StrackaLine takes you through the Bear Trap and the rest of PGA National’s Champion Course.
The Champion Course at PGA National – site of this week’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches on the PGA Tour – was designed by the team of Tom Fazio and George Fazio and opened in 1981. The course has been renovated by Jack Nicklaus over the past two decades.
Located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and home to a stretch of holes dubbed the Bear Trap – Nos. 15, 16 and 17 – the Champion has major history. It was host to the 1983 Ryder Cup, in which the United States beat Europe 14 ½-13 ½, and it hosted the 1987 PGA Championship won by Larry Nelson in a playoff over Lanny Wadkins. Now PGA National is the first stop on the PGA Tour’s annual Florida Swing.
The course will play to 7,147 yards with a par of 71 for the Cognizant Classic. No. 6 plays as a par 5 for resort guests (and is marked as such on the following yardage map), but it counts as a par 4 for the PGA Tour pros.
PGA National Resort is home to six courses, including two nontraditional layouts that include the new Match Course by Andy Staples, which features holes that can be played from a multitude of lengths with no set par, and the new nine-hole, par-3 Staple Course.
Thanks to yardage books provided by StrackaLine – the maker of detailed yardage books for thousands of courses around the world – we can see exactly the challenges the pros face this week at PGA National.
“I think getting to 100 would matter just as much as winning another major or winning another tournament.”
Angela Stanford spent most of 2023 trying to find answers. As her work with Golf Channel ramped up, the now part-time LPGA player would often find a place to practice after the broadcast. On one such occasion, she was at a golf course in Midland, Michigan, hitting yellow-striped golf balls that were mostly out of dirt, mixed with a few clumps of grass.
It was there that Stanford realized – she wasn’t done.
“I think it just hit me that everything that happened up to that point, I let it shake my confidence,” she said.
And so, Stanford put her TV gig to the side and rededicated herself to a goal she set a few years back to become the first LPGA player to reach 100 consecutive major championship appearances. Stanford, 46, owns the current longest streak at 97. It started at the 2002 McDonald’s LPGA Championship and extends through last year’s AIG Women’s British Open. During that stretch of 97 majors, Stanford made 66 cuts and posted 14 top-10 finishes.
Cristie Kerr’s major streak ended at 92 (with 76 made cuts). The next best in LPGA history is Betsy King with 73 (67 made cuts).
“That’s a lot of perseverance,” said LPGA Hall and World Golf Hall of Famer Judy Rankin, “and a lot of good golf for a very long time.”
Angela Stanford a vice captain of The United States team walks with Rose Zhang during final practice prior to the Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin Golf Club on September 21, 2023 in Casares, Spain. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
The only male player dating back to 1950 who has played in 100 consecutive majors is Jack Nicklaus, who owns the record for men’s golf with 146 consecutive major starts (1962 Masters Tournament through 1998 U.S. Open). Only 16 players even played in 100-plus majors total in that span.
The longest active majors streak in men’s golf belongs to Adam Scott at 89. The Aussie’s streak began at the 2001 British Open Championship.
The LPGA major schedule has been extremely lean at times, with long stretches in the 60s and 70s with only two majors. In 2013, the LPGA added a fifth major, the Amundi Evian Championship, which Stanford won in 2019 at age 40.
Stanford’s first LPGA title came in 2003 at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, and her most recent came in 2020 at the Volunteers of America Classic, not far from her Texas home.
A seven-time winner on the LPGA, Stanford’s rededicated offseason included two-a-days as much as possible. She loved every minute of the grind. Her quest to reach 100, however, will be a taller order than previous years given that her priority status dipped to No. 95 after she made only nine starts in 2023.
As Stanford’s mother Nan fell increasingly ill with cancer, she found it difficult to focus long enough to practice. Nan died on March 9, 2022, at home in Saginaw at age 66 and, three weeks later, Stanford teed it up at Mission Hills Country Club one last time.
For the better part of two years, Stanford wasn’t herself.
“You’re just in this state of fog,” she said, “where you can’t think, and you can’t focus long enough on anything, and you have no energy to do anything.”
Stanford pulled out of the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore, one of her favorite events on tour, in 2022 to be with her mom.
She recently wrote a letter to the event asking for a sponsor exemption because she’d like a chance to say thank you and goodbye to an event she’s loved for a long time. A winner there in 2012, Stanford never dreamed she’d go so far away from home to play a game she loved.
Writing to ask for sponsor exemptions pains Stanford, who never wanted to be given anything.
“Now I’m at a point where I may need some help,” she said, “and it’s a very vulnerable place to be in.”
Angela Stanford of the United States celebrates winning the Evian Championship with the trophy during Day Four of The Evian Championship 2018 at Evian Resort Golf Club on September 16, 2018 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
The first LPGA major of the season is the Chevron Championship April 18-21 in Stanford’s native Texas. There are a number of ways she can play her way into that field. Winning, of course, takes care of everything.
Currently 450th in the Rolex Rankings, Stanford would need to skyrocket into the top 40 by March 18, which is asking a lot. She could earn a sponsor exemption, and she’s prepared to write that letter. The most likely route is to rank high enough in the 2024 Race to the CME Globe standings following the LPGA Match Play at Shadow Creek to be part of the final field fill.
Should Stanford make it to Chevron, her 99th start would come at the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club. She plans to ask the USGA for a one-time exemption, should she need it. Other ways include the top 75 of the Rolex Rankings, top 10 of the current CME points list or sign up for a qualifier.
The 100th would be at the KPMG Women’s PGA June 20-23 at Sahalee Country Club in Washington.
Angela Stanford of the United States plays her shot from the 11th tee during the second round of The Chevron Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods on April 21, 2023 in The Woodlands, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Stanford kicks off her Road to 100 at this week’s Drive On Championship in Bradenton, Florida. It’s her 24th season on the LPGA, and she’s the only player in the field of 120 who is over the age of 40.
If Stanford gets to 100, Rankin believes she’ll be the only player to ever do it.
“I think it’s both money,” said Rankin in terms of higher purses, “and it’s also, in part, the difficulty of being that good for that long.”
In college at TCU, Stanford won the team’s most consistent award all four years. That consistency, she believes, is what’s led to her longevity in the game. She’s going to show up each and every day until she can’t.
“Some people call that stubborn,” said Stanford, “I just think that’s who I am. It’s my makeup. I think getting to 100 would matter just as much as winning another major or winning another tournament.”
Stanford recently ran into her old college coach, Angie Ravaioli-Larkin, in the Shady Oaks locker room in Fort Worth. Ravaioli-Larkin asked how it was going. Stanford said that in the middle of a putting drill that day, a thought hit her like a truck: Oh my gosh, what if this doesn’t work?
It won’t be for a lack of effort.
“I think the thing I can be most proud of is that I worked hard at it,” said Stanford. “I have had some of my happiest days the last three weeks of my life.”
It’s been another fascinating year following the PGA Tour.
It’s been another fascinating year following the PGA Tour, one complete with surprise moves, defections, internal strife, and of course, memorable victories.
And as part of taking our year-end inventory, we’ve been looking through the numbers and tallying up which stories drew your attention — and sharing the findings with you.
For the final days of 2023, we’re offering up a snapshot of the top 10 stories from each of Golfweek’s most popular sections, including travel, the PGA and LPGA tours, instruction and amateur golf.
Here’s a look at the top 10 PGA Tour stories, as clicked on by you (we should note, this list doesn’t include photo galleries or money lists):
Check out the photos of Panther National in South Florida.
Jack Nicklaus and Justin Thomas have teamed up to design Panther National, a new private club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, that officially opens Friday with a star-studded exhibition match.
Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Morgan Hoffmann, Erik van Rooyen and Lexi Thompson will tee it up alongside Thomas for the course opening.
The course will offer up double fairways, deep bunkers and expansive sandy waste areas amid what the club calls an unusual amount of elevation changes for a South Florida course. The club also will feature state-of-the-art training facilities, a 9-hole, par-3 practice course and a huge putting course named The Cub. It’s all attached to a residential offering of 218 high-end, custom estates on 400 acres surrounded by Panther National Wildlife Refuge.
“From the start, the vision was clear – to create a golf experience unlike any other found in South Florida,” Nicklaus said in a media release announcing the opening. “Every opportunity to design a golf course brings challenges, but in the case of Panther National, uniqueness triumphs. You won’t find any golf course remotely close to it in South Florida.”
Check out a selection of images of the course and amenities below.
“People always say they want to play how I do,” Nicklaus said. “Well, now they can.”
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Jack Nicklaus has not swung a golf club since hitting a tee shot before the first round of the Masters in April while serving as an honorary starter along with Gary Player and Tom Watson.
On Monday, he did not take his clubs to a clinic at PGA National, leaving the ball striking to Annika Sorenstam, Ernie Els and Luke Donald.
And the 83-year-old Hall of Famer from North Palm Beach is not sure when he’ll pick up a club next.
“I would like to go play again. I play so poorly anymore it’s just really not any fun,” Nicklaus said. “And I run out of golf balls.”
Of course, most of us who Jack now compares himself to are decades younger.
“People always say they want to play how I do,” he said. “Well, now they can. In fact, I don’t think I want to play like I do.”
Nicklaus won 120 professional events, 73 on the PGA Tour, including a record 18 majors. He was runner-up in another 19 majors. In 2005, the R&A hosted the British Open so Nicklaus could end his career at the esteemed St. Andrews course. He missed the cut and said he has never played an 18-hole round since where he’s holed out every putt.
On Monday, Nicklaus, Sorenstam, Els and Donald spoke at the clinic before the Integra Connect Golf Classic benefitting Conquer Cancer.
They each told stories and gave tips. But it was Jack’s voice that resonated loudest, whether he was talking about his grip, relaying stories about Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer, or giving his reason why he believes Rory McIlroy will be able to play “until he’s 80.” (It’s his swing.)
When he and Sorenstam, who is regarded as the greatest female golfer of all time, had a discussion about where they hold the club in their hand – Sorenstam more where her fingers meet her hand, Nicklaus closer to the palm), she suggested if he used her technique, “maybe he would have won more titles.”
La Paloma Country Club, a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, opened in 1984 in Tucson.
TUCSON, Ariz. — “Tin Cup” is probably the second-best golf movie ever made and if you were to Google it, you’d find a slew of interesting facts about the film, including the locations used to film it.
The “tiny Arizona town of Tubac” comes up in that search, as does Kingwood, Texas. But another filming location was La Paloma Country Club, a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course that opened in 1984.
In February, when the PGA Tour Champions returns to Tucson, the 50-and-over circuit will compete at La Paloma, the first of a three-year deal for the Cologuard Classic by Exact Sciences. Tin Cup fans who look closely will probably recognize parts of the course.
“Kevin Costner was here,” said David Stout, the regional director of agronomy for Troon, who then recounted a funny story. “The mechanic of the golf course was actually mowing this area and there was a problem with the mower and they scalped the grass a few days before the filming of the scene.”
Alas, no harm, no foul, as filming commenced on time.
La Paloma, which means “the dove” in Spanish, opened with nine holes on the Ridge course and nine on the Canyon. In 1985, a third nine dubbed the Hill was opened.
The Cologuard Classic will take advantage of the best parts of the three nines, with the routing for the tournament to include “all of the Ridge Course, Canyon Nos. 1, 4, 8 and 9 and Hill 3, 4 and 9,” according to Stout.
The PGA Tour Champions played at Omni Tucson National’s Catalina Course since 2015 and Cologuard came in as the title sponsor in 2018. But the run at Tucson National is over, with a new era starting at La Paloma.
Located about 10 miles to the southeast, there won’t be much change in elevation, with both courses at about 2300 feet, but the venues are indeed quite different.
“There’s a lot of movement on these golf courses,” Stout said. “It has one of the higher slope ratings out there. Tucson National is a great golf course but relatively flat particularly on that Catalina course. Here there’s just constant movement, so I think the tee shots will be challenging but the second shots in will be challenging. These Nicklaus greens are a little smaller, they’re tight and they’re really well protected on all sides.”
Check out some of the best photos of La Paloma Country Club.
Refreshed greens make this coastal South Carolina layout by Jack Nicklaus play like new.
Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, reopened this month after a renovation by Nicklaus Design. The layout on Pawleys Island near the Atlantic Ocean was originally designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1988.
Over the decades, trees had grown to encroach on the resort course, and many of the greens had shrunk dramatically – both those conditions are common at many courses. Working with a plan laid out by Nicklaus during a 2018 visit, associate Troy Vincent set about a renovation that could improve conditions while making the course more playable.
Besides selective tree removal, the work included:
Each green was stripped and restored to its original size, then re-grassed with TifEagle Bermuda grass. The resizing efforts reclaimed nearly 40,000 square feet of putting surface across the course.
The collars of each green also were resurfaced with a variety of Bermuda grass that can withstand mutation and be mowed lower.
Sprawling fairway bunkers on 10 holes were replaced with smaller traps, native areas and expanded fairways.
The club is also undertaking a clubhouse renovation.
“We followed Jack’s ideas from 2018,” Vincent, who has worked alongside Jack Nicklaus for 15 years, said in a media release announcing the reopening. “It was our intention to make the course more playable, to give players more options, and we have carried that out. I think everyone will be happy.”
The club, which features six holes on the back nine along a tidal marsh, is owned by Founders Group International, which owns 21 courses around Myrtle Beach.
Check out several photos of the finished work below.
Tiger Woods won the same stop three times in a row six different times.
Only six golfers have ever done it. It’s only happened 11 times at all on the PGA Tour. Tiger Woods has done it six of those times. On two of those occasions, Woods won the same tournament four years in a row.
Three in a row, however, hasn’t happened in 12 years, not since the 2011 John Deere Classic.
The list of PGA Tour golfers who have won the same tournament three consecutive seasons has some big names on it, for sure. Woods, as mentioned. Jack Nicklaus was the first to do it. Many of the game’s greats never pulled off this feat, though.
Check out the list of names and tournaments below. Source: pgatour.com.
In a brief statement issued Wednesday, Calmwater Capital pledged to complete the unfinished hotel.
The Los Angeles-based lender said it has hired crews to complete the 150-room hotel and resort, which will feature three restaurants, a spa and fitness complex, wedding venue, meeting space and banquet facilities for up to 200 people. Calmwater said the resort also will include a resort-style pool and pickleball courts.
In addition to finishing the hotel, Calmwater Capital said the 18-hole, 130-acre Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course will reopen Sept. 30. The course closed in August after a would-be suitor, Westside Capital of Denver, failed to follow through on a $102.1 million purchase of the hotel and golf course.
The Jack Nicklaus-designed Banyan Cay Golf Club, part of a larger development in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Courtesy of Banyan Cay Resort & Club)
Westside’s decision not to close on the purchase left Banyan Cay with no choice but to let the lender’s $96.5 million credit bid stand. The amount reflects the debt extended to the hotel and golf club.
On Aug. 31, U.S. Banktrupcty Court Judge Erik Kimball approved the property’s transfer to a Calmwater Capital affiliate, U.S. Real Estate Holdings III.
The hotel was supposed to open as a Destination by Hyatt property, the company’s only Destination brand in Florida. Now it’s not certain the Hyatt brand will remain. In its statement, Calmwater said the brand and timeline for completion will be announced at a later date.
The ownership change marks the latest twist for the troubled resort and golf club, which is located just east of Interstate 95 off Congress Avenue and north of Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard.
The property previously was the site of the President Country Club, but the club fell into financial trouble and was sold to an investor group for $11 million in 2011. That investor group then flipped the property to Banyan Cay Dev LLC, led by Domenic Gatto Jr., for $26 million in 2015.
Construction of a resort hotel was beset by delays, to the dismay of The Lands of the President community, which overlooks Banyan Cay. In addition, residents in an adjacent new single-family community, the Residences at Banyan Cay by SobelCo, were supposed to be able to use the hotel’s club as part of the purchase of their homes.
Banyan Cay Resort was slated to be completed last fall after years of construction stoppages, a switch in hotel brands and legal woes for its developer, Gatto. In 2022, as Banyan Cay was hoping to finish construction and open in the fall, the project’s lender filed a foreclosure lawsuit.
In a July 16 complaint in Palm Beach County circuit court, U.S. Real Estate Credit Holdings III-A L.P., the Calmwater Capital affiliate, claimed Banyan Cay missed deadlines to open the hotel by April 30.
Calmwater Capital also sought repayment of two loans. One was a $61 million construction loan to build the Banyan Cay hotel. The other was a $24 million loan for construction of nearly two dozen unbuilt villas on the property.
By February, Banyan Cay had lost the lawsuit, and a judge issued two final judgments in favor of Calmwater Capital. The judgments totaled more than $95 million, an amount that includes the loans plus interest.
Banyan Cay filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in March in hopes of finding a buyer willing to pay a premium above the loan amount for the large, rare site.
The Jack Nicklaus-designed Banyan Cay Golf Club, part of a larger development in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Courtesy of Banyan Cay Resort & Club)
Westside was the sole bidder at a bankruptcy auction and was scheduled to close on the West Palm Beach project before July 31. In June, an enthusiastic Westside official said the project needed about $5 million more to finish construction, including completion of exterior amenities such as the pool deck.
But Westside did not close the deal. At the last minute, it left Banyan Cay in the lurch and unable to pay its insurance, maintain the property or pay employees, according to a 130-page court filing submitted Aug. 9 by the lender.
Westside’s failure to complete its $102.1 million acquisition means Banyan Cay lost millions when the property went back to its lender for the loan amount, said Joseph Pack, a Miami attorney representing Banyan Cay. Court documents indicate Banyan Cay believes Westside engaged in fraud and intentional misrepresentations.
Come for the golf, stay for the comfort stations in Mexico.
CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico — Jack Nicklaus, designer and builder of golf courses around the world, once declared it “the best golf property I’ve seen.”
He was referring to his golf course, originally called the Ocean Course at Cabo Del Sol, now dubbed Cove Club – the centerpiece to this seaside community on the tip of the Baja California Peninsula.
Cove Club, now fully private, underwent a recent design change which rerouted a few holes and features a spectacular finish at edge of the Sea of Cortez. The club also opened some magnificent beachfront area for the entire membership to enjoy at the Cove Club.
A second 18-hole course, originally called the Desert Course and designed by Tom Weiskopf, runs higher up the hillside and offers views of the blue waters from just about every hole. That course is now called Cabo Del Sol Course and is undergoing a renovation by the team of Dana Fry and Jason Straka.
Check out some photos of the courses at Cabo Del Sol.
