Tag: Grove XXIII

Club pro at Michael Jordan’s Grove XXIII finishes 72 strokes behind winner on DP World Tour in Dubai

Ken Weyand made just two birdies all week in Dubai.

Unless you were diligently watching the DP World Tour’s 2024 opener or you’ve played Michael Jordan’s exclusive golf club, Grove XXIII in Hobe Sound, Florida, chances are you’ve never heard of Ken Weyand.

Weyand is listed online as the President/GM/Director of Golf for Grove XXIII and has served in that position since November 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile. This week he played in the 2024 Dubai Invitational – a 60-player, no-cut event – as a sponsor invite and made quite the name for himself. The 54-year-old club pro faired about as well as one can expect against a field of professionals and shot rounds of 87-82-82-86 to finish in dead last at 53 over, a whopping 72 strokes behind winner Tommy Fleetwood. Sweden’s Jens Dantorp finished 59th at 14 over, 39 shots clear of Weyand in last. He made just two birdies all week.

Never afraid to share his mind, Eddie Pepperell took to social media to share his displeasure with the sponsor selection’s performance, writing “I don’t care if he’s Ken from Barbie, it shouldn’t happen.”

Earlier in the week, Weyand’s playing partner Richard Mansell dished on what it was like to play with the struggling invitee.

“Yeah, it’s been a tricky few days and I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t distracting,” Mansell said. “Look, I saw what Eddie posted and I’ve read a few more comments and I can understand where they’re coming from. But the way I look at it is that without the sponsor, this tournament doesn’t happen. So for their special two invites, or whatever they got this week, they can invite who they want, I suppose. That’s golf. I do feel for Matty Jordan, though.”

Mansell was referencing Matthew Jordan, the home club kid who put on a show at last year’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, who was first on the reserve list for the Dubai Invitational.

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Golf at the Grove XXIII, a VIP weekend at WM Phoenix Open and Super Bowl among items up for grabs at this auction

There are some great golf experiences up for grabs at the Del Mar Country Club Golf Tournament and Dinner-Gala.

There are some pretty great experiences up for grabs at the Del Mar Country Club Golf Tournament and Dinner-Gala.

The goal of the function Saturday in Rancho Sante Fe, California, is to raise funds for SOF (Special Operations Forces) Support Foundation but the auction prizes are next-level. It might be the only way most of us would ever have a chance to do some of these things.

For example, want to play golf at Michael Jordan’s private golf club, the Grove XXIII? Oh, and for this round of golf you’ll play alongside Michael Strahan, who won a Super Bowl as a member of the New York Giants.

Perhaps you’d rather head to the Arizona desert in February for a VIP weekend for suite tickets at the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, and, a pair of tickets to Super Bowl LVII, which kicks off right after the final round across town in Glendale at the Arizona Cardinals home stadium.

Or maybe your thing is a Vegas weekend with a stay at the MGM Grand, a round of golf at Shadow Creek Golf Club with musician and golf nut Darius Rucker, and a private dinner.

There’s going to be much more up for auction at the event, which starts with an 18-hole golf scramble prior to the gala. Special guests at the event include keynote speaker Michéle Flournoy, featured speaker Michael W. MacKay and special guest Retired Navy SEAL Bob Harward.

Flournoy was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy under President Bill Clinton and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy under President Barack Obama. MacKay is a Defense Fellow in the House of Representatives Washington, D.C., serving as the Military Assistant to the Legislative Director for defense, nuclear, military construction, veteran’s affairs and related issues. Harward is a retired United States Navy SEAL and a former Deputy Commander of the United States Central Command.

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