NEW YORK – The PGA Championship is going to Trump National in New Jersey, giving The Donald his biggest tournament yet.

The PGA of America announced a partnership Thursday that will bring the 2022 PGA Championship to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. The Senior PGA Championship will be played at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia, in 2017.

“Certainly when you have courses, when you get acknowledged to have one of the majors … having the PGA is a very, very big deal,” Donald Trump said at a news conference. “So it’s very important to me. It’s a great honor for me and it’s a tremendous honor for both of those clubs.”

Trump said the Old Course at Bedminster has turned down plenty of other offers to stage events with hopes of landing the PGA Championship.

“The PGA of America is excited to begin a new chapter of major championship history by taking two of our premier championship to venues that bear the Trump label of excellence,” PGA president Ted Bishop said.

Donald Trump has 17 golf courses around the world, which includes his agreement this week to buy Turnberry on the western coast of Scotland. Turnberry already has hosted the British Open four times, and R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said it remains on the rotation.

The American developer is slowly becoming a major force in golf.

Trump National Doral near Miami hosts a World Golf Championship the same week in March that his Trump course in Puerto Rico hosts a regular PGA Tour event. The PGA Championship in `22 would be his first men’s major, unless the British Open returns to Turnberry before then.

He formerly had the LPGA’s season-ending tournament at his Trump International course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump National in Bedminster is to host the U.S. Women’s Open in 2017. It was designed by Tom Fazio at 7,560 yards and has plenty of room for enormous crowds. The Virginia course previously hosted the 2013 Junior PGA Championship.

PGA chief executive Pete Bevacqua said going to Trump National at Bedminster made perfect sense.

“It’s a phenomenal property, a championship caliber course and an unbelievable amount of room for the operational requirements of a major championship,” Bevacqua said. “And then, quite frankly, the added bonus is it’s in a major market. To be able to bring a major championship to the major metropolitan New York area, with the infrastructure, the hotels, obviously the excitement that generates in terms of spectators, and when you start to line up those pieces, it becomes an easy decision.”

The announcement means the PGA of America will be busy in the greater New York area for the next decade.

The PGA Championship returns to Baltusrol in Springfield, New Jersey in 2016. Bethpage Black on Long Island will host the 2019 PGA Championship and the 2024 Ryder Cup.

Check out the 10 most memorable animal encounters on the PGA Tour, featuring Sammy the Squirrel, an iguana in Puerto Rico and the seagull at THE PLAYERS Championship.

Pacific Northwest Golf Association elects Ed Burke president

Ed Burke (PNGA)

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – The Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) has elected Ed Burke as its new president at their 115th Annual Meeting held April 26 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Oregon. Traditionally, the PNGA president serves two consecutive one-year terms.

Ed Burke has been on the PNGA Board of Directors for six years, serving as vice president for three years for Zone 5 (Idaho). Burke brings a great deal of experience to his new role as PNGA president, having served as president of three other clubs; Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, Wash. in the mid-1970s; Hayden Lake (Idaho) Country Club in 1997; and the Spokane Club in downtown Spokane. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Burke served in the Navy before starting a career in the FBI, and has been based in the Northwest since 1972. Retiring from the FBI in 1997, he then co-owned a sod farm near Pasco, Wash. which supplied turf to golf courses. He still lives outside of Spokane.

“My hope during my tenure is to have the PNGA continue to assist all the affiliate organizations within the golf industry in communicating a shared goal,” said Burke. “We all have the same desire to promote and sustain the health of the game, because of the tremendously positive aspects it brings to communities and to society at large.”

Ed Burke is replacing Robert Black of Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, Wash. Black served a two year term as PNGA president and was instrumental in helping the PNGA become a more financially stable organization and helped lead the PNGA by assisting with the implementation of a strategic plan to carry out for years to come. Black will continue to serve on the PNGA Board of Directors as the Immediate Past President.

Also elected at the meeting was Scott Masingill of Scotch Pines GC in Idaho, who will serve as the new Vice President of Zone 5. Other Vice Presidents include Larry Giustina of Eugene CC, for Zone 1; Kent Brown of Dominion Meadows in Colville, Wash., for Zone 2; Ben Stodghill of Bellevue Municipal in Bellevue, Wash., for Zone 3; and Peter Fibiger of Olympic View GC in Victoria, B. C., for Zone 4.

Mary O’Donnell of Overlake G&CC in Bellevue, Wash. was elected as Secretary, and Robin Anderson, of Ellensburg Golf Course, is the Treasurer. Dr. Jack Lamey (former Immediate Past President) will now serve as an additional member of the PNGA Board of Directors.

The PNGA was founded on February 4, 1899.  It is a 501c3 charitable, international, amateur golf association dedicated to preserving the true spirit of golf by supporting its allied associations, conducting quality championships, and promoting activities beneficial to golfers in the Pacific Northwest. The PNGA employs a full-time staff of 14, headed by a CEO/Executive Director, with offices located in Federal Way, Wash. Under the direction of the Board of Directors and in conjunction with a number of standing committees, the staff administers the day-to-day affairs of the Association. PNGA territory is broken down into five zones, which are: Zone 1 – Oregon; Zone 2 – Eastern Washington; Zone 3 – Western Washington and Alaska; Zone 4 – British Columbia and Alberta; and Zone 5 – Idaho and Montana. There are approximately 220,000 individuals at over 720 PNGA member golf clubs.

The original purpose of the PNGA was to conduct a regional amateur championship for men and women. For 115 years, the Association has been a pioneer in developing competitions and services and its mission has grown and evolved. Today, the PNGA remains committed to being a truly “regional” organization providing benefits and services to its members and member clubs throughout the Northwest.

Visit www.thepnga.org for more information on the association.

SINGAPORE – Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand made nine birdies in a blemish-free round of 9-under 63 to take the first-round lead at The Championship at Laguna National on Thursday.

Panuphol, ranked just 451st in the world, was a stroke ahead of a group of four golfers in second – Scott Jamieson, David Lipsky, Kim Byung-jun and local favorite Quincy Quek.

The tournament, a co-sanctioned European and Asian tour event formerly called the Ballantine’s Championship, was moved from South Korea to Singapore just three weeks ago after it lost its title sponsor and the promoter failed to reach an agreement with a suitable golf venue.

Defending champion Brett Rumford of Australia was in joint-64th place after a 70, level with France’s Alexander Levy, who won his maiden European Tour title Sunday at the China Open.

The 21-year-old Panuphol earned his best European Tour result late last year when he finished tied for 18th at the Hong Kong Open. But he’s missed his last three cuts on the Asian Tour.

“I didn’t see it coming but it did come,” he said of his 63 on Thursday. “I’m feeling good about my game right now. I was just trying to hit straight out there. I managed to hole a lot of putts and a lot of them were unexpected.”

Jamieson, who won his first European Tour title last year at the Nelson Mandela Championship in South Africa, also had nine birdies in his round, including a difficult chip shot from the bunker on the par-3 No. 17, his eighth hole. He had one bogey on the par-4 16th.

“I’ve been hitting the ball well the last couple of weeks, so it was nice to get a round where it all came together,” he said. “There was just the one mistake with the three-putt on 16, but it was pretty far away and pace putting is always difficult in Asia with the grain. It’s not what someone from Scotland is used to.”

Panuphol’s countryman, Arnond Vongvanij, was in a share of the lead at 9 under until taking a double bogey on No. 8, his 17th hole, to fall back to a share of sixth place on 65.

Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello, who has three top-10 finishes this year, was another shot back in a group at 6 under.

Canada’s Richard T. Lee shot a 1-under 71 and was tied for 81st when play was suspended due to darkness at 7:30pm local time.

Laguna National hosted the Singapore Masters from 2002-07 and the Singapore Open from 2009-12.

In Southern Ontario the grass is now green and although temperatures are struggling to stay consistently warmer, one would think the ridiculously harsh winter just past should now be a distant memory.  Instead many golf clubs are facing damage to greens and fairways caused by ice, frigid temperatures and devastating wind chill. This has caused conditions known as winter injury, winter kill and desiccation.

The conditions have forced many clubs to open later than usual and some have or will open with temporary greens. A few facilities across Southern Ontario will not open for another four to six weeks, as they must replace the surfaces of all of their greens with new sod or seed. Club superintendents have been working endless hours to develop a plan to repair the damage and then begin its execution.  They have sought out expert advice and shared it among themselves.

Cooperation from Mother Nature is very much needed to expedite some grass growth and help these clubs get back in business.  We also recognize that along with this challenge some clubs have and are facing some serious flooding conditions as the snow pack melted and the ice jams formed in rivers.

I was recently chatting with some clubs about their course conditions and it was interesting to hear them say how grateful they are to have only five or six temporary greens knowing that other clubs faced a far greater challenge refurbishing all of their greens.

In addition to weather cooperating golfers need to be patient as their clubs work their way through this difficult start to the season and the unexpected expense it has caused.

I hope clubs will work together to get through this and that the more fortunate will reach out to clubs that are not fully open and let them know if they have some tee times available they could be filled by players waiting for their clubs to recover.  As the neighbourly thing to do, this can be a win-win for our clubs and golfers if we all join forces and work together.

Christine Dengel is a PGA of Canada golf professional with more than 30 years of experience in multiple facets of the golf industry, and a lifelong passion for and commitment to the game of golf.

Prior to joining Golf Canada, she was a Territory Sales Manager for Callaway Golf Canada for 18 years. During her time with Callaway, Dengel managed the GTA and Southwestern Ontario territory from 1992-2005 and has managed the Southern Ontario territory since 2006.

NEW YORK – Donald Trump expanded his golf empire with his biggest acquisition yet – Turnberry.

Trump announced Tuesday that he has agreed to buy the picturesque links course and resort on the west coast of Scotland, which has hosted the British Open four times. The most recent was in 2009, when Stewart Cink won a playoff over 59-year-old Tom Watson. The most famous was in 1977, the “Duel in the Sun” that featured Watson defeating Jack Nicklaus.

“It is an honor and privilege to own one of golf’s greatest and most exciting properties,” Trump said.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Independent in London reported that Trump paid Dubai-based Leisurecorp just over $63 million – 37.5 million pounds.

Turnberry is the 17th golf property owned by Trump, including 12 in the United States. That includes Trump National Doral, which was renovated for this year’s World Golf Championship in south Florida.

There appears to be no plans to touch Turnberry, used as an airfield during World War II, and now considered among the finest links in Scotland with magnificent views of the Irish Sea, the Isle of Arran and the Ailsa Craig, a rounded rock formation in the Irish Sea from which curling stones are made.

“I’m not going to touch a thing unless the Royal & Ancient ask for it or approve it,” Trump told golf.com. “I have the greatest respect for the R&A and for (chief executive) Peter Dawson. I won’t do anything to the golf course at all without their full stamp of approval.”

Trump said he would invest “many millions of dollars” into the hotel and said it would be the most luxurious in all of Europe when he was finished.

He raves about all of his golf courses, believing them to be among the best in the world and worthy of major championships. With Turnberry, he is certain to get one. The R&A has not announced future sites beyond 2016 up the Ayrshire coast at Royal Troon, though Turnberry has become a popular venue. It is the youngest of the British Open sites – 1977 was its first British Open – and the roads were improved for it to end a 15-year hiatus with a return in 2009.

All of Trump’s other courses have his name in the title. He told golf.com that Trump Turnberry “has a nice ring to it,” but that would be decided fairly soon. That might not matter to the history of golf’s oldest trophy – the claret jug.

“Turnberry has been called other things before with previous owners,” Dawson told The Independent. “But it’s engraved as Turnberry on the jug, and I’d imagine will remain so.”

ORLANDO, Fla. – Notah Begay suffered a heart attack last week in Dallas and is expected to make a full recovery, Golf Channel said Tuesday.

Begay, a 41-year-old analyst for Golf Channel and NBC Sports, was taken Thursday to Methodist Hospital in Dallas where a stent was inserted to unblock his right coronary artery. Begay, a Navajo from New Mexico, has a history of heart disease in the family.

Golf Channel said Begay will be off the air indefinitely while he recovers.

Begay, who won the last of his four PGA Tour titles in 2000, said he was grateful to Dr. Mark Jenkins and the speedy care he received in Dallas.

“I anticipate a full recovery and feel lucky to be at home resting with my family,” Begay said in a statement. “I appreciate the outpouring of well wishes I’ve received from family, friends and fans, and I will be back covering golf once I’m fully recovered.”

Begay is in his second full year as a TV analyst.

Begay was part of the Stanford team that won the NCAA title in 1994. A year later, he and Tiger Woods were the first minorities named to the Walker Cup team. Begay won twice on the PGA Tour in 1999 and 2000, but he was hampered by back injuries later in his career.

On Tuesday, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced that Chris Hill, coach at University of Houston, has won the Jan Strickland award, given to the top assistant coach in Div I, II or III golf.

Hill has become the first Canadian to win the award in its 12-year history.

“When I started coaching, I only dreamed that someday I would be included in the ranks of coaches even considered for such an honour,” Hill told UHCougars.com.

The award focuses on the coach’s ability to excel in working with athletes both on the course and in the classroom. Hill, a Sarnia, Ont., native, modestly credited his University of Houston athletes.

“My most important thank you goes to all my players, past and present, because without them this award was never even a possibility,” he continued.

Coach Hill has extended his Canadian roots into the recruiting system at the University of Houston. In his four years, Hill has been involved in the recruiting and coaching of three Team Canada athletes – Blair Hamilton (Burlington, Ont.), Matthew Scobie (Ajax, Ont.) and current Development Squad member Matt Williams (Calgary).

HUGE congrats @UHCoachHill for winning assistant coach of the year!! Great friend and a great member of @UHCougarGolf #WellDeserved #Canuck

— matt scobie (@mattscobieUH) April 29, 2014

In addition, Hill and the Houston Cougars have successfully added Tony Gil of Vaughan, Ont., to their recruitment class of 2016. Gil, 16, is new to Canada’s Development Squad this year and verbally committed to the University of Houston earlier this month.

Robert Ratcliffe, Team Canada’s Lead Development Squad Coach, credits Hill for building the strong relationship between the University of Houston and Team Canada’s High Performance programs.

“Chris has been instrumental in establishing the great connection that we have with the University of Houston,” said Ratcliffe. “A handful of Canadians have truly excelled under his direction and I really look forward to what the future holds under his leadership.”

Hill has helped the Cougars jump to their current spot of No. 9 in the NCAA Div I Men’s Golf rankings. Away from the golf course, the Cougars achieved their highest ever cumulative grade-point average (GPA).

Click here to view Chris Hill’s profile

During the second round of Volvo China Open, Ian Poulter incurred a two-stroke penalty for dropping a ball incorrectly under Rule 24-2 after taking relief from a cart path.

He originally hit his ball into some dense foliage on the par-13^th and proceeded under Rule 28c, dropping within two-club lengths of where his ball lay.  After that drop, his ball came to rest on the cart path and Poulter decided to take relief for that situation as well.  However, he dropped the ball two club-lengths from his nearest point of relief and played that ball, which resulted in the two-stroke penalty.

If a player elects to take relief from an immovable obstruction, the player must lift the ball and drop it, without penalty, within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief.

Had Poulter realized his error before playing his shot after taking relief from the cart path, he would have been able to correct his error under Rule 20-6.

After the round, Poulter said “We make mistakes, I guess, and that was a fun one.  Guess I need to get the rules book back out and start chewing it.”

The silver lining is that Poulter still made the cut after incurring this penalty and provided some humour for his for 1.6 million Twitter followers.

I’m such a ¥#%$¥+€ helmet, the most simple Rule that I had been given the day before, Drop in second club length. Errr wrong 2 shot penalty.

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) April 25, 2014

I didn’t think it would be difficult to drop a golf ball, but today I managed to make a complete $€$%^#¥= arse of it. Basic Rules. #Nobhead

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) April 25, 2014

The funniest cartoon picture of me taking an illegal drop today wins a signed Ryder cup photo & @ijpdesign goodies. follow & use @ijpdesign

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) April 25, 2014

Golf Digest has a great article showing cartoons submitted on Twitter. You can check them out here.