May 5 South Region Medal Final, Blackmoor, Hampshire 10-13 English Senior Women's Championship, Ross on Wye, Gloucestershire 14-15 England v France, Formby, Lancashire 15 South West Region Medal Final, Kingsdown, Wiltshire 17 Brabazon Trophy - Southern Qualifier, Hadley Wood, Hertfordshire 17 Brabazon Trophy - Northern Qualifier, Fulford, Yorkshire 19 East Region Medal Final , Thetford, Norfolk 24 Midlands South Region Medal Final, Ladbrook Park, Warwickshire 29 Midlands North Region Medal Final, Penn, Staffordshire 31 North Region Medal Final, Lancaster, Lancashire June 1-3 English Senior Men's Open Championship, Kirby Muxloe/Rothley Park, Leicestershire and Rutland 14-16 English Senior Women's Stroke Play Championship, Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire 22-25 Brabazon Trophy, The London Club, Kent 30-2 July English Women's Open Match Play Championship, Holme Hall, Lincolnshire July 1-3 Logan Trophy, Brokenhurst Manor, Hampshire 6 English Schools’ Team Championship, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire 7-8 Senior Men's and Women's Midlands Tournament, Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire 12-14 McGregor Trophy, Royal Ashdown Forest, Sussex 12-14 English Women's Amateur Championship, West Lancs, Lancashire 19-22 Carris Trophy, Hunstanton 25-30 English Men's Amateur Championship, Ganton/Scarborough South Cliff, Yorkshire 26-28 English Girls’ Open Championship, The Nottinghamshire 26-28 English Girls’ U16/U14 Open Championships, The Nottinghamshire August 2-4 Reid Trophy, Porters Park, Hertfordshire 3-4 Senior Men's and Women's South Tournament , Tandridge, Surrey 8-12 England Golf Week, Frilford Heath, Oxfordshire: 8 Club Team Championship 9 County Presidents/Secretaries 9 and 12 Sponsors/Corporate 9-10 Golf Captains Final 11 Grand Medal Final 11-12 English Junior Champion Club 12 Gold Medal Final 16-17 Women and Men’s Par 3, Ampfield, Hampshire 16-18 English Women's Open Stroke Play Championship, Bristol and Clifton, Gloucestershire 23-25 Boys’ County Finals, Cumberwell Park, Wiltshire 31-1 Sept Senior Men's and Women's North Tournament, Wetherby, Yorkshire September 5-6 PING Grand and Plate Finals, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire 10-11 County Champion of Champions, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire 12-16 Women's County Finals, Waterlooville, Hampshire 17-18 English Champion Club, Stoke by Nayland, Essex 23-25 Men's County Finals, Sandwell Park, Staffordshire 27-28 Brenda King Foursomes, Clevedon, Somerset October 4-6 Senior Men’s County Finals, Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire Click here to find out more about England Golf championships Note: The image of Robin Hood Golf Club may be used with this press release provided it is credited to Leaderboard Photography. A high-resolution version is available on request.  Lyndsey Hewison Press Officer England Golf pr@englandgolf.org

Europe's No 1 junior bound for United States

Denmark's John Axelsen commits to Florida
University in 2017
 

John Axelsen ( Leaderboard Photography )

FROM GOLFWEEK.COM
By Brentley Romine

University of Florida head coach J.C. Deacon has secured some of his own country's top recruits in his short time in Gainesville: Andy Zhang, Eugene Hong and 13-year-old Joseph Pagdin, to name a few.
Now, Deacon has received a verbal commitment from one of the world's best junior golfers.
Denmark's John Axelsen, No. 177 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, told Golfweek on Monday that he will play for the Gators beginning in autumn of 2017.
“The program at the University of Florida is very ambitious, and Coach Deacon has already built up a very strong and impressive team with world-class players," Axelsen said, "and with signings and commitments from some of the best juniors in the world, it is going to be a very exciting place to be."
Axelsen, who visited Gainesville last winter with the Danish national team, said he had "several great opportunities from some great coaches and universities, but Florida was my favourite from the start." 
His sister, Elisa, plays college golf for South Alabama, and her experience in Mobile, about 400 miles west of Gainesville, was a big factor in Axelsen's decision to play college golf in the U.S.
Axelsen, 17, has reached No. 1 in the European U-16 boys golf rankings and debuted for the Danish national team at the 2014 European Team Championship in Finland. He also was a member of the 2014 European Junior Ryder Cup team.
His victories include the Danish International Amateur, English Boys' U-16 McGregor Trophy and English Boys' U-13 Reid Trophy. 
He said he plans to play only one event in the U.S. in 2016, the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, as he concentrates on amateur tournaments in Europe.
Axelsen is Florida's third verbal commitment for the Class of 2017, joining Manuel Girona and Robert Eisch.

Judy Bell applauds Diana Murphy’s nomination as USGA president

                                        DIANA MURPHY ... "She will be terrific," says Judy Bell

FROM GOLFWEEK.COM
By Adam Schupak

Judy Bell says she often gets asked why she’s the only female to have served as president of the U.S. Golf Association.
“That question is going to go away, which is going to be neat,” Bell said by phone Monday.
The USGA announced Monday the nomination of vice-president Diana Murphy to serve a one-year term as the 64th president of the association. If elected in February, Murphy, of St. Simons Island, Georgia, would follow in the footsteps of Bell, who held the position in 1996-97.
But Bell said she isn’t surprised it has taken two decades for another female to ascend to the USGA’s top spot.
“The wheel turns slowly,” Bell said. “To get the right person is important, and she certainly is. You’ve read her resume, haven’t you?”
Murphy, 59, has been formally associated with the USGA since 1996. She is in her fifth year as a member of the USGA Executive Committee. She chairs the championship and compensation committees and serves on the audit and corporate partners committees.
Professionally, Murphy is the managing director of a private-equity firm focused on small business and real estate in the south-east of America. She also is managing director of the Georgia Research Alliance Venture Fund, which supports the state’s public and private research universities. She had been a senior vice president of The Baltimore Sun Co. for 15 years.
Murphy’s nomination follows the election of Suzy Whaley to the PGA of America’s board of directors, which puts her in line to become the PGA's first female president. In recent years, women have been admitted as members at Augusta National Golf Club and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.
“It’s progress,” Bell said. “We’re golfers too and we love the game, so it’s very appropriate.”
Of Murphy, Bell said, “She’ll be terrific. She’ll be perhaps the best USGA president ever.”
Even better than Murphy's husband, Reg, who served as president in 1995?
“Well, I learned a lot from Reg. I served as vice president under him, but she has a good chance to be one of the best presidents we’ve ever had.”
The election of officers and the 15-member USGA Executive Committee will take place February 6, 2016, at the USGA’s annual meeting at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego.