French Lick, IN (Janaury 24, 2008) – French Lick Resort Casino in French Lick, Ind., site of the 1924 PGA Championship won by the legendary Walter Hagen, has been named the site of the 43rd PGA Professional National Championship. The showcase event for PGA Professionals will be conducted in June 2010. It will mark the first visit by the PGA Professional National Championship to Indiana, and to a resort that features courses designed by two of the game’s legendary golf architects – Donald Ross and Pete Dye.
The National Championship, featuring a nationwide field of 312 PGA Professionals, will utilize the par-70, 7,000-yard Donald Ross Course, which opened in 1917 and the par-72, 7,400-yard Pete Dye Course, which is scheduled for a grand opening in the spring of 2009. The Championship’s final two rounds will be conducted on the Pete Dye Course.
"The PGA Professional National Championship has maintained a tradition of bringing this showcase event to some of the premier courses in the country," said PGA of America President Brian Whitcomb. "It is exciting to have the opportunity to bring the Championship to the site where Walter Hagen, one of our Association founders, elevated his legend. I can think of no better story for our finest playing PGA Professionals than to compete for the Walter Hagen Cup in Indiana."
The Donald Ross Course, the creation of famed Scottish architect Donald Ross, also has hosted the 1959 and 1960 LPGA Championship and was the home of the Midwest Amateur from the 1930s through the 1950s. Coincidentally, Dye captured the 1957 Midwest Amateur on the course.
The Donald Ross Course completed a $6 million renovation program in 2006, conducted by architect Lee Schmidt of Scottsdale, Ariz., which restored the original Ross design.
"We had photographs from 1926, two years after the PGA Championship was played, and we had Donald Ross’s original drawings on site," said Chairman of the Board, Cook Group – Steve Ferguson. "And, we have Pete Dye, who has been so enthusiastic about this project. We have tremendous views at each location, and to have the restoration and to have a Donald Ross Course and one of the leading designers of this era in Pete Dye is a tremendous opportunities for golfers to play both approaches to golf.
"The Donald Ross Course shows the magic of Donald Ross," said Ferguson. "He chose a piece of real estate to fit that course. And, Pete Dye is so enthusiastic about this course, and was dedicated to fit every golfer. He developed tremendous views from all tees. Pete had a relationship with Donald Ross and you can see a lot of Ross in Pete Dye.
"The resort is an impact on that part of the state, and the PGA Professional National Championship is a wonderful opportunity. We’re trying to impact that section of Indiana with the resort and this National Championship is important part of that plan."
"It is a rare opportunity to be playing two courses designed by two of golf’s greatest architects, the greatest classic architect, Donald Ross, and arguably the greatest modern-day architect, Pete Dye, all on the same piece of property," said French Lick Resort Casino PGA Director of Golf Dave Harner. "We are very pleased and excited to have this Championship come to Indiana."
Dye, who was the 2004 PGA Distinguished Service Award winner, has been the host architect for previous PGA Professional National Championships in 1989-90 at PGA West-Stadium Course in La Quinta, Calif.; in 1999 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., and in 2005 at The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C.
The French Lick Resort Casino has undergone a $500 million historic renovation and casino development program, which includes the French Lick Springs Hotel, the new French Lick Casino and the West Baden Springs Hotel. In addition, this premier resort and casino destination features more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space; 689 guest rooms and a 42,000-square foot, single-level casino; two full-service spas with a combined 36 treatment rooms totaling 41,000 square feet and an array of dining and entertainment options. Visit www.frenchlick.com.
Contact:
French Lick Resort Casino
Dyan Welsh, (812) 936-5926, dwelsh@frenchlick.com
Resort & Golf Marketing
Kevin Frisch, (989) 614-0241, kevin@resortandgolf.com
Dave Richards, (248) 642-6420, dave@resortandgolf.com
