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with large bunkers. Most unusual for Ryder Cup contests there’s just one water hazard, fronting the green of the par-3 eighth. Golf Digest ranks the Black No 39 among America’s 100 Greatest, and it’s in the Top 10 Public. The Ryder Cup in America tends to be awarded to older courses which have hosted majors, which gives them a more multi-faceted edge. Europe will be underdogs in a hostile New York en- vironment, but they have won before at US Open bastions, notably Medinah in 2012, Oakland Hills in 2004, and Oak Hill in 1995. If the US win, it will be six straight wins for the home team. Ernie Els won his first “Senior Major” in 2024 with his success in the Players Championship at Firestone CC, but his ambition must be to win the US Senior Open and Senior Open to replicate victories in the US Open and Open. A back injury prevented him from teeing up at Carnoustie last year, which was a huge disappointment because it was a links that suited his play. At 55 time is not on his side though. This year the Senior Open returns to Sunningdale in England, where Ernie was T-3 in 2022. The US Senior Open returns to the Broadmoor, a historic resort in Colo- rado Springs with 784 rooms and 18 restaurants, where David Toms was the champion in 2018, the year before Ernie turned 50. The Broadmoor East Course is 1900 metres above sea level, so it may suit Els who played much of his early golf at altitude in Gauteng. It is famous for being the site of Jack Nicklaus’ US Amateur victory in 1959 and where Annika Sorenstam in 1995 won the first of her 10 major championships. ERNIE SEEKS ANOTHER MAJOR LONGEST 3 IN A MAJOR The par-3 eighth hole at Oakmont played at 300 yards in the final round of the 2007 US Open. Anywhere else it would have been considered a joke, but not at Oakmont, where critics embraced an extreme par 3. Trevor Immelman had a hole-in-one at No 8 in a practice round for the Open and remarked that he couldn’t see the ball go in the hole.
PGA Frisco will be hosting the Women’s PGA in June at their Fields Ranch course.
GOLF’S MAJOR EVENTS IN 2025 MARCH (1) THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, TPC Sawgrass (Stadium), Ponte Vedra APRIL (2) MASTERS, Augusta National, Augusta, Georgia, April 10-13 Scottie Scheffler, $3.6 million CHEVRON CHAMPIONSHIP, Carlton Woods, Texas, April 24-27 Nelly Korda, $1.2 million MAY (3) PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, Quail Hollow, Charlotte, North Carolina, May 15-18 Xander Schauffle, $3.33 million SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, Congressional CC (Blue), Beach, Florida, March 13-16 Scottie Scheffler, won $4.5m Washington, DC, May 22-25 Richard Bland, $630 000 US WOMEN’S OPEN, Erin Hills, Wisconsin, May 29-June 1 Yuka Saso, $2.4 million JUNE (3) US OPEN, Oakmont CC, Pennsylvania, June 12-15 Bryson DeChambeau, $4.3 million
WOMEN’S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, PGA Frisco (Fields Ranch East), Texas, June 19-22 Amy Yang, $1.56 million US SENIOR OPEN, The Broadmoor (East), Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 26-29 Richard Bland, $800 000 JULY (4) EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP, Evian Resort, France, July 10-13 Ayaka Furue, $1.2 million OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland, July 17-20 Xander Schauffele, $3.1 million THE SENIOR OPEN, Sunningdale (Old), England, July 24-27 K J Choi, $447 800 WOMEN’S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Royal Porthcawl, Wales, July 31-August 3 Lydia Ko, $1.425 million SEPTEMBER (1) RYDER CUP, Bethpage (Black), New York, September 26-28 Team Europe Note: FedEx Cup Playoffs August 7-24
34 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025
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