Tag: The Concession Golf Club

Brooks Koepka keeps things simple in long-awaited return to Florida, in contention at WGC-Workday Championship

Brooks Koepka kept things simple in his long-awaited return to Florida and finds himself in contention at the WGC-Workday Championship.

BRADENTON, Fla. – After nearly 30 days on the road, Brooks Koepka couldn’t wait to kiss the ground of the Sunshine State and get home.

His abundant joy was evident in Thursday’s first round of the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession.

Koepka, a winner earlier this year in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, made 112 feet of putts and posted just one bogey in a 5-under-par 67 to stand one shot out of the lead.

The four-time major champion and former world No. 1 did his good work despite seeing the course for the first time during his 9-hole pro-am round on Wednesday. He saw the back nine for the first time Thursday morning when he opened his day’s play on the 10th.

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“I mean, Rick (Elliott, his caddie) walked it, I get a yardage book, it’s not too difficult,” said Koepka, ranked No. 12 in the world. “I don’t think anything of it. It is what it is. You’ve got to look up on the tee, you know on 10 water’s right, there’s bunkers on the left, so put it in the fairway.

“I don’t think too much. I just try to keep it pretty simple. If it’s 300 yards to the bunker or there’s a bunker that cuts out, OK, then it’s just 3‑wood. I try to make it very simple and I don’t overcomplicate it. I’m not thinking the club’s got to be in a certain position to do this, do that; just get up there, see it and go hit it.”

Only five players in the field had played a tournament at The Concession before this week – in the 2015 NCAAs, the individual title won by Bryson DeChambeau. But that lack of experience didn’t provide much of an obstacle.

Forty-three of the 72 players in the field matched or broke par, led by pace-setters Webb Simpson and Matthew Fitzpatrick, both who signed for a 66. Joining Koepka one shot back were Sergio Garcia, Kevin Kisner and Billy Horschel. At 68 were defending champion Patrick Reed, world No. 2 Jon Rahm and Tony Finau.

World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, however, shot 77, Matthew Wolff 83.

DeChambeau also shot 77.

Simpson, who saw the course for the first time Tuesday, played much longer practice rounds with his caddie, Paul Tesori, by his side to plot out the course and draw up a blueprint. They spent most of the time on and around the greens.

“Probably an extra question or two or conversation or two per hole,” Simpson said. “The course is fantastic. It’s firm. I was hoping it would get firm and fast. It takes that lengthy scorecard down a little bit. Very pleased with the start. I worked on a couple things last week with putting alignment and with my driver and I saw good things from that today.

“And made a lot of putts today, so that was a good feeling.”

So, too, did Koepka, who is healthy again after a yearlong battle with hip and knee injuries. He was ecstatic to get back on Bermuda greens. Interestingly, his lone bogey came on a three-putt from 15 feet. Other than that, his putter was a weapon.

“Stupid three‑putt,” Koepka said. “But other than that, I’ve been striking the ball so well. I love these new irons. The flight on them, it’s a little higher and just I’m striking the ball so well, so I expect to be there on Sunday.

“I don’t know if it’s just a couple of the changes I’ve made in putting, just a couple adjustments or it’s just the fact of being on Bermuda, it could be either one, I’m not quite sure, but it does feel nice to be on Bermuda, that’s for sure.

“I’m excited to be in Florida.”

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Between a win and a title defense, Patrick Reed embraces the time where he’s just a dad

Between a win at the Farmers Insurance Open and his WGC title defense, Patrick Reed embraced the time where he was just a dad.

Golfers normally try to avoid the dreaded snowman on the scorecard (an 8, get it?).

Coming off a win at the Farmers Insurance Open and ahead of his title defense – if you can call it that, more on that later – this week at the WGC-Workday Championship, Patrick Reed was embracing them.

“We built a snowman in the two inches of snow that we had and just kind of hung out with the kids,” said Reed of his time sheltering at home in Texas as a winter storm blanketed the region in snow.

“Just was a dad.”

One of Reed’s houses was without power, as were both of his brothers‑in‑law. Luckily for them, Reed’s house runs on a generator and they were able to find safe shelter there.

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“It was devastating what happened to the City of Houston as well as what happened throughout all of Texas,” said Reed, who enjoyed the family time during the winter storm. “You see just the devastation of people’s houses and of businesses and just of everything that kind of ran on. It’s definitely something that I’m grateful to be okay, family’s doing well and really just thinking about everyone else and hopefully everyone is able to have speedy recovery and get back on track and start moving forward and getting better.”

Reed came to South Florida early to get some extra work in, leaving behind a snowy Texas to find his game again after a brief break.

“I think the biggest positive really was for me personally was when I got back after taking four or five days off because of weather, coming down and normally it takes me a couple days to really figure out what a golf club is,” said Reed. “With the new swing changes I’ve been working on with (coach David Leadbetter) and everything, it seemed that I was able to kind of get right back on track.

“It took me maybe 30 minutes to maybe start getting the feel again. It just shows that we’re doing the right things, working on the right things. Definitely gave me confidence moving forward and so far this week, been pretty solid so we feel good.”

The Spring, Texas, resident should feel good these days. Other than a missed cut at the American Express, which he followed with a win at the Farmers, Reed hasn’t finished worse than T-21 in his previous six starts on Tour.

Reed enters this week as the defending champion of sorts following his one-stroke victory last February at the WGC-Mexico Championship. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was moved from Mexico to Florida, and even got a new presenting sponsor with Workday.

Believe it or not, it’s not the first time, nor the second time Reed has been tasked with defending one of his nine Tour titles at a different venue.

Reed won The Barclays at Bethpage Black in 2016. In 2017, the event was renamed The Northern Trust, held at Glen Oaks Club and won by Dustin Johnson. Reed then won The Northern Trust in 2019 at Liberty National. Last year’s Northern Trust was held at TPC Boston, and guess who won? Dustin Johnson.

“You have confidence obviously because you won that event, but at the same time it gets you right back on track to focusing on playing the golf course and not getting too relaxed out there,” said Reed, looking at the benefit of defending elsewhere. “Being at a different site and a different event, it’s very easy to kind of get locked in and go out and play well.”

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Rory McIlroy on a Tiger Woods comeback: ‘Golf is so far from the equation right now’

Talking about a Tiger Woods comeback is in poor form one day after Woods’ horrific crash in the Los Angeles area, says Rory McIlroy.

BRADENTON, Fla. – Rory McIlroy always speaks his mind.

Sometimes to his detriment, but mostly, he gives thoughtful, wise response and never sounds like his answers are washed through a P.R. machine. He doesn’t shy from any question nor does he hide from any answer given.

He’s an emotional sort, too, so it wasn’t surprising McIlroy became a tad irritated during his conference call with reporters Wednesday ahead of the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession Golf Club when a couple questions irked him.

“He’s not Superman,” McIlroy said when asked if Woods was the guy who can come back from his horrific car crash that left him with multiple, serious injuries to his right leg, ankle, and foot.

“He’s a human being at the end of the day,” McIlroy continued. “And he’s already been through so much. At this stage I think everyone should just be grateful that he’s here, that he’s alive, that his kids haven’t lost their dad.

“That’s the most important thing. Golf is so far from the equation right now, it’s not even on the map at this point.”

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Woods, 45, was involved in a single-car rollover crash early Tuesday morning in the Los Angeles area. He was awake and responsive after surgeons at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center operated on his right leg; he shattered the tibia and fibula and suffered significant injuries to his right foot and ankle. A rod was inserted to stabilize his tibia and a combination of screws and pins were used to stabilize the ankle and foot.

McIlroy, 31, also was miffed about a query wondering if there was any talk about paying tribute to Woods during the tournament.

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“Like you say ‘pay tribute to him.’ He’s not gone,” McIlroy said. “He’s been in a very bad accident. We’re very lucky that he’s still here. I feel like we should pay tribute to him every day for being on the PGA Tour and what he’s done for golf.

“It’s always great when he plays at a tournament or is out here because it gives that tournament an extra dimension that it usually doesn’t have. We’re all sort of heading towards that day that Tiger wasn’t going to be a part of the game. I’m not saying that that was soon. Before this accident, he was rehabbing a back injury and hopefully going to come back and play this year. It’s inevitable that one day he won’t be a part of it, and that’s going to be just something that the game of golf and the Tour is going to have to deal with and adapt to.

“Obviously, hopefully, he comes back and is able to play, but if he’s not, I think he’ll still be a part of the game in some way, whether it’s obviously his design business and his foundation and hosting golf tournaments. It may be the end of seeing the genius at work with a club in his hand, but there’s still a lot of other ways that he can affect the game in a great way.”

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy during the Challenge: Japan Skins event ahead of the 2019 Zozo Championship PGA Tour at Accordia Golf Narashino. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

As for his own game, McIlroy, the former world No. 1 and four-time major champion, hasn’t won since the fall of 2019 and is coming off a missed cut in last week’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club north of Los Angeles. But in his next start after missing his last five cuts, McIlroy has two wins, a second, a fourth and a tie for 12th.

“It’s funny, it’s going to sound really weird, I worked so hard the week before Riviera in that week off, but I felt so unprepared to play, if that makes sense,” he said. “I stood on the range for hours a day hitting golf balls and working on my swing but didn’t play golf. Didn’t chip, didn’t putt, didn’t do any of the things that you need to do to shoot scores.

“So even though I worked hard and worked on some stuff, I feel like it’s sort of like clockwork. I have these weeks where I want to work on some things and fix some things and I try to cram everything in in the space of a week when it’s probably something that should take two or three months to iron out.

“I went to Riviera after feeling like I worked hard but was completely unprepared because I had sort of neglected sort of all other aspects of the game. I think I learned a couple of things last week. I was thinking way too much about the golf swing last week, even when I was out on the course.

“So I need to play with more freedom and I need to be able to swing away.”

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Commissioner Jay Monahan: Now is not the time to think of a PGA Tour without Tiger Woods

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said Wednesday now is not the time to think about life on Tour without Tiger Woods following his accident.

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BRADENTON, Fla. – PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan from time to time has given thought to what the PGA Tour would be like without Tiger Woods.

Now, however, is not the time to give thought to such matters.

“I think that the only thing that really matters now is his well-being, his recovery, his family, the level of support that we provide to him,” Monahan said Wednesday from The Concession Golf Club, home to this week’s World Golf Championships-Workday Champion, which has attracted 48 of the top 50 players in the world.

“When Tiger wants to talk about golf, we’ll talk about golf, but I think right now the entirety of our efforts needs to be around the support,” Monahan continued. “When you’re going to overcome what he needs to overcome, I think the love of all of our players and everybody out here, it’s going to come forward in a big way and across the entire sporting world.

“I think he’ll feel that energy and I think that’s what we should all focus on. We’ll all be talking about (the PGA Tour without Woods) at some point down the road, but right now that’s not what we should be talking about.”

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Woods was involved in a single-car rollover crash early Tuesday morning in the Los Angeles area. Woods was transported by ambulance to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where surgery was performed in the afternoon.

Woods shattered the tibia and fibula in his right leg and suffered significant injuries to his right foot and ankle. A rod was inserted to stabilize his tibia and a combination of screws and pins were used to stabilize the ankle and foot.

Woods, 45, was awake and responsive following the surgery, his team said in a statement Tuesday night.

Monahan was in his office Tuesday in the organization’s spanking new headquarters in northeast Florida when his video conference was interrupted by a phone call. It wasn’t good news, for the other end of the line told him about the crash. All his other duties took a back seat.

“I was shocked,” Monahan said. “I kind of had to sit down and ask the same question I had asked a second time because I wasn’t sure I completely heard what I was being told.

“I was up all night last night and I couldn’t really focus on anything else.”

Monahan, 50, said he talked with members of Woods’ team, including his agent Mark Steinberg.

Tiger Woods and the United States Presidents Cup team pose with PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan after the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

“It was early on in the process when there was still a lot of unknowns,” Monahan said. “All I knew was that he had had a really bad car accident, which the time frame from that to when we started to understand that, No. 1, most important, he was going to be OK and it was non-life‑threatening, and two, he had serious injuries that needed to be attended to.

“That’s where for me and I think for a lot of us there was a period where we didn’t know; you’re thinking a lot of different things and some of them are pretty scary to think about. His life was in jeopardy. That was a hard. You never want to see anybody in that spot obviously.”

Monahan’s relationship goes back some 30 years and really took hold when he was the tournament director of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston, which benefited Woods’ foundation. Monahan joined the PGA Tour in 2008 and became commissioner on Jan. 1, 2017.

“I think that experience of building an event for his foundation with Tiger, with Greg McLaughlin, with Mark Steinberg, with the whole team there, I was the Bostonian, was an awesome experience,” Monahan said. “And it was awesome not just because of the event, but you start to really understand that foundation and what Tiger puts into it personally both in terms of his time, his treasure. It’s extraordinary. And sometimes it’s hard to articulate how impactful someone’s work is or how you see their work impacting young people.

“You just go to the Learning Center in Anaheim and it will blow your mind to think that he’s accomplished everything he’s accomplished in the field of play and then he’s accomplishing everything like that in life.”

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If the wind blows at WGC-Workday Championship, Concession course could create concussions

If the wind blows at the WGC-Workday Championship, The Concession course could create concussions for players.

BRADENTON, Fla. – Three weeks ago, former Ryder Cup captain and major winner Paul Azinger turned into a 10-eyed monster.

The NBC analyst, who is an honorary member at The Concession, home to this week’s World Golf Championships-Workday Championship, was with producer Tommy Roy and co-producer Thomas Randolph as they surveyed the course to decide where to put cameras for the broadcast. Now, Azinger has played The Concession for more than a decade but on this occasion, he looked at the layout through the eyes of Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and Bryson DeChambeau, a foursome of bashers who can overpower most any golf track.

“I saw what they are going to see and I turned into a 10-eyed creature and I saw a different golf course,” Azinger said. “I saw water that wasn’t in play where it was in play for everyone else. If you have great carry distance, you can make a mockery of it. If you don’t have great carry distance, it’s tough.

“You have to get past the first five holes if you want to post a good score, but with their length, it’s very possible.”

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Still, Azinger doesn’t think the course will be a pushover, especially if the wind blows.

“When the wind blows, it’s a two-man game out there,” Azinger said. “You better have a good caddie.”

That’s because of the many hazards and treacherous greens. The course, ranked No. 9 on Golfweek’s Best Private Courses list in Florida, was inspired by Jack Nicklaus’ concession of a three-foot putt to Tony Jacklin in the 1969 Ryder Cup, the gesture meaning the matches ended in a tie and the U.S. retained the Cup.

With Jacklin’s consultation Nicklaus designed the course, which can play out to 7,564 yards with a par of 72. Some said he made the greens too difficult, leading to a nickname for the course – The Concussion. The greens have softened over the years but remain challenging.

“They greens are broken into segments and they are severe. Some are tilted, some are very specifically shelved. There are specific areas that are small greens onto themselves,” Azinger said. “There are a lot of raised flats. It will be a tricky course. They will have to control their spins into the greens if they are soft. If the greens are firm and the wind is blowing at all, it’s a where-not-to-miss-it course.

“It’s not a super treacherous driving course, except for the water holes, and there are several of them, especially 5, 10, 13, 15 and 16. But I think the players will hit six sand wedges into greens every day.

“It’s going to be a great test, especially if the wind blows.”

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The players agree.

“It’s a good track. It’s all right in front of you,” world No. 3 Justin Thomas said. “I think there’s the opportunity to challenge some holes off the tee and you can play a little bit more aggressively. A lot of water, very typical Florida course in that aspect. It definitely seems like an amateur golfer’s nightmare. It’s very difficult and grainy around the greens and a lot of elevated greens.

“It’s a lot of holes that we’ve had a hard time finding four pin placements because the greens are so severe. The greens are very elevated, it’s very grainy, the grass is tight. You can hit it in a lot of spots around the greens where you’re just kind of chipping it back and forth and having a hard time.

“If the greens were firm, it would be challenging I think is an understatement, but I think it’s going to still be a good test considering how the course will evolve over the course of the week. They’re very tough. I mean, like I said, I think this is an amateur golfer’s nightmare.”

Defending champion Patrick Reed felt after his practice round that putting the greens was OK. Chipping on to them, well, that’s another story.

“The problem is when you miss the green,” Reed said. “It’s really grainy, it’s really tight and the banks are really steep where some of those chips that you think you can bump and run the ball just don’t bounce and they come back to your feet. At the same time, if I hit a foot too far, it goes over the green and down another hill.

“It’s definitely going to take some patience and creativity around the greens this week, but hopefully you’re able to hit the ball well enough where you’re not having to focus too much on having to chip around this place.”

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Bryson DeChambeau has slimmed down, ready for WGC-Workday Championship at a fond golf course

Bryson DeChambeau has slimmed down and is ready for the WGC-Workday Championship, held at the same course he won an NCAA title.

BRADENTON, Fla. – Bryson DeChambeau is looking rather slim these days.

No, really, he is.

Well, compared to what he looked like at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January. Back then, he was the Incredible Bulk, going about 250 pounds. But at this week’s World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession, DeChambeau is tipping the scales at 230.

There’s nothing wrong with him, mind you. It’s just the big basher was carrying a bit too much weight around the PGA Tour.

“Not eating as much, that’s it,” the reigning U.S. Open champion and seven-time PGA Tour winner said with a smile when asked how he lost the lbs.

You’ll remember that when he started bulking up in the fall of 2019 in search of swing speed, ball speed and distance, he eventually reached a calorie intake per day in the range of 6,000-7,000. He said he just “had at it” at the dinner table and was inhaling five to six meals a day and drinking about 6-8 protein shakes per day.

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“I’ll still do two, three shakes a day, but then I just don’t eat as much,” DeChambeau said. “A little more protein. The portions are smaller, that’s all.

“I have the same strength. I haven’t tried to push strength levels because it makes me really fatigued and tired. I’ll do it in the offseason. That’s why at Sentry, I was a lot bigger, I looked bigger. I’m just going to keep trying to gain muscle, size and strength and pushing the same tolerance levels throughout the week. I won’t try to stress anything because I’ve got to play golf.”

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This week he’s playing on the course where he won the NCAA individual title in 2015. The memories remain vivid, the vibes still fresh. By the way, back then he weighed 195 and could generate ball speed of 170 mph. Now he can cruise and hit 190-195 mph on Trackman.

In winning the NCAA individual title, DeChambeau birdied the 71st hole and parred the final hole with a two-putt from 60 feet. The victory gave him the confidence he was searching for to make a run at the PGA Tour.

“That was the moment that I knew I could play golf under pressure,” DeChambeau said if his final-round heroics. “I didn’t even know if I was going to be playing golf for the rest of my life before the NCAAs. I had no idea. I was really good and I would have tried to play on Tour, but a lot of things got expedited when I won the NCAAs and the U.S. Amateur.

“I would not have expected this type of path, and albeit I’m glad for a lot of the things and very blessed for a lot of the things that have happened to me, I didn’t know that there would be a lot of struggles along the way as well. I have to appreciate those tough moments because last week, very, very difficult moment for me. I was swinging really well and the ball just wasn’t doing what it should have done. I felt like I held myself together really well.”

Last week he missed the cut in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club north of Los Angeles. DeChambeau said he immediately put the missed cut behind him and headed east to start working to get ready for the Workday.

“It’s one of those things that I’m swinging so fast now that we just don’t know what’s going to happen yet,” DeChambeau said.

But he’s gathering information as he works with World Long Drive champion Kyle Berkshire.

“The physics aren’t understood at that speed yet. I mean, his mis‑hits when he barely mis‑hits it, talking about variable gear effect, hit it in the same place on the toe and the ball can have two completely reactions,” DeChambeau said. “We don’t know why that is yet and that’s sort of the stuff I’m working on to try to figure out.

“Now, at the lower speeds I was using a year ago and even there were times that I just didn’t drive it that well. The U.S. Open I didn’t drive it well, so this has been going on for a long time and I knew we were going to come to this point at some point in time, but once we figure it out, it’s going to be very, very nice.

“So if I can keep it in play and gain some of the confidence I had at the U.S. Open last year, I’ll be fine. I’m putting really well.”

He knows he has to keep it in play this week at The Concession.

“If you’re not hitting it well and straight off the tee, it’s a concussion for a reason,” he said, referring to the nickname some have given the course. “But I like the place and we’ll be ready come Thursday.”

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Justin Thomas: ‘I’m sick to my stomach,’ can only think of Tiger Woods during press conference

Justin Thomas counts Tiger Woods as one of his close friends and was understandably upset at news that Woods was involved in a car accident.

Justin Thomas didn’t want to talk about missed cuts, his mastery of match play or even the story behind the naming of The Concession Golf Club, which he said he’d never heard before.

Thomas was more concerned about Tiger Woods, his Presidents Cup captain, his mentor and one of his closest friends. Just 10-15 minutes earlier he’d learned that Woods was involved in a single-car accident in California.

“I’m sick to my stomach,” he said as his eyes began to water. “You know, it hurts to see one of your – now one of my closest friends get in an accident. Man, I just hope he’s all right. Just worry for his kids, you know. I’m sure they’re struggling.”

Thomas, who is set to play the WGC-Workday Championship this week, did his best to maintain his composure and answer the remaining handful of questions, but it was clear his head was elsewhere. He’s already endured being embroiled in controversy after using a homophobic slur at a golf tournament in Hawaii in January and learned of the death of his grandfather, Paul Thomas, 89, while competing in Phoenix. The World No. 3 has missed the cut in two of his last three starts worldwide.

“It’s been a tough year. I mean, self-inflicted, but yeah, it’s been tough,” he said. “It’s a part of life, stuff happens. I’ve been working on myself and I’ve made great strides, I feel like, in becoming a better, stronger man with the mistakes that I made.

“It’s unfortunate what happened with my grandpa and yeah, just like I said, I hope Tiger’s all right. I’ve just got to get back to worry about playing golf and try to do as good as I can because that’s the only thing that I can control.”

At the moment, Thomas was more concerned with what he couldn’t control and that was the status of his good friend Woods.

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WGC’s move from Mexico to Bradenton will shine spotlight on Concession Golf Club

The PGA Tour World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, to be played at the Concession Golf Club Feb. 25-28, will draw much attention.

SARASOTA, Fla. — What the huge international golf tournament coming to eastern Manatee County at the end of the month lacks in physical spectators it will more than make up in television viewers, according to the head of the Bradenton area visitors bureau.

The annual PGA Tour World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, at The Concession Golf Club in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, Feb. 25-28, won’t have a huge in-person audience. The only people allowed on-site to watch will be event sponsors and people affiliated with the athletes.

But millions of people worldwide are expected to watch from home.

The Golf Channel will carry the tournament Feb. 25-26, and PGA Tour Live and NBC Sports will pick up coverage Feb. 27-28. NBC will sell its platform internationally, meaning the tournament will be broadcast in 120 countries and 800 million households worldwide.

“The demographic viewership aligns perfectly with our target market,” Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, told members of the Manatee County Tourist Development Council at the board’s Monday meeting.

Falcione asked the council to recommend that Manatee County commissioners allocate $250,000 of tourist development tax funds toward the tournament, which will be used to promote the area on screen with signs and shots of the destination’s many amenities to cut in between putts and commercials.

The motion to do so, by Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant, was approved unanimously by the council and now will go to Manatee County commissioners for approval.

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“I think this is what we’re here for,” Bryant said.

Normally, an event of this size would draw about 12,000 on-site spectators. But broadcasting this event around the world will be further evidence that the Sarasota-Bradenton area can host more major sporting events, Falcione said.

The area has hosted several high-profile events, including the 2017 World Rowing Championships, the 2018 World Rowing Masters Regatta and the 2019 World Rowing Under 23 Championships, all at Nathan Benderson Park.

The park, on the border of Sarasota and Manatee counties, is also set to host the International Dragon Boat Federation’s Club Crew World Championships in 2022, which could feature roughly 7,000 athletes and 14,000 spectators.

The Korn Ferry Tour’s LECOM Suncoast Classic will be played the week before the Mexico Championship across the street from The Concession Lakewood National Golf Club.

“The one thing about getting a world caliber event is this will brand not only The Concession as a world championship golf course, but it will also brand our region. … and show another event this region is capable of hosting,” he said.

The WGC-Mexico Championship was moved to the U.S. this year because of COVID-19 concerns. The final roster of players will not be available until shortly before the event, Falcione said, but last year’s winner was Patrick Reed, and competitors included Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau.

Golfers such as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have won the tournament in past years.

Introducing the area to potential travelers is especially important now, as local tourism data indicate growing interest in travel.

Information from Research Data Services, a Tampa-based data analytics service provider, shows that people are looking forward to going on vacation in 2021. They’ve started to make statements like “I’m going on vacation this summer,” something no one surveyed has really said at all since COVID-19 started, Anne Wittine, director of data analysis for Research Data Services, said.

Wittine told the tourism development council that potential travelers have started to bring up the vaccine when they’re asked about planning trips.

“One person categorized themselves as a caged animal, and another as a horse at the starting gate, who’s nervous, but ready to get out,” she said.

While interest in attractions and destinations known for big crowds has waned since COVID-19 hit, interest in outdoor activities like hiking and going to the beach has grown, Wittine said. That bodes well for Manatee County, she said.

Hotel occupancy was 57.3 percent in 2020, down 18.4 percent from 70.2 percent in 2019. The average daily room rate fell by 5.6 percent from $172.90 in 2019 to $163.18 last year. Revenue per available room fell by 22.4 percent from $124.20 to $96.38, Research Data Services data show.

Floridians made up a large share of Manatee County’s tourism base in 2020, as people stayed closer to home if they did decide to book a quick getaway. The number of visitors from Florida to Manatee County increased by 58.1 percent last year, Wittine said. But in December, 49 percent of visitors to the area were from out-of-state.

“Out-of-state markets are starting to come back. That’s an encouraging sign,” she said.

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WGC-Mexico Championship moves to The Concession in Florida due to COVID-19 concerns

The WGC-Mexico Championship is relocating to The Concession in Florida due to COVID-19 concerns.

The World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship won’t be played in Mexico City in late February due to COVID-19 concerns, Golfweek has learned.

Instead, the tournament will kick off the Florida Swing of the PGA Tour season a week earlier than anticipated at its temporary home, The Concession Golf Club, in Bradenton, Florida, according to multiple sources. A source also confirmed that the tournament will have a different name this year. An official announcement is expected soon, perhaps as early as Friday.

The decision to move the event should come as no surprise as the United States and Mexico are currently temporarily restricting all non-essential travel across its borders, and advising no travel between the two countries.

The Concession Golf Club
A view of No. 6 at The Concession Golf Club in Brandenton, Florida.

The WGC-Mexico has been contested at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Naucalpan, Mexico, just west of Mexico City, since 2017. It previously was hosted at Trump Doral near Miami until Cadillac’s sponsorship expired and a replacement sponsor couldn’t be found. Grupo Salinas, which includes TV Azteca and retailer Grupo Elektra, stepped in and moved the tournament south of the border. Last year, Patrick Reed claimed his eighth victory on the PGA Tour and second WGC title.

The state of Florida has served as the site of the NBA’s playoff “bubble,” allowed limited fans to NFL and college bowl games, and the PGA Tour already had announced that the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens plans to have limited spectators later this year.

LSU’s Stewart Jolly, Ben Taylor, Eric Ricard, Brandon Pierce and Zach Wright pose with the National Championship Trophy at the 2015 Men’s NCAA Championship at The Concession in Bradenton, Fla.

The Concession opened in 2006 and was co-designed by Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin and named in honor of the 1969 Ryder Cup, where Nicklaus conceded a short putt to Jacklin. Concession ranks No. 9 in Golfweek’s Best state-by-state private list. The course previously hosted the men’s and women’s NCAA Championship in 2015.

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