Against all odds
+ Xander Schauffele seeks to win his first major; iconic La Costa course turns back clock, and a few questions for your consideration.
THE STARTER
🏌️ Scottie Scheffler was arrested Friday morning trying to drive around traffic into the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club. Would Scheffler be voted by his peers “least likely to be arrested?”
🏌️ The PGA of America is in talks with Tiger Woods about being U.S. Ryder Cup captain in 2025 at Bethpage Black. Why is Woods hesitating?
🏌️ Rory McIlroy won the Wells Fargo Championship by blistering Xander Schauffele and the rest of the field in Sunday’s final round. McIlroy also won the PGA Championship in 2014 at Valhalla. Are the stars in alignment for McIlroy?
🏌️ McIlroy, Scheffler and Brooks Koepka all won their last start before the PGA Championship. How long has it been since golf’s top players played their best golf entering a major?
🏌️ Jimmy Dunne resigned as an independent director of the PGA Tour Policy Board after being the person who led the talks between the Tour and PIF, saying "no meaningful progress has been made towards a transaction with PIF" and that "my vote and my role is utterly superfluous." Is this a huge loss for the future of the negotiations?
🏌️ At the PGA Championship, Brandel Chamblee called the LIV Golf format “stupid” and a “laughable concept.” Is anyone listening to Chamblee about LIV anymore?
🏌️ Paul McGinley said on Golf Channel that Valhalla is one of the most underrated great golf courses in the world. Really?
🏌️ Rose Zhang won the Cognizant Founders Cup, birdieing four of her last five holes for her second LPGA Tour victory. At age 20, is Zhang the next great hope for the LPGA Tour?
🏌️ Sixteen-year-old Blades Brown became the latest teenager to make the cut in a PGA Tour event, getting to the weekend in the Myrtle Beach. Does he already have the best name in golf?
:: Mike Purkey
FEATURES
Handicapping the PGA Championship
The First Call's Gary Van Sickle taps into his friend, The Anonymous Gambler, for some insight that may lead to a big payday on Sunday.
:: Gary Van Sickle | Read
BOOKMARKED
Good reads that are mainly about golf, but not always.
📖 Sports is betting it all on gambling
:: Corbin Smith | Defector | 05.06.2024
📖 The timeless boyhood of a baseball lifer
Kenny Glanville started playing baseball 50 years ago in an era when African-American players thrived. The complexion of the game has changed, but he keeps coming back for another season.
:: Tim Brown | The Assembly | 05.10.2024
Hidden letters reveal love, lust, scandal in 1920s Baltimore society.
:: Tim Prudente / Stokely Baksh | The Baltimore Banner | 05.08.2024
SUBSTACKED
📖 Tragedy at Valhalla and Scottie Scheffler's arrest
The golf world's odd reaction to terrible news and a shocking arrest reinforces how isolated the sport has become from the real world.
:: Geoff Schackelford | The Quadrilateral | 05.18.2024
BUSINESS
WEEK IN REVIEW
1️⃣8️⃣ The industry’s names, news and notables that are making the headlines. | Read
PERFECT PUTT
Acushnet, Callaway signal strength
Acushnet and Callaway recently reported their financial results for the first quarter. While revenue results weren’t overwhelmingly impressive, both companies still are showing strength for the industry.
:: Jared Doerfler | Read
Each Monday, Jared Doerfler breaks down the business of golf. Subscribe to Perfect Putt here.
ICYMI
This week’s editions of The First Call:
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday
TRAVEL
The First Call has partnered with SportGo Travel, an online booking service, to give you up to 50% off or more on hotel accommodations worldwide.
Whether you’re planning your next trip to a tournament, a buddies or girls golf getaway, or a family vacation, book your stay through SportGo Travel and save. Simply create your account and start planning.
LIFESTYLE
THE STYLE LINKS
Autographed player scripting for the PGA Championship this weekend is next level.
:: Janice Ferguson | IG: @janiceferguson_thestylelinks
19TH HOLE
Each episode of the “Course of Life” podcast closes with the guest sharing a favorite 19th hole experience.
Trent Ryan, host of the Barstool Sports “Fore Play” podcast: “I really like a good patty melt, and my drink choice is a fireball and lemonade, it’s called a dragonade.”
:: Alex Lauzon | Co-host of “Course of Life” podcast
ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN NOTES
Omni La Costa North reopens after a Gil Hanse makeover
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa announced in mid-April that following a comprehensive renovation of its Champions Course by Hanse Golf Course Design that the historic layout will revert to its original name, the North Course, and will open for resort guest and member play beginning June 1.
Originally designed by Dick Wilson and quickly becoming one of golf’s treasured destinations after debuting in 1965, Omni La Costa’s North Course previously served as a home to notable PGA Tour events. For thirty years, the resort hosted the Mercedes Championships (originally called the Tournament of Champions) from 1969-1998. In 1999, Omni La Costa hosted the inaugural WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship as well as six additional occasions. In 2010 and 2012, the resort hosted the Kia Classic, a popular LPGA Tour event.
The North Course will feature six sets of tees creating flexibility to play from 4,500 to 7,500 yards in order to accommodate players of all skill levels. Additional portions of the completed project are environmental in nature, like transitioning irrigation lines that will continue to use reclaimed water, man-made ponds removed and the reintroduction of natural barrancas composed of drought-tolerant and native species.
The Legends Course at Omni La Costa is also going back to its original name, the South Course. An ideal complement to the North Course, the parkland-style 18 features mature trees, gentle doglegs and places a premium on accuracy off the tee. Holes 10-18 on the South Course were used for the Mercedes Championships tournament routing over the decades. The impressive number of victories by the greats of the game at Omni La Costa includes Gary Player, Tom Watson, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
Set to play 7,500 yards from the back tees, the par-72 North Course will add to Omni La Costa’s rich history by returning the property to prestigious tournament golf when hosting the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Golf Championships (May 17-22) and Men’s Golf Championship (May 24-29). The North Course is also scheduled to host the NCAA Golf Championships in 2025 and 2026 as well.
Hanse and his team implemented significant design changes with the NCAA’s match-play format in mind as well as fashioning a layout ideal for the best players in the game to test their skills at the highest level moving forward. Chief among the impressive new aspects is challenging players with more risk-reward decisions throughout their rounds. Specific changes include the creation of a drivable par-4 on No. 11, a repositioned green on the par-3 16th reminiscent of Augusta National’s iconic 12th hole, and a stout finisher with the par-5 18th now playing over 600 yards from the back tee into the prevailing wind with water lurking on both sides of the fairway.
“Working with the ‘best of the best’ course architects like Gil Hanse and his design team is a prime example of our continued commitment and investment to be in the highest echelons of U.S. golf destinations,” says Craig Martin, the resort’s managing director. “This transformation signals a full return to championship glory at Omni La Costa and joins the now-completed renovation of the property as a whole resulting in an elevated experience for our members and resort guests to enjoy for decades to come.”
“The North Course is now positioned to return to its stature as one of the top venues for championship golf in Southern California,” Hanse says. “We were able to combine a respect for the natural contours, landforms and vegetation with an emphasis on strategic design. This combination of beauty and interest should prove enjoyable for everyday play by members and resort guests, while asking compelling questions to be answered by the best players in the world during championship events.”
The golf course renovation work at Omni La Costa is joined by another project focused on reimagining the resort’s golf practice facility. Led by Beau Welling, and his firm, Beau Welling Design, the project focus is on elevating the practice experience with regrassing the lengthened driving range and expanded short game area. Toptracer technology is now available for the resort’s golf members as well as for instruction.
Similar to the North Course renovation, the practice range updates incorporate a new state-of-the-art irrigation system allowing the facility to maintain efficient usage of water for sustainability considerations while still exhibiting the highest maintenance standards.Oregon’s Bandon Dunes Golf Resort celebrated its 25th anniversary on May 2, the same day its newest course, Shorty’s, opened for play.
RELATED: Design Notes archive
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