Release Date:
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2014
Contact Person:
Pete Kowalski – pkowalski@usga.org, cell 908-216-8435
VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. (June 11, 2014) – Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C., has been selected by the United States Golf Association (USGA) as the site of the 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Dates of the championship are May 27-31.
Because of the size of the field (128 two-player teams), two courses will be needed for the championship. Pinehurst No. 2 will serve as the match-play course and No. 4 will serve as the companion course for the competition.
“The U.S. Amateur Four-Ball is our newest championship and we feel that the format has widespread appeal,” said Daniel B. Burton, USGA vice president and chairman of the Championship Committee. “It is fitting that the 2017 championship will be contested at a place that has played a significant role in the history of American golf. We are grateful for our continuing friendship and partnership with Pinehurst.”
“Pinehurst is especially proud to host the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, which extends our deep connection with the USGA and celebrates our passion for the amateur game,” said Don Padgett, president of Pinehurst. “Our friendship with the USGA was forged by the founding Tufts family and continues to this day. And for nearly as long, Pinehurst has held events that showcase the best in amateur golf.”
In the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, each of two competitors plays their own ball throughout the round. Each team’s score is determined by using the lower score of the partners for each hole. After 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying, the field will be reduced to the low 32 teams for the championship’s match-play bracket, from which the eventual champions will be determined.
The 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball will be the ninth USGA championship to be held at Pinehurst, including the unprecedented back-to-back U.S. Open Championships in 2014. Previously, the USGA conducted the following championships at Pinehurst No. 2: 1962 U.S. Amateur (won by Labron Harris Jr.); 1989 U.S. Women’s Amateur (won by Vicki Goetze-Ackerman); 1994 U.S Senior Open (won by Simon Hobday); 1999 U.S. Open (won by Payne Stewart); 2005 U.S. Open (won by Michael Campbell); and the 2008 U.S. Amateur (won by Danny Lee).
Eligibility for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship is limited to amateurs, with no age restrictions. Partners comprising teams or sides will are not required to be from the same club, state or country. Entry is limited to individuals with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 5.4.
The USGA’s amateur four-ball championships (for men and women) will debut in 2015, with sectional qualifying beginning in August 2014. Prior to 2017, the Amateur Four-Ball Championship will be conducted at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif., from May 2-6, 2015 and at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., from May 21-25, 2016.
About the USGA
The USGA conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open, as well as 10 national amateur championships, two state team championships and international matches, attracting players and fans from more than 160 countries. Together with The R&A, the USGA governs the game worldwide, jointly administering the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, equipment standards and World Amateur Golf Rankings. The USGA’s reach is global with a working jurisdiction in the United States, its territories and Mexico, serving more than 25 million golfers and actively engaging 150 golf associations.
The USGA is one of the world’s foremost authorities on research, development and support of sustainable golf course management practices. It serves as a primary steward for the game’s history and invests in the development of the game through the delivery of its services and its ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program. Additionally, the USGA’s Course Rating and Handicap systems are used on six continents in more than 50 countries.
For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org.
The Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is an economic development organization and non-profit authority of Moore County, North Carolina. The CVB mission is to promote the area as a destination for visitors, meetings, conventions and tours. The CVB is funded primarily by a three percent hotel / motel room occupancy tax paid by visitors to Moore County.
