Far Hills, N.J. (May 17, 2012) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced Big Canyon Country Club, in Newport Beach, Calif., as the host site for the 2014 USGA Senior Amateur Championship. This will be the second USGA championship held at Big Canyon Country Club and the first held in Southern California since 2008. The dates of the championship are Sept. 13-18.

“The USGA is privileged and honored to bring the 2014 Senior Amateur Championship to a venue that has directly supported the Association’s mission by hosting the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and several USGA qualifying events,” said Greg Sanfilippo, director of the USGA Senior Amateur Championship. “Big Canyon Country Club, along with the Newport Beach community, is a great supporter of amateur golf and we look forward to delivering a comprehensive test of shot-making, mental fortitude and physical endurance to the world’s best senior amateur players.”

Robert Muir Graves designed Big Canyon Country Club, which opened for play in 1971. John Harbottle III directed renovations in 1998. Harbottle, who began his career working with Pete Dye, is the son of Patricia Lesser Harbottle, who won the 1950 U.S. Girls’ Junior and 1955 U.S. Women’s Amateur championships. The course features hilly terrain with five lakes that come into play on seven holes, and approximately 80 bunkers guard the bermudagrass fairways and greens. A member-owned club in California’s Orange County, Big Canyon completed construction of a 65,000-square-foot, two-story clubhouse in 2009.

“Big Canyon Country Club is proud to continue its support of amateur golf as host of the 60th USGA Senior Amateur Championship,” said Bill Stampley, the club’s president. “The members and staff look forward to working closely with the USGA to ensure a memorable event for both players and guests.”

Big Canyon Country Club hosted the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur in 2000. Ellen Port defeated Anna Schultz, 3 and 2, in the final to capture the third of her record four Women’s Mid-Amateur titles. Port, who has played in three U.S.

Women’s Opens, was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame earlier this year.

The club has hosted qualifying for several USGA championships, including eight U.S. Amateurs and three U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateurs. Big Canyon was the site of the 1996 Pacific-10 Conference Men’s Golf Championship and the 2002 Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship.

The USGA Senior Amateur was first played in 1955. The championship is open to male amateurs age 55 and older with a USGA Handicap Index® not exceeding 7.4. In 2012, the USGA Senior Amateur Championship will be played at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, N.J., from Sept. 29-Oct. 4. The 2013 championship will be played Sept. 21-26 at Wade Hampton Golf Club in Cashiers, N.C.

Rickie Fowler

PGA Tour: Wells Fargo Championship
Driver: Cobra AMP (9.5 degree; Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 73x shaft)
Fairway Wood: Ping i20 3-wood (15 degree; Mitsubishi Diamana 70x shaft)
Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Black (20 degree; Matrix OZIK HM2 Hybrid shaft)
Irons (4-9): Cobra AMP Pro prototype Blades (True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (48, 50, 55 and 59 degree; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select GoLo
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Francesco Molinari

European Tour: Spanish Open
Driver: Nike VR_S (9.5 degree; Project X 6A4 shaft)
Fairway Wood: Nike VR Pro Limited Edition 3-wood (15 degree)
Hybrid: Nike VR Pro (19 and 21 degree)
Irons (4-PW): Nike VR Pro Blade
Wedges: Nike VR Pro (52 and 58 degree)
Putter: Nike Method Core prototype
Ball: Nike 20XI X
Footwear: Nike Lunar Control

Hudson Swafford

Nationwide Tour: Stadion Classic at UGA
Driver: TaylorMade RBZ (9.5 degree; Mitsubishi Ahina 73 shaft)
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade RBZ 3-wood (15 degree; Mitsubishi Kaili 80 shaft)
Hybrid: TaylorMade RBZ (18.5 degree; Mitsubishi Fubuki AX hybrid shaft)
Irons (4-9): TaylorMade Tour Preferred MB
Wedges: Fourteen MT28 (48, 52, 56 and 60 degree)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Golo
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B330

Fred Funk

Champions Tour: Insperity Championship
Driver: TaylorMade R11S (9 degree; Kiyoshi Purple shaft)
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade RBZ Tour 3-Wood (14.5 degree; Fujikura Motore VC7.1 shaft)
Hybrids: TaylorMade Rescue (16 degree; Aldila prototype 75 shaft), TaylorMade Rescue 11 with FCT (19 degree; Fujikura Motore F1 4.0 shaft) and TaylorMade Rescue Burner (19 degree; Fujikura Motore F1 80 shaft)
Irons (5-PW): TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC
Wedges: TaylorMade TP xFT (54 degree) and TaylorMade ATV (58 degree)
Putter: Yes! C-Groove White Sandy 12
Ball: TaylorMade Penta TP 3
Footwear: adidas Tour 360 ATV

Pornanong Phatlum

LPGA: LPBA HSBC Brazil Cup
Driver: Callaway RAZR Hawk Tour (8.5 degree)
Fairway Woods: Callaway Big Bertha Diablo 3-wood (15 degree) and Callaway Big Bertha Diablo 5-wood (18 degree)
Hybrid: Callaway RAZR X Hybrid (21 and 24 degree)
Irons (5-9): Callaway Legacy
Wedges: Callaway X-Forged (48, 54 and 58 degree)
Putter: Odyssey White Ice 330 Mallet
Ball: Callaway Tour i(z)

Carly Booth

Ladies European Tour: Scottish Open
Driver: Nike VR_S (9.5 degree)
Fairway Woods: Nike VR Pro Limited Edition 3-wood (15 degree) and 5-wood (19 degree)
Irons (4-PW): Nike VR Pro Combo
Wedges: Nike VR Pro (52, 56 and 60 degree)
Putter: Nike Method 003
Ball: Nike 20XI X
Footwear: Nike Air Embeliish

Southern California

May 21
The Hank Baskett Classic Golf Tournament
NFL free agent wide receiver Hank Baskett will hold his inaugural Hank Baskett Classic Golf Tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes on May 21 to raise funds for the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation. Baskett, known best for his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, has called on many celebrities and professional athletes to attend, including Kevin Love, Alfonso Ribeiro, Jermaine Dye, Michael Strahan, Corey Dillon, David Justice, Marcellus Wiley, Kris Humphries, Danny Granger, Eric Allen and more. The shotgun start begins at 11:30 a.m. Visit hankbaskettclassic.org.

May 26-28
Palm Springs Desert Amateur
The Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West and the Mountain Course at La Quinta Resort, both in La Quinta, will host the 2012 Palm Springs Desert Amateur May 26-28. The event features $11,000 in prizes. Entry fee for the 36-hole individual stroke-play Net Division is $215 with an optional round Saturday on the Mountain Course available for an additional $65. Entry to the 54-hole individual gross stroke-play Championship Division is $245. The Championship Division will have a cut after 36 holes, with the top 40 percent of the field playing in the third round on Monday. Entries are due May 19 and include green fees, golf cart, range balls, a sleeve of Titleist Pro V1 golf balls, closest-to-the-pin prizes, optional side games and discounted practice rounds. Visit palmspringsdesertam.com or e-mail rragland001@dc.rr.com.

June 2
Tour Edge Demo Day
Tour Edge will hold a Demo Day event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 2 at Calabasas Country Club in Calabasas. Tour Edge offers hundreds of dollars in savings at its Demo Day events, including up to $30 off on select irons, up to $20 off on select drivers and fairway woods, and up to $10 off on select hybrids. Visit touredge.com.

June 18
Cleveland Golf/Srixon Pro-Scratch Championship
Saticoy Country Club in Somis will host the Cleveland Golf/Srixon Pro-Scratch Championship on June 18. The four-ball 18-hole stroke-play competition has a 10 a.m. shotgun start and is open to SCPGA members and their amateur partners only. There also will be a bonus skins game sponsored by Cleveland Golf/Srixon for golfers using the ZStar Tour Yellow golf ball, which will be distributed to each participant at registration. Entry fee is $250 with an entry deadline of June 14. Visit scpga.com.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

May 14
NCPGA Pro/Super/GM/Official Invitational
The NCPGA Pro/Super/GM/Official Invitational will take place May 14 at the North Course at Rancho Murieta Country Club in Rancho Murieta. Entries to the four-player, select-a-drive, two-best-ball net event are due May 9 and cost $650 per team. The Invitational will also feature a barbeque lunch and awards dinner. NCPGA members or registered apprentices in good standing playing with their golf course’s superintendent, general manager or any of their club’s board of directors are eligible. Visit ncpga.com.

June 9
Cleveland Golf Demo Day
Cleveland Golf will hold a Demo Day event at San Juan Oaks Golf Club in Hollister from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 9. Golfers can test out new gear, such as the new Cleveland Classic Driver or Mashie irons, as well as participate in club fittings. Visit clevelandgolf.com.

June 13-15
14th Annual NCGA Senior Four-Ball Championship
The 14th Annual NCGA Senior Four-Ball Championship will be held June 13-15 at the Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach. Entries for the two-person, 54-hole, four-ball stroke-play event are $340 per team and are due no later than May 25. Players must be at least 55 years of age by June 13, 2012 and have a handicap index of 9.4 or less on the date of registration. Last year, Jim Knoll and Jeff Burda won the championship after shooting rounds of 68-66-67 (201). Visit ncga.org.

June 24-27
PGA Professional National Championship
The 2012 PGA Professional National Championship, The PGA of America’s top event for PGA professionals, will be played June 24-27 at the Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Courses, a challenging pair of venues in Seaside overlooking the Monterey Bay. The annual tournament, which has been contested in California 10 times previously, will return to the state for the first time since 1996. Last year, David Hutsell of Baltimore defeated Faber Jamerson and Scott Erdmann in a two-hole playoff to earn the Walter Hagen Cup. Visit pga.com.

July 2-3
83rd Annual NCGA Junior Championship
The NCGA will host its 83rd Annual NCGA Junior Championship at Spyglass Hill Golf Course in Pebble Beach July 2-3. The competition plays 54 holes for the boys and 36 holes for the girls. In 2011, Michael Grenz shot a 71-76-68 (215) to claim the boys division title, while Clare Sorensen posted a 79-72 (151) to take victory amongst the girls. Visit ncga.org.

ARIZONA

May 29-30
Northern Divisional Four-Ball
Oakcreek Country Club in Sedona will host the 2012 Northern Divisional Four-Ball tournament May 29-30. Entry is $335 per team (TPA members receive a $40 discount each) and includes 36 holes of four-ball stroke-play golf, cart, practice balls and prize fund. There will be a maximum of 50 two-player teams. AGA members 45 years or older by May 29, 2012 are eligible. Entry deadline is May 29. Visit azgolf.org.

June 5-7
Arizona Senior Open
The Arizona Senior Open will take place June 5-7 at the Prospector Course at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club in Superstition Mountain. The 54-hole individual stroke-play event, which features a cut after 36 holes, is open to all professionals and amateurs at least 50 years old by June 5, 2012. Amateurs must have a handicap index of 6.0 or less. The deadline for the $300 entry fee is May 31. Visit southwest.pga.com.

June 9-10
Southern Amateur
The 2012 Southern Amateur will be held at Lone Tree Golf Club in Chandler June 9-10. The field size for the 36-hole, individual stroke-play tournament will be 90 players. Shotgun start is at 7:30 a.m. for the first round and 7 a.m. for the second. Entry is $130 for TPA members and $150 for non-TPA members with an entry deadline of June 2. Visit azgolf.org.

NEVADA

May 17-18
Southern Nevada Senior Amateur
The Southern Nevada Senior Amateur will be held at Legacy Golf Club in Henderson May 17-18. Amateur players with a handicap index limit of 40 and age 50 and over as of May 17, 2012 are eligible. The 36-hole tournament will feature Senior Net, Senior Scratch, Super Senior Net and Super Senior Scratch contests. Entry fee is $150 for Tour members and $170 for non-Tour members, and is due by May 13. Visit snga.org.

June 1
2nd Annual Patty Sheehan & Friends Pro-Am
World Golf and LPGA Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan in partnership with The Legends Tour, the official senior tour of the LPGA, will host the 2nd Annual Patty Sheehan & Friends Pro-Am at Hidden Valley Country Club in Reno on June 1. The Pro-Am will feature 20 LPGA legends and will benefit the Patty Sheehan Foundation, supporting women and children charities in northern Nevada. Cost for a Pro-Am foursome is $4,000 and includes golf with an LPGA Legends player, cart, range balls, gift bag, breakfast, lunch, awards, pairings party, team photo and more. Visit pattysheehanandfriends.org.

June 23
Callaway Golf Demo Day
Incline Village Golf Resort in Incline Village will host a Callaway Golf Demo Day event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 23. The event allows golfers to work with a trained Callaway Specialist to help maximize distance, fine tune ball flight and improve accuracy through getting properly fit for their new RAZR line of products. Visit callawaygolf.com.

June 23-24
Northern Nevada State Amateur
Sierra Sage Golf Course in Reno will host the 2012 Northern Nevada Amateur June 23-24. The entry fee for the individual stoke-play event is $100 and has a deadline of June 11. The tournament is open to all active NNGA members and will feature two divisions, scratch and net. Visit nnga.org.

Mid-season adjustments are sometimes needed to get the job done better, which is why some manufacturers have ramped up their offerings with that in mind

By SCOTT KRAMER

Bollé Bounty sunglasses
Bollé’s Bounty sunglasses feature Photo V3 lenses with photochromic properties that make them equally effective in sunlight and shade. The lenses are lightweight and impact-resistant, and deliver complete UV protection and optical clarity. $139.99.

Fourteen Golf TC-510FG irons
Fourteen Golf’s TC-510FG cavity-back forged irons sport a wide sole and low-and-deep center of gravity. Each iron in the set varies in length by 0.55 of an inch so golfers can hit shots with the ease of a short iron and with more consistency. $1,439 with graphite shafts, $1,199 with steel.

PING Nome 405 belly putter
PING’s Nome 405 is a belly putter with a USGA-approved, adjustable-length shaft. Set the length from 37.5 to 46.5 inches with a supplied tool. The head is milled from top-grade aluminum and has a nano nickel coating finish. Tungsten sole weighting optimizes the center of gravity and MOI. $320.

Never Compromise Sub 30 blade putter
Never Compromise’s Sub 30 Blade Type 20 model putter features a copper-infused aluminum and polymer tall face insert for a soft, responsive feel that minimizes distance loss, which translates to more distance control. $139.99.

Yes! Golf Sara 12 mallet putter
Yes! Golf’s Sara 12 is a 370-gram, tri-weight mallet with a high-MOI design. Face-balanced, it features a double-bend shaft and half-shaft offset. Proprietary “C” grooves improve feel and mishit performance. $249.99 for belly length, $199.99 standard.
 

TaylorMade Penta TP3 golf ball
TaylorMade’s three-piece Penta TP3 is a soft, urethane-covered, model with a high-COR core that makes it easy to lower driver spin. It all adds up to maximum distance and an increase in short-shot spin for more accuracy. $35.

Lorena Ochoa announces that she will play the Suzann Pro Challenge and the LaCoste Ladies Open de France in the Fall

BY RANDY YOUNGMAN

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, Mexico – Former LPGA star Lorena Ochoa, whose reign atop the women’s world rankings ended upon her retirement in 2010, is temporarily returning to competition this fall to play in an exhibition match in Oslo, Norway (Sept. 7-9) and then will jet to France to tee it up in the Lacoste Ladies Open de France, an official Ladies European Tour event (Oct. 4-7).

During a one-on-one interview with California Golf at the Cabo Celebrity Invitational, a charity event benefiting the Southern California-based Lorena Ochoa Foundation, Ochoa emphasized she is still focused on taking care of her family and has no plans to play other tour events at this time.

“I didn’t retire from golf; I retired from competitive golf in the LPGA,” said Ochoa, 30, who left the LPGA in May 2010 to start a family and gave birth to her first child, Pedro, fourth months ago. “I still play a lot of golf.”

When LPGA star Suzann Petterson called to invite her to play in her charity event, the Suzann Pro Challenge benefiting a children’s charity organization in Norway, Ochoa said she readily accepted. Ochoa will team with Yani Tseng, currently No. 1 in the world rankings, in an exhibition match against Petterson and Annika Sorenstam, another retired LPGA legend.

Because she’ll be in Europe, Ochoa decided to play in the Lacoste Ladies Open at Paris International Golf Club, a tournament sponsored by the longtime French apparel company that also sponsored Ochoa during her highly successful professional career (27 LPGA Tour titles from 2003-10).

Ochoa conducted a clinic for participants and local children during last week’s charity tournament at Puerto Los Cabos Golf Club and says she began playing a lot more golf of late, in between appearances on behalf of her foundation. The goal of her foundation, based at Goose Creek Golf Club in Mira Loma, is to grow diversity in golf by offering underrepresented groups — especially Hispanics and Latinos — access to learn the game and promote it as a healthy activity for children and their families.

Asked if her game came right back to her, Ochoa laughed and said, “No, it felt terrible.”
Ochoa’s last LPGA tournament was the Tres Marias Championship in Morelia, Mexico in May 2010.

Randy Youngman

Randy Youngman has been writing about golf in California, at the professional and amateur levels, for more than 20 years. He is also an admitted golfaholic.

Yani Tseng is the new dominant force in women’s golf, and she’s made commitment, balance and having more fun her No. 1 goals moving forward

By JIM DOVER

Drive and determination has led Yani Tseng to the No. 1 ranking in women’s golf.

Dominant play on the LPGA Tour is nothing new. Nancy Lopez brought the game to a new audience by winning five consecutive tournaments – and nine overall – in 1978 during her first full season. Annika Sorenstam was the face of the LPGA until her retirement in 2008, and Lorena Ochoa picked up the mantel from there and had a solid run until she stepped away last year to raise a family.

Now Yani Tseng is in the spotlight and feels relatively comfortable in the glow. Tseng’s recent victory at the Kia Classic at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad gave her 15 before the age of 24, a record achieved by only one other golfer – Tiger Woods.

“I feel it’s kind of my honor to be compared with him,” Tseng told the media at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in March following her win at La Costa. “It’s a big honor for me, and I’m happy that the media can put me as part of this.”

Tseng appeared ready to own the record entering the final round in Rancho Mirage, but a 1-over 73 left her in third place. However, with more than half the season remaining it seems inevitable that Tseng will eclipse the mark set by Woods and start establishing new ones in the LPGA record book.

“I just kind of focus on what I can do, and I don’t think about all the records and all the numbers,” said Tseng, who nonetheless revealed some of her thoughts to us on a variety of topics.

On being No. 1
More pressure, but I still feel good about it. I still feel I’m enjoying it. This year I figured I could better organize my time and my schedule. When I have an interview I can have fun and better balance my time to practice, relax and do the interview. My team is doing a good job on this, and I know what’s best for me to do. So that makes more balance and more fun, too.

Learning at Oak Valley Golf Club in Beaumont
My sister still lives in Beaumont. It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere. The first time I went there my dad had friends there, and he thought that was a good place to practice because I lived five minutes from the golf course. So everyday was golf course and home because you can’t go anywhere. You have to drive like an hour to have fun. So that’s a great place to practice and play. Oak Valley is a very good golf course.

Living in Orlando
I love living in the States. It doesn’t matter if it’s Orlando. Orlando for us is so much easier for traveling because we have so many golf tournaments around the East Coast. But I love California. My sister lives there, so every time I go back to stay with her we hang out and have fun. I love it here. The people are so nice. Even people you don’t know, you still say hi. I just love the culture.

Her victory at the Founders Cup with LPGA Tour pioneers watching
This year it’s the most special tournament on the LPGA because we played for charity; that’s very special. Everybody, it doesn’t matter how much they played, you make birdie, you donate money to charity or all your prize money to charity, and this year all the founders were there. We saw five of them.

Her record-breaking accomplishments
I didn’t know how many tournaments I won. I saw all the records, and it was pretty impressive how much. Annika (Sorenstam) makes a record and Lorena (Ochoa) makes a big record. So it was fun. I saw I just made it fastest to the $8 million record, so that was pretty cool. But it’s something I really didn’t think about. I just tried to focus on every shot, every tournament. Focus on every day and do my best all the time. I think it will come in the future.

On winning streaks
I’m always excited for every week and trying to win every tournament. Try to do the best I can do. Now I feel I can organize better and have more balance. I didn’t feel as much pressure at the beginning of this year. I’m learning from mistakes and every tournament, so that’s good for me because it’s very exciting to see this year what I can improve on.

Her third-round pairing with Se Ri Pak at the Kia Classic
I had so much fun playing with her because we’ve been playing many, many times. But I’ve got to say I was not as nervous as four years ago. She’s a great person, and she’s always very nice. She always passes on her experience from her years on the Tour.

Watching Pak growing up
I think for us, especially Asian golfers, we want to be like Se Ri Pak. She’s a superstar. She’s a legend. When we were kids, we wanted to learn her swing. In the beginning we didn’t have many Asian players on the Tour, and Se Ri Pak was one of the very first Asians to have such success. So everybody was looking at her and wanted to be like her.

Possibly meeting Tiger Woods
I’ve never met him. I really want to. I heard Suzann (Pettersen) was practicing with him, and some of the players practice together sometimes. I said, ‘Can you bring me next time?’ So I wish I could meet him; maybe in the future.

Learning from Woods
He’s amazing. I watched him play at Torrey Pines when he won the U.S. Open. Even if he hit a bad drive, he could always recover on the next shot. He was trying to do his best on every shot and trying to recover. He really just played in his zone. He doesn’t really care what other players are doing. That’s how much he is focused on it.

Her intimidation factor
I don’t know what [other LPGA players] think, but I don’t feel like I’ve changed. On the golf course I still have so much fun with all the players. So I really don’t know if they look at me differently. But I look at everybody the same.

Comparing early 2012 to last season
If you win seven tournaments, you can win eight. You never know. But I try to play my best every tournament instead of focusing on how many tournaments I can win.

Focusing on the majors
Every time I play in a major my focus level is much higher. So when I play a normal tournament, my focus the first few days is kind of on and off, relaxed – not like a major. So last year every tournament my goal was to focus on every shot, give 100 percent effort to every shot, focus as much as I can, because it’s very hard to focus for five hours a round.

Playing with confidence
I just kind of play my best out there. But I think every tournament is different. I think every shot is a different challenge. You just need to do your best. You need to give 100 percent effort for every shot. Nothing is easy about it. Even 3‑foot putts are still hard. You just need to focus on the things that you can do and not try to think too much.

YANI TSENG
Age: 23.
Birthplace: Taiwan.
Residence: Orlando, Fla.
LPGA victories: 15.
Top-10 finishes: 53.
Career earnings: Nearly $9 million.
Miscellaneous: Purchased her current house at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club from Annika Sorenstam.
Twitter handle: @YaniTseng.
Twitter followers: More than 10,000.

An updated format has added some excitement to the men’s Division I college golf championship, which will be played this year at Riviera Country Club

By JIM DOVER

Iconic Riviera Country Club, site of the Northern Trust Open, will host the nation’s top college players and teams beginning May 28. (Joann Dost)

The NCAA golf championship isn’t in the same league as March Madness or as maddening as the Bowl Championship Series, but it’s a format that creates excitement to the final putt. Since instituting match play for the 2009 event, won by Texas A&M, the Division I golf championship has produced some drama on the fairways.

USC is the host school of this year’s event, set for May 29-June 3 at Riviera Country Club. The following guide provides a comprehensive look at the tournament:

THE COURSE
As the site of the Northern Trust Open, Riviera is no stranger to elite golf. The 7,238-yard, par-71 course will have little or no change from the PGA Tour setup or membership layout, said Riviera director of golf Todd Yoshitake. Good viewing spots include the elevated tee box on the first hole and from the amphitheater seating around the 18th green.

“It doesn’t change from a normal setup other than the greens will get a little firmer,” Yoshitake said. “The setup will be for scoring, and since it will be primarily a match-play event we want people making birdies to win holes.”

Texas freshman Jordan Spieth and UCLA sophomore Patrick Cantlay received sponsor’s exemptions to play in February’s Northern Trust Open. Both missed the cut with two-round totals of 5 over and 9 over, respectively, but they’ll likely improve on those efforts when competing against their peers.

TOP TEAMS
Texas will enter the championship with the top two ranked individual players in Speith and Dylan Frittelli. Both have medalist honors this season and possess the ability to lead the Longhorns to their first championship since back-to-back titles in 1971-72.

The UCLA Bruins were the last West Coast team to win the NCAA Championship in 2008. (UCLA Sports Information)

Texas coach John Fields, now in his 15th year, knows he has a special group and is happy to enter the tournament as the top-ranked team.

“That means we’ve played a very strong schedule throughout the year; that we’ve been successful throughout the year; and most likely that we’ve won golf tournaments,” Fields said. “The No. 1 thing, though, is to remember that the NCAA Championship is still a golf tournament and you’re in it to win it, regardless of the rankings.”

The top West Coast squad is USC, which is ranked No. 3. Cal, Oregon, Stanford and UCLA, which was the last West Coast team to capture the title in 2008, also are in the Top 10 and have a good chance to compete for the title. Sleepers include San Diego State, which won four consecutive tournaments this spring, and Washington. Augusta State is the two-time defending champion.

TOP INDIVIDUALS
The new format means that the individual title is awarded after 54 holes before the 30-team field is reduced to eight for match play. Not everyone is happy with the revision.

Led by coach John Fields (left), Jordan Spieth and the University of Texas are among the favorites. (UT Athletics)

“Fifty-four holes diminishes the chance that the best player is going to identify himself,” Fields said. “Less than 72 holes doesn’t insure that players have had the same opportunities – a morning start, an afternoon start, a likely morning start for the third day and then most likely another morning start in a 72-hole format.”

But with Frittelli and Spieth on his team, Fields knows a player from Texas has a good chance to win the title, regardless of the format.

“If you’re asking me if a change from 72 holes to 54 holes diminishes the individual medalist, my answer is yes. Does that mean it’s not desirable? No. We want to have an individual champion.”

West Coast players to watch include Cantlay, the low amateur at this year’s Masters, and Stanford’s Patrick Rodgers, who has maintained a top-5 ranking throughout the season. Chris Williams and Cheng-Tsung Pan of Washington and Oregon’s Eugene Wong also have legitimate shots, with San Diego State’s J.J. Spaun, USC’s Steve Lim and Jeffrey Kang and Cal’s Max Homa being good sleeper picks.

THE FORMAT
A new wrinkle has been added to allow more coaching decisions for the eight-team match-play portion of the event. This year’s lineups will be determined using the same method employed at the President’s Cup as opposed to rankings. The higher-seeded team (as determined through 54 holes of stroke play) will have the first choice of putting a player on the board for the first match. The opposing team will then name an opponent for that match, followed by a player for match No. 2. The process will continue on an alternating “S” curve until the players for all five matches are named.

THE SCHEDULE
Monday, May 28: Practice round.
Tuesday, May 29-Thursday, May 31: 7 a.m. start each day.
Friday, June 1: 10 a.m. start for eight-team match play.
Saturday, June 2: 10 a.m. start for four-team match play.
Sunday, June 3: 10 a.m. start for final match.
Tickets: $10 daily; $30 all-session pass; 12 and under admitted free with paid adult.
Parking: $20 valet at Capri entrance; $10 at Paul Revere Junior High School with free shuttle service to course.
Information updates: ncaa.com; usctrojans.com; scga.org.

With their contrasting scenery and ambiance, Sandpiper Golf Club and Rancho San Marcos are a pair of Santa Barbara beauties

By Eric Marson

The back nine at Sandpiper offers some great ocean views, including those on the 13th hole. (Aidan Bradley)

For avid golfers, any trip to the Santa Barbara area would not be complete without teeing it up at Sandpiper Golf Club and Rancho San Marcos.

And while the two layouts couldn’t be any more different in terms of their ambience and scenery, one thing that can be said for both is that whether you play well or not so well, it doesn’t much matter. They’re just so beautiful.

By any measure, Sandpiper Golf Club belongs on any list of California’s top public golf facilities. From the moment you step on property you’re engulfed by ocean views and embraced by cool ocean breezes.

The William F. Bell-designed course opened in 1972 and each of its 18 holes is a captivating combination of beauty and challenge. At 7,068 yards from the tips with a course rating of 74.7, the layout’s well-defined fairways lined with eucalyptus and pine trees pack considerable bite – especially when the breezes pick up – which is one reason the course has hosted the finals of PGA Tour Qualifying School in the past. Subtle elevations to many of the greens make the course play longer.

A word to the wise: spend a little time on the practice putting green outside the clubhouse before you tee off; it’s a good indication of what you’ll find on the course – slippery greens that demand your attention on every putt.

Something else you’ll need to know: the greens at Sandpiper all slope back to front and you’d be well advised to keep the ball below the hole at all times – you’re better off chipping from 5 yards short of the green rather than facing a downhill 30-footer.

Rancho San Marcos features a rustic setting lined with ancient oaks. (Aidan Bradley)

Not to be outdone is Rancho San Marcos, a rustic throwback that boasts a ranch-style vibe from the moment you enter the property that is both peaceful and serene.

Located about 15 miles inland from Sandpiper, the course is nestled in the Los Padres National Forest. And while you don’t get the ocean, you are treated to ancient oak trees and stellar views of the Santa Ynez River and Lake Cachuma, in addition to an abundance of wildlife, including deer, squirrels and wild turkeys. A variety of birds and eagles soar overhead.

The Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed course opened in 1998. It’s a 6,939-yard, par-71 track that still retains the essence of the pastoral Rancho San Marcos, which occupied the 300 acres for more than 100 years. While the front nine is quite walkable, the back nine features steep elevation changes where accuracy is at a premium.

If you’re planning on making a trip out to Santa Barbara’s world-class golf courses, there’s an equally impressive resort nearby: Bacara Resort & Spa. In 2011, the resort’s hotel, spa and signature restaurant all received four-star awards in Forbes Travel Guide.

Bacara Resort is a beachfront property stretching across two miles of coastline.

The beachfront hotel is located on 78 acres stretching across two miles of the California coastline. Located just a few minutes down the street from Sandpiper, the hotel features 305 guestrooms and 49 specialty suites, all of which are outfitted with balconies or patios with ocean, garden or mountain views.

A 42,000-square-foot, full-service spa and sleekly modern fitness facility, along with three zero-edge saline pools, a kids club and access to the wealth of recreational opportunities in the area – including hiking, biking and shopping – will keep you entertained out of your lavishly appointed room.

A can’t-miss feature of the resort is its signature restaurant, Miro. Named after Spanish artist Joan Miro, it offers New-Basque-Catalonian cuisine along with an expansive wine list of more than 12,000 bottles.

Just south of this immaculate resort is another world-class spot offering opulent accommodations and amenities: Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara. Featuring 207 oceanfront guestrooms and suites, and 12 single-story cottages of three to five bedrooms each, the resort is large enough to accommodate families, and intimate enough for a romantic getaway.

Striking Spanish-style architecture, a beach and cabana club, a full-service spa with 11 private treatment rooms, and dining options that include the signature Bella Vista, which offers organic, Italian-inspired coastal California cuisine, are four reasons this resort ranks among the most highly rated in the United States.

Year-round stay-and-play packages are available at these and half a dozen other hotels, resorts and inns throughout the area.

FYI

Sandpiper Golf Club
(805) 968-1541 • sandpipergolf.com

Rancho San Marcos
(805) 683-6334 • rsm1804.com

Bacara Resort & Spa
(805) 968-0100 • bacararesort.com

Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore
(805) 969-2261 • fourseasons.com/santabarbara

Randy Youngman

With a homegrown swing and a vivid imagination, Bubba Watson shows us there’s more than one path to success

BY RANDY YOUNGMAN

The thing I like most about Bubba Watson, the Houdini of the 2012 Masters, is that he is self-taught.

You can’t teach somebody to hit a 40-yard rope-hook out of the trees with a 52-degree gap wedge. But apparently it is possible to learn it in your imagination.

When Bubba was 6 years old, his father, Gerry – a construction worker who seldom broke 100 – showed his boy how to grip a golf club and let him figure out the rest.

The Watson home in Bagdad, Fla., then a lumber-company town in the Florida panhandle, was on a 1.5-acre lot with a lot of tall trees, so there was plenty of room for Bubba to design his make-believe country club.

Bubba drew a 5-foot circle in the dirt driveway and pretended that was the hole. Then he dropped plastic golf balls all around the house and learned to work the ball both ways, fading it around on one side and hooking it around on the other, to get to that dirt circle.

“So I learned to cut it,” Bubba said a few years ago, in his PGA Tour Media Guide bio. “If you know about Wiffle balls or plastic balls, [they’re] hard to cut. Then I learned to hook it the other way, hit it high over limbs, hit it low under limbs … I’d say non-stop every day from 6 to 12 years old. Instead of playing with trucks out in the yard, I’d play with a ball and a club.”

And now, as Paul Harvey used to say, you know the rest of the story.

Now you know how Bubba learned to hit the seemingly impossible shot from the pine straw deep in trees off the 10th fairway at Augusta National, the one that started low as it rocketed under the pine limbs, between two rows of spectators and gained altitude as it curved around the corner and soared toward the green, where it landed, spun sideways and settled 12 feet from the cup.

“We had 135 [yards] to the front [of the green] … I think we had like 164 [yards to the] hole, give or take…” Watson said matter-of-factly in the media interview room after donning the coveted green jacket. “Hit a 52-degree, my gap wedge, hooked it around about 40 yards, hit [it] about 15 feet off the ground until it got under the tree and then started rising. Pretty easy.”

Easy? Maybe if you have plastic golf balls and a vivid imagination.
 
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Flip side: This is why I admire self-taught players such as Bubba. He has honed a distinctive upright swing, hits his all-pink driver higher than anyone on the planet, works the ball right or left on almost every shot – call it the Wiffle ball effect – and nearly comes out of his shoes when he really goes after it.

Sometimes his feet also are moving during his takeaway – an absolute no-no if you listen to all of the prominent swing coaches and TV analysts. But that’s “Bubba Golf,” as he calls it. It works for him, which is the only thing that matters, just as Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Doug Sanders and many other old-time pros got the most out of their unique swings.

In sharp contrast, so many cookie-cutter PGA Tour swings are picturesque, effective … and boring.

OK, and I’ll concede that some Champions Tour pros like Allen Doyle and Dana Quigley make me feel better about my, ahem, abbreviated takeaway.

When I decided to start playing this silly game 20 years ago, I went to Mile Square Golf Course in Fountain Valley and was taught in my first lesson how to hold the club with an interlocking grip and make a backswing.

Suffice to say, it took several months to consistently get the ball airborne, and through trial and mostly error, my backswing got progressively shorter. Whatever works, right?

It wasn’t until several years later that I learned the secret of golf, during a lesson from Doug Booth, then the director of instruction at Costa Mesa Country Club.

Booth told me to hit a few balls, with whatever club I felt most comfortable, so he could observe and then try to help me.
    
Good thing Charles Barkley wasn’t there that day, because I was hitting everything fat.

After chunking about two of every three shots, I turned around and asked Booth what I was doing wrong.

“It’s loft,” he said.

So I took out a short iron. Similar results. I hit about one of every three shots fat.

What’s the deal?

“Loft,” Booth repeated.

I didn’t understand. What about loft?

“L-O-F-T,” he said, enunciating each letter. “Lack Of Fundamental Talent.”

And then Booth burst out laughing.

Funny guy.

In all honesty, Booth changed my grip slightly, which enabled me to hit the ball out of the rough consistently for the first time in my life, and my game got progressively better.

I’m certainly not saying swing coaches are superfluous, but I love the fact you can succeed at the highest level without one. Right, Bubba?

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Painful to watch: I’m guessing most avid golfers cringed when South Korean I.K. Kim missed a 1-foot putt on the 72nd hole that would have won the Kraft Nabisco Championship, an LPGA major, and then lost in a playoff to Sun Young Yoo.

It is believed to be the shortest clinching putt ever missed in a professional major, taking Doug Sanders (3-footer, 1970 British Open) and Scott Hoch (2-footer, 1989 Masters) off the hook.

Incredibly, Kim’s costly lip-out wasn’t the shortest missed putt in a major. According to golf historians, Hale Irwin missed – actually whiffed – a 2-inch putt during the third round of the 1983 British Open at Royal Birkdale and finished one stroke behind eventual winner Tom Watson.
    
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Joke of the Month: A woman goes into the local newspaper office and asks for help writing an obituary for her recently deceased husband. She is told the fee is 50 cents a word.

She thinks for a moment and says, “OK, let it read: ‘Patrick O’Connor died.’ ”

The obit editor tells her there is a seven-word minimum.

Flustered, she heads for the door, then stops, turns around and returns to the obit desk.

“OK, now I’ve got it,” she says. “Make it read: Patrick O’Connor died; golf clubs for sale.”
 
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Parting shot: Famed sports writer Grantland Rice was once a member at Augusta National.

Does that mean there’s hope for me?

Randy Youngman has been writing about golf in California, at the professional and amateur levels, for more than 20 years. He is also an admitted golfaholic.

Eagle Four Partners has announced that a purchase agreement has been signed to acquire The Newport Beach Country Club and the Balboa Bay Club & Resort, two historic and iconic properties in Newport Beach, California.

Former securities trader Richard Pickup and his family, most of whom are long-time Newport Beach residents, are purchasing the properties through the private equity firm Eagle Four Partners, based in Irvine.

The deal is expected to close in 60 days, although terms of the sale have not been disclosed.

“We plan to continue to embrace and hold true to the rich history and legacy of these fine properties while looking at exciting future enhancements the Newport Beach Country Club and to the Balboa Bay Club & Resort,” said Kevin Martin, principal of Eagle Four Partners. “We will be excellent stewards of The Newport Beach Country Club and the Balboa Bay Club, and will consider all options for improvements to the golf course and hotel/club facilities.”

Martin, PGA, is spearheading the acquisition and will oversee operations and management of the golf club. Eagle Four will co-manage the Balboa Bay Club & Resort with Pacific Hospitality Group, LLC. The golf club is included as part of the purchase of International Bay Clubs, Incorporated, the parent company of the Balboa Bay Club & Resort.

Eagle Four Partners owns and manages three golf courses in California and is a lead investor in five hotels and resorts. Eagle Four and PHG recently acquired Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa and both bring extensive experience in managing luxury hotels and resorts along with private clubs and golf courses.

The Newport Beach Country Club is a private, non-equity golf country club located adjacent to Newport Beach’s famed Fashion Island. The Newport Beach Country Club features a championship 18-hole golf course that is home to the annual PGA Champions Tour’s Toshiba Classic. The Balboa Bay Club & Resort includes a 160-room resort hotel, as well as a historic private club with a 130-slip marina and 145 apartments set on 15 acres along the scenic Newport Beach Harbor.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to share in the tradition of managing these iconic properties. Both the Balboa Bay Club and the Newport Beach Country Club are a perfect complement to our expanding portfolio of high-quality, full-service conference/leisure and lifestyle assets,” said Timothy Busch, CEO of Pacific Hospitality Group.