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PEBBLE BEACH, CALIF. (March 6, 2023) – In the spirit of gratitude, honor and paying it forward, PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere), the flagship charitable program of the Northern California
Section PGA Foundation, will host The Salute at Pebble Beach at the iconic Pebble Beach Resorts. The five-day celebration of independence, held June 30-July 3, 2023, will support United States military Veterans, while celebrating golf at its finest. This fundraising event will offer participants the chance to play Pebble Beach Golf Links the day before it closes for the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open and includes tickets to the championship event.
Jack Nicklaus states, on the impact of PGA HOPE, “Across the United States, brave men and women have answered the call. They have sacrificed. They have done their duty honorably. Now as they return home, it’s our duty to look after them.”
“Our Veterans are responsible for our country and individual freedoms. By utilizing the great game of golf, The Salute at Pebble Beach honors those Veterans, both active and retired from service through the only Department of Veterans Affairs approved rehabilitative program. We owe it to our veterans to give back and raise funds to help them return from service in the best way we know how – through the game of golf,” said Len Dumas, PGA, Chairman of the Board, NCPGA Foundation. “PGA Hope and The Salute at Pebble Beach fundraising initiative provides participants with an opportunity to be a part of U.S. Women’s Open history and support our nation’s heroes.”
The Salute at Pebble Beach Package is priced at $12,500 for one golfer and one guest for the festivities. It includes a five-day, four-night stay at The Inn at Spanish Bay and two one-day tickets (participant’s choice) to the 78th U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach (Wednesday-Sunday). Alongside sports stars Nancy Lopez, LPGA World Golf Hall of Famer, and David Wells, 1998 Perfect Game thrower and 2x World Series champion, the five-day itinerary includes:
● June 30: Welcome fireside reception.
● July 1: Golf at the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links before it closes for the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open. The day includes lunch, dinner at leisure and hosted desserts at The Inn at Spanish Bay.
● July 2: Salute Tournament at The Links at Spanish Bay. The day includes breakfast and a gala dinner featuring an auction and a salute to Veterans.
● July 3: Play at Spyglass Hill Golf Course. The day includes lunch, a Patriot Parachute Team flight viewing, and a farewell Clambake & Cocktails dinner.
● July 4: Independence Day farewells at The Inn at Spanish Bay.
All proceeds from The Salute at Pebble Beach will go to PGA HOPE programming through the Northern California Section PGA Foundation, whose three-fold mission is to serve Veterans, their health, and their families; to provide resources to PGA Members serving their communities in Northern California and Northwestern Nevada; and to grow the game of golf.
Jim Nantz states, “PGA HOPE is one of the greatest fundraising initiatives in golf. It truly Helps Our Patriots Everywhere. I’m thrilled to see the NCPGA supporting our nation’s finest.”
The full itinerary, along with Patriot Sponsorship Packages starting at $100,000 can be viewed at thesaluteatpebblebeach.com.
The Northern California PGA Foundation is a 501c3, non-profit charitable organization. Founded in 2007, it is the philanthropic arm of the Northern California Section PGA. The Mission of the NPCGA Foundation is three-fold: (1) To serve Veterans – their health & their families (2) To provide resources to PGA Members serving their communities within Northern California & Northwestern Nevada, and (3) To grow the game of golf. The Northern California Section of the PGA of America is an organization of 1,100 dedicated PGA Professionals & associates at more than 400 golf facilities in Northern California & Northwestern Nevada committed to helping others through the game of golf.
Sunday’s final round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational is officially in the history books. Kurt Kitayama gets his first win on the PGA Tour at Palmer’s API. He was the last man standing at -9, when the smoke cleared. And believe you me, it was plenty of smoke.
With a star-studded leaderboard filled with future Hall-Of-Famers galore, Kitayama answered the bell. Even at 5’6 inches tall his lack in statue was made up by his big heart and confidence of a worthy champion. His previous track record has seen lots of disappointment from some of the games iconic stars, but today was sweet revenge, on one of the toughest fields in golf. His win today at the API automatically gets him an invite to next months Masters, April 6th-9th, at Augusta National.
Even after triple bogeying the par 4 9th hole, he never thought for a minute that he was out of it. Today Kurt Kitayama stands ten feet tall and deservingly so. Congratulations to a tournament well played. I’m sure Arnie was proud and pleased at the results.
ORLANDO, Fla. (March 5, 2023) – The sense of relief on Kurt Kitayama’s face said it all.
His 47-foot, 2-inch birdie putt on the 18th green Sunday afternoon at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard hung perilously on the edge of the hole, having rolled just a fraction of an inch too short to disappear into the bottom of the cup. Yet he needed only a par to secure his first PGA TOUR victory, and suddenly, all the close calls the last two years had disappeared. The restless evening sleeping on the lead Saturday night and all the stress brought on by a frenetic final round that saw six different players stake a claim to the lead throughout the afternoon had vanished.
Kitayama scanned the gallery surrounding the iconic 18th at Bay Hill Club & Lodge and couldn’t help smiling. Moments later, he tapped in his TaylorMade with the two red X markings on either side of the red number 3, removed his hat and hugged caddie Tim Tucker.
Now it was official, and his 9-under-par 279 total left him one stroke better than 2018 API champion Rory McIlroy and Harris English. Two strokes behind were former API winners Scottie Scheffler and Tyrrell Hatton as well as Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay. Kitayama, the 30-year-old native of Chico, Calif. had not only prevailed for the first time on the PGA TOUR, but had done so against one of the deepest fields in the Arnold Palmer Invitational’s history.
“I’ve always dreamed of winning on the TOUR and to finally do it, yeah, it’s pretty amazing,” the soft-spoken Kitayama said. “It’s pretty unbelievable, really.
“Lucky enough to have it at a very special place, so that’s a bonus.”
Kitayama had won three times overseas between 2018 and 2019, and on the PGA TOUR had runner-up finishes last season to Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele, then another second-place finish earlier this year to McIlroy.
“I’m really happy for Kurt,” McIlroy said. “He’s been playing well for a while now, and I’m happy to see him get his first win.
“He’s done really well. He’s sort of persevered and played wherever he could get starts, and all of a sudden he’s won one of the biggest events on the PGA TOUR. So good for him.”
Having held the second- and third-round leads outright, Kitayama stayed tough through most of the front nine and was two-under par for the day heading to the ninth tee. A pulled drive out of bounds there led to a triple-bogey 7 and saw him relinquish the lead, but he parred each of the next seven holes. A 13-foot, 8-inch birdie putt on the 17th vaulted him back to the top of the leaderboard all by himself.
On 18, his drive found the primary rough left of the fairway, and he confidently blasted a 189-yard approach shot to the green, still leaving him a healthy distance from the hole needing to get down in two.
“You probably practice the 5- to 10-footers for the win,” Kitayama said. “I was definitely nervous. Just tried to focus on speed, and that was it, and try and blank everything out besides that. When I marked it and walked over to Tim it was just, like, a big sigh of relief that this was really happening.”
YARDAGE: 7,466 yards
PAR: 36-36=72
FEDEXCUP POINTS/1ST: 550
PRIZE MONEY/1ST: $20,000,000/$3,600,000
Meet the Berry’s (l-r) 8-year-old Roman, along with his mother Erica Berry and 6-year-old bother Jackson post for a photo op for AAGD. Mom Erica brilliantly holds the Spring 2022 issue of the magazine in her right hand. Unfortunately, father/husband George Berry just missed the op but the entire family enjoyed the API Round 2 at Bay Hill Golf & Lodge in their hometown of Orlando, Fla.
The third round at Bay Hill is like a war of attrition and perseverance. If you snooze you lose. If you take your feet off the gas, you’re gonna get passed. The leaderboard has been changing constantly. The last one to blink might be the one sleeping on the lead tonight. And I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.
Saturday’s third round started off with Kurt Kitayama and Jordan Spieth in the final pairing at -9 & -7 respectfully. At 4:00pm the leaderboard read something like Viktor Hovland -8, Tyrrell Hatton -7, Corey Conners -7, and a list of others at -6, which included McIlroy, Spieth, Thomas, all Major winners in hot pursuit.
Sunday’s finale should be off the charts.
Day 2 at Arnold Palmer Invitation concluded with a very stacked and star studded leaderboard. Kurt Kitayama, from Chico, Ca. finished today’s round with a 68 to go with his 1st round 67 to lead the field at -9. Fan favorite Jordan Spieth is closest pursuer at – 7 and a long list of former winners crowding things near the top. With 43 of the top 50 golfers in the world competing at the API, one of the strongest fields in golf, we all should be in for a survival of the fittest type of finish on Sunday. And if the winds are wrecking havoc like they were today, look out.
The Golf Heritage Society (GHS) announces the election of two new At-Large Directors, Eric Lucy and Charlene Williams. “We are delighted to welcome Eric and Charlene to the GHS Board of Directors,” said Dr. Bern Bernacki, president of the Society. “The GHS leadership continues to be enhanced by talented individuals who lend their dedication and expertise to the various ways in which the GHS honors and preserves the history of the game.”
Charlene Williams
Charlene Williams is a highly-decorated 26-year U.S. Navy veteran. She is an Afghanistan Operation Enduring and Iraq Freedom veteran, president of C.T. Williams VETS Adaptive Sports & Beyond, LLC, and chief of staff for Beatty Golf Ventures LLC. She was the first female Sailor of the Year on the Naval ship USS Nassau, and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Gold Stars, and the Navy Achievement Medal with Gold Stars and medals and ribbons.
Williams has a BA in Psychology and an MA in Organizational Guidance Counseling, and is pursuing an EdD. In addition to her many service awards, her involvement in golf is extensive. She has worked on the African American Golf EXPO, the PGA Show’s Diversity and Inclusion Roundtable Forum, the MOVE UNITED Diversity Task Force Committee, Adaptive Golf Sports and numerous other initiatives dedicated to helping individuals thrive through golf.
Eric Lucy
Eric Lucy grew up in Dubuque, Iowa, and has been a member of the GHS since 2013. In his professional life, he has been part of starting multiple companies, from a failed venture in 1985 to co-founding an insurance agency from which he retired in 2015. He stays busy coaching high school tennis and golf while building on his Masters golf collection, as well as being a rules official for the Iowa Golf Association. Lucy enjoys learning from fellow GHS members and making new friends on and off the golf course.
About the Golf Heritage SocietyFounded in 1970, the GHS is a global nonprofit organization that honors and promotes golf history. The annual membership fee is $50.
GHS membership benefits include regional and national gatherings, an informative and entertaining quarterly magazine titled The Golf, a superb website with over 50 years of archives, Zoom interviews with prominent people in the game and best of all, unrivaled camaraderie with others who value the history and traditions of the game. For information or to join the GHS, visit GolfHeritage.org.
The United Black Golfers Association (UBGA) took their 2nd Black History Golf Trip to beautiful Orlando, Florida, enjoying a fun-filled four-day stay, Feb. 27-March 3. “We played four courses: Metro West Golf Course, Disney Palm Golf Course Forest Lake Golf Course and Disney Lake Buena Vista Golf Course,” said Vernell Bennet, president and co-founder of the Laurelton Queens, (NY)-based association.
ABOUT UBGA
The United Black Golfers Association, Inc. is a Laurelton Queens-based Association, that was formed on March 3, 2014, as a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit corporation. Our name, logo, and acronym are registered with the United States of America Patent and Trademark Office. The purpose of the association is to provide opportunities for golfers and individuals of all genders who are interested in the game of golf, to meet and engage in activities that promote unity, and for personal growth and enrichment through the sport of golf. From 2016-2020 UBGA has distributed 44 scholarships to High School Seniors, with a total disbursement of $31,200.00 from 2016 – 2021. Learn more about UBGA at https://ubga.org/
The Arnold Palmer Invitational (API) is one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world, is returning in 2023 with renewed excitement and enthusiasm. This tournament is named after the legendary golfer Arnold Palmer, who passed away in 2016, and it has been held annually at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida since 1979.
The API has always been a popular event among golf fans, and in 2023, it is expected to draw an even larger audience. The tournament is scheduled to take place from March 2nd to March 5th, and it will feature some of the best golfers from around the world. With a total prize purse of $9.3 million, the stakes are high, and the competition is bound to be intense.
The Bay Hill Club and Lodge is a world-renowned golf course, known for its challenging layout and scenic beauty. It has hosted the Arnold Palmer Invitational for over four decades, and it has seen some incredible moments over the years. Golfers like Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, and Phil Mickelson have all won this tournament multiple times, and their performances have gone down in golfing history.
One of the unique aspects of the Arnold Palmer Invitational is the special tribute paid to Arnold Palmer during the event. From the moment the tournament begins, the golfers and fans alike pay their respects to the great man who helped shape the game of golf as we know it today. There is a special ceremony held in his honor, and the winner of the tournament is presented with the iconic red cardigan that Arnold Palmer was famous for wearing.
This is why, without doubt, the Arnold Palmer Invitational 2023 is shaping up to be an unforgettable event for golf fans around the world. With a strong field of players, a stunning golf course, and a special tribute to the tournament’s namesake, this tournament is sure to provide some incredible moments that will go down in golfing history.
(Photos by John Perry)
Golf is a sport that teaches discipline, patience, and precision, and it is no wonder why it is a popular sport for children and adults alike. However, not all golf programs are created equal. Howard Bankhead, founder, Par Excellence Youth Development (PEYD) in Huntsville, Ala., knows that “anything positive is possible.” His Par Excellence Youth Golf Development, a 501(c)(3) non-profit youth development organization, is the perfect place to send your child to learn and practice golf this spring at Madison Golf Center.
First and foremost, the Par Excellence program is designed to encourage at risk youth to incorporate the lessons of good choices learned from playing golf into their daily life, helping at risk Youth.
Secondly, Madison Golf Center has a top-notch facility that is designed to cater to golfers of all ages and skill levels. The center features a driving range and a putting green, which allows children to learn and practice all aspects of the game. The course is well-maintained and features challenging holes that will keep your child engaged and motivated to improve their game.
Par Excellence Youth Development Spring Schedule:
If you’re interested in youth or adult scheduling contact Howard Bankhead at 256-604-8172 or email [email protected]
In addition to utilizing excellent facilities, Par Excellence Youth Development at Madison Golf Center has a team of highly qualified instructors who specialize in teaching children. The instructors are PGA professionals who have years of experience teaching young golfers. They understand the importance of making learning fun and engaging, and they use a variety of techniques and drills to help children develop their skills.
Another great benefit of sending your child to Par Excellence Youth Development at Madison Golf Center is the sense of community that it fosters. Golf is a social sport, and children who play golf often make lasting friendships with their fellow golfers. Children are encouraged to participate in tournaments, clinics, and other events, which help to build their confidence and social skills.
Additionally, Par Excellence Youth Development sessions at Madison Golf Center is committed to making golf accessible to all children, regardless of their background or financial situation. The center offers affordable lesson packages, and it also partners with local schools and organizations to provide scholarships and other forms of assistance to children who may not be able to afford golf lessons on their own.
If you are looking for a place to send your child to learn and practice golf, Par Excellence Youth Development training at Madison Golf Center is an excellent choice. To learn more about Madison Golf Center visit them at 401 Lime Quarry Rd, Madison, AL 35758 or at http://www.madisongolfcenter.com or contact Howard Bankhead at 256-604-8172 or by email at [email protected]