19th Hole

UBC golf team survives biggest cut of all

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UBC's Conner Kozak (Golf Canada/ Bernard Brault)

(Vancouver Sun) – There are no cuts at most collegiate golf tournaments, although UBC coach Chris MacDonald and his men’s and women’s teams survived an important one last week off the course.

The golf programs made it through the second and final stage of UBC’s sports review and will play on. After missing the cut in the first stage of that review, it looked like the programs would be axed.

But MacDonald convinced the UBC brass that the programs were worth saving in a massive 120-page brief he presented to the sports review panel last month.

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USGA to institute international qualifying for U.S. Women’s Open

In recognition of the global growth and strength of women’s golf, the United States Golf Association (USGA) will introduce international qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open Championship, beginning in 2014.

The 2014 U.S. Women’s Open will be conducted June 19-22 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (Course No. 2) in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.

Fourteen foreign-born players have won the U.S. Women’s Open a total of 18 times, including two-time and defending champion Inbee Park, of the Republic of Korea. Fay Crocker, of Uruguay, won the 1955 U.S. Women’s Open, becoming the first international winner in championship history. In recent years, international players have dominated the leader board, taking seven of the last nine championships and 13 of the last 19. Players from Korea have won five of the last six championships.

Officials from the China Golf Association, the Japan Golf Association, the Korea Golf Association and the Ladies European Tour will conduct international qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open, which will be held at four sites on Monday, May 19.

Asia will have three qualifying sites – CGA Nanshan International Training Centre (Garden Course) in the People’s Republic of China, Higashi Nagoya Country Club in Japan and Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Korea. Buckinghamshire Golf Club in England will host European qualifying.

Also, effective in 2014, the USGA Handicap Index® limit for the U.S. Women’s Open has been lowered to 2.4 from 4.4. The change comes in recognition of the rapid and tremendous growth of women’s amateur golf, and will serve to strengthen the 69th U.S. Women’s Open field.

The Handicap Index limit was set at 4.4 for the 1972 U.S. Women’s Open, and has remained unchanged. Since then, more than 350 amateur golfers have qualified for the championship, including future winners Paula Creamer, Kathy (Baker) Guadagnino, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr, Murle Lindstrom, Hilary Lunke, Inbee Park, Annika Sorenstam and Hollis Stacy. Four amateurs have finished second: Nancy Lopez (1975); Jenny Chuasiriporn (1998, in a playoff); and Brittany Lang and Morgan Pressel (2005). Catherine Lacoste (1967) is the only amateur player to win the Women’s Open.

U.S.A.’s Olympic golf uniforms unveiled

USA Golf Federation, the governing body for U.S.A.’s golf team in the Olympics, said adidas Golf will provide uniforms for golfers, coaches and the staff at Rio.

Golf returns to the Olympics in 2016.

Andy Levinson, the executive director of USA Golf, said the adidas logo will not be visible on the uniform, which should come as good news to Tiger Woods if he is eligible and chooses to play in the 2016 Olympics. Woods has been a Nike client his entire career.

Along with outfitting the men’s and women’s American teams, adidas Golf will have a line of USA Golf-branded apparel that will be introduced late this year.