(The Concession GC)
The Concession GC, in Bradenton, Fla., will now host the annual World Golf Championships-Mexico Championships February 25-28, after the decision was made to move them because of COVID-19 concerns. Sahamee CC, in Sammamish, Wash., reached out to the PGA of America to be considered for the 2022 Championship that is being moved from Trump National GC in New Jersey. “I think we have a decent chance,” said General Manager Marcus King. “We were already on [the PGA’s] radar, but by reaching out and confirming [interest] with them, it put us in concrete on the list.”
The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla. will host a major PGA Tour golf tournament in February that has been moved from Mexico because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune reported.
The annual World Golf Championships-Mexico Championships will now take place February 25-28 at The Concession GC, the Herald-Tribune reported. The Mexico championships are a major international PGA Tour golf event attended and won by the likes of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the past. Between 2007 and 2016, it was held at the Trump National Doral Miami golf course.
Last year’s winner was Patrick Reed, and competitors included Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, along with several other top-ranked players in the world.
The Concession GC, a privately owned establishment with no houses lining its courses, was designed for tournament conditions, the Herald-Tribune reported. Since its 2006 inception, it has received numerous awards and accolades, including Golf Digest’s best new private course in America award in 2006. It has been ranked number one among the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s toughest courses in the Tampa Bay area every year since 2013.
The club has hosted numerous high-profile events in the past, including NCAA tournaments, the Herald-Tribune reported.
“This is a monumental opportunity for The Concession to host an event at the level of a World Golf Championships and showcase the unique layout and rich history of this club to a global audience,” Bruce Cassidy, President of The Concession Golf Club, said in a statement. “With our experience hosting high-profile events, we believe this course will provide a stern but memorable test of golf to this collection of the very best players in the world.”
The Mexico championships, which originated in 1999, have been held in Mexico since 2017 in an effort to grow golf in Mexico and Latin America, the Herald-Tribune reported. The PGA Tour and its partner Grupo Salinas said that they’re committed to bringing the event back to Mexico next year.
C+RB featured The Concession as the cover story of its February 2015 issue (https://clubandresortbusiness.com/uncompromising-approach-success/) and reported in 2019 about its major expansion project (https://clubandresortbusiness.com/the-concession-gc-completes-2m-expansion/)
Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash. has made a bid to land the 2022 PGA Championship, The Seattle Times reported, after the PGA of America announced that it would not be held at Trump International Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. as a result of the violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th (https://clubandresortbusiness.com/pga-ra-wont-have-major-tournaments-at-trump-properties/).
Sahalee CC hosted the PGA Championship in 1998 and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2016, and after the announcement that the 2022 Championship would be moved, The Times reported, General Manager Marcus King sprung to action and contacted the PGA of America, including Kerry Haigh, who oversees the PGA Championship, about Sahalee’s interest in being the replacement.
“I told [Haigh] that our course has significantly improved since the 80th PGA Championship in 1998, our mission statement speaks directly to hosting major championships, and we feel that our performance in the KPMG [Women’s PGA Championship] in 2016 proved once again that we are ready, capable and passionate about championship golf,” King told The Times.
King said he got a note back from Haigh, who said Sahalee was on the list of possible sites and that a decision was expected before the end of January.
“I think we have a decent chance,” King said. “We obviously did a great job on it before, some of the recommendations they made on our golf course to host another one—removing some strategic trees —we have done, and we’ve had three other tournaments since then that have all been very successful. We stand a fairly good shot.
“The [PGA of America] already had Sahalee on their radar, but by reaching out and confirming [interest] with them, it put us in concrete on the list,” King added.
Sahalee CC was scheduled to host the 2010 PGA Championship, The Timesreported, but the PGA of America backed out in 2005, citing concerns that the Winter Olympics in British Columbia in February 2010 would diminish the golf tournament and reduce revenue.
“We plan to come back,” Jim Awtrey, then the Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of America, said at the time.
The PGA of America was then reportedly looking at coming to Sahalee sometime between 2012 and 2015, The Times reported, but the return never happened.
In addition to the PGA Championship and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Sahalee was also the host of the World Golf Championhip—NEC Invitiational in 2002 and the U.S. Senior Open in 2010.
Haigh, in charge of course setup for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, gave great praise following the 2016 event, won by Brooke M. Henderson, The Times reported
“How can you not be happy?” said Haigh, who also did course setup for the 1998 PGA Championship at Sahalee. “The players loved it, we loved it, the media loved it and we got great crowds, great support and a great finish.”
Sahalee has also contacted the PGA of America about interest in hosting a PGA Senior Championship, King told The Times and has also been in contact with the United States Golf Association about the possibility of hosting another USGA event. “But nothing definite has been decided,” he said.
The club has invited Washington state native John Bodenhamer, the Director of USGA championships, for a visit, King noted. “He seemed excited to partner with Sahalee once again,” he said.
Chambers Bay golf course in University Place, Wash., outside of Tacoma, rose to national prominence when it hosted the 2015 U.S. Open. Calls to see if Chambers Bay had any interest in hosting the 2022 PGA Championship were not immediately returned, The Times reported..
Chambers Bay will be the lead host for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship May 22-26.
Whenever Sahalee can land another championship event, King told The Times, its golf course will be ready.
“Our course superintendent, Tom Huesgen, has been here six years now, and he does a magnificent job in getting this course ready for another major championship,” King said.
Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., and Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J., have garnered the most attention as possible replacement sites for the 2022 PGA Championship. The interest has been intense enough to spur a betting line on which club will land the event (https://clubandresortbusiness.com/betting-odds-established-for-which-club-will-land-2022-pga/).
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