The Tillinghast-designed Black Course on New York’s Long Island will add the events to a major tournament legacy that also includes two U.S. Opens.
The PGA of America announced on September 17 that Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y., has been selected to host the 101st PGA Championship in 2019, and also serve as the site of the 45th Ryder Cup in 2024.
Bethpage Black, the most renowned of five public golf courses within the state park property on Long Island, has hosted the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open Championship, and the 2012 Barclays Championship. Measuring 7,486 yards and played to a par 71 from its back tees, Bethpage Black also has been home to multiple Metropolitan PGA Section and New York State Open competitions.
Opened for play in 1936, Bethpage Black was designed by legendary architect A.W. Tillinghast, who was a guest at an exploratory meeting of The PGA of America in January, 1916 and then consulted to the new organization after its founding later that year.
Tillinghast also developed the Bethpage Red and Blue Courses, and modified the Lenox Hills Course, which later became the Green Course. The Yellow Course, designed by Alfred Tull, opened in 1958. All told, golfers now play nearly 300,000 rounds annually on Bethpage State Park’s property.
Rees Jones led a renovation of the Black Course in 1997-98.
The 2019 PGA Championship will mark the 13th time that a New York venue has hosted the PGA Championship, the most for any state that has staged the season’s final major. The PGA Championship’s inaugural event was held in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, N.Y., and this year’s Championship was held at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. (see “Major Mastery,” Club & Resort Business, September 2013).
In 2024, Bethpage Black will join Oak Hill CC’s East Course as the only New York course to host a Ryder Cup; Oak Hill was the venue for the 1995 Ryder Cup.
“How fitting it is that we will be taking two of golf’s premier events to a state that was the site of our first PGA Championship and to a spectacular course whose design was influenced by one of golf’s most accomplished architects and a friend of The PGA of America,” said The PGA of America’s President, Ted Bishop, in making the announcement at Bethpage Black. “It is exciting that both the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup will come to New York, which is home to some of the most passionate and knowledgeable sports fans in the world.”
“As a New Yorker, I can’t tell you how excited I am to be a part of today’s announcement,” added The PGA of America’s Chief Executive Officer, Pete Bevacqua. “New York is part of the fabric of the history of The PGA of America, from our founding in New York City in 1916, to hosting multiple championships and having four great PGA Sections within the state. We are grateful to Governor [Andrew] Cuomo’s commitment to hosting these great events at Bethpage, and we look forward to working with both local and state officials to add an unforgettable chapter in golf history at Bethpage.”
Governor Cuomo, who attended the announcement ceremony, added that “New York is excited that Bethpage State Park and its spectacular Black Course will be hosting two of golf’s most acclaimed events.
“These major sporting events will provide a tremendous economic boost for Long Island and promote the beautiful Bethpage State golf course to the nation and the world,” the Governor said. “We look forward to welcoming spectators and television viewers worldwide to experience the best golf here in New York.”
Added Rose Harvey, New York State Parks Commissioner: “Bethpage State Park takes great pride in its history of serving as host to golf’s pre-eminent events. With the combination of a PGA Championship and a Ryder Cup being conducted on our property, it solidifies the confidence that the golf industry has in our staff, our venue and the community to provide the ultimate spectator experience.”
With the addition of Bethpage Black, these are the updated lists of announced venues and dates for future PGA Championships and Ryder Cup:
Future PGA Championships
96th PGA Championship – Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Ky. – Aug. 8-10, 2014
97th PGA Championship – Whistling Straits (Straits), Kohler, Wis. – Aug. 13-16, 2015
98th PGA Championship – Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower Course), Springfield, N.J. – 2016
99th PGA Championship – Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, N.C. – 2017
100th PGA Championship – Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis, Mo. – 2018
101st PGA Championship – Bethpage State Park (Black Course), Farmingdale, N.Y. – 2019
Future Ryder Cups
40th Ryder Cup Gleneagles (PGA Centenary Course), Perthshire, Scotland – Sept. 26-28, 2014
41st Ryder Cup Hazeltine National Golf Club, Chaska, Minn. – 2016
42nd Ryder Cup Le Golf National (Albatros), Guyancourt, France – 2018
43rd Ryder Cup Whistling Straits (Straits Course), Kohler, Wis. – 2020
44th Ryder Cup TBA
45th Ryder Cup Bethpage State Park (Black Course), Farmingdale, N.Y. – 2024
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