(PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla.) – PGA National Resort & Spa announces its Jack Nicklaus-designed Champion Course and acclaimed new Fazio Course will host the grueling six-round final qualifying tournament for playing privileges on the 2015 Web.com TOUR, Dec. 11 – 16.
Now in its 24th season, the Web.com TOUR is the top developmental vehicle to gain coveted PGA TOUR playing privileges. Recent graduates include 24-year-old Russell Henley, who claimed a playoff victory over Rory McIlroy, Ryan Palmer and Russell Knox with a dramatic birdie on the par-5 18th to win the 2014 Honda Classic.
The star-studded field for the first stop of the “Florida Swing” featured seven of the top nine players in the world including local residents Tiger Woods, McIlroy and Lee Westwood, as well as the 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott.
Now one of the most popular tournaments on the TOUR schedule, this year’s event attracted a record-setting 193,052 spectators for the week.
Few courses have a golf pedigree as storied as the Champion Course. Its vaunted resume includes hosting the 1983 Ryder Cup, 1987 PGA Championship, and nearly two decades of the Senior PGA Championship. Last year it was the toughest layout on the PGA TOUR schedule (non-major venues) with an average per round score of 1.318 over par.
The lauded track is most notably known as home to the legendary “Bear Trap” (Nos. 15-17). The daunting trifecta continues to live up to its reputation as one of the most testing in the sport. USA Today called The Bear Trap “one of the toughest stretches in golf.”
The par-72 Fazio Course is a complete renovation of “The Haig” – PGA National’s original 18-hole course. The Haig was designed by George and Tom Fazio in tribute to five-time PGA champion Walter Hagen. As the third member of the lauded Fazio family to work on The Haig, Tom Fazio II spearheaded the efforts to modernize the noted shot maker’s layout.
“The Web.com TOUR is where the journey begins for tomorrow’s superstars to make a name for themselves,” says Joel Paige, Vice President and Managing Director of PGA National. “Our Champion and Fazio courses are ideal venues to test a player’s mettle and see what they’re made of as they vie to compete on the largest stage in golf.'”
For more PGA National Resort & Spa information: www.pgaresort.com or call 561.627.2000.
About PGA National Resort & Spa
Fresh off its comprehensive $100 million revitalization, PGA National Resort & Spa is a world-class golf, vacation and meeting destination. The South Florida locale offers 90 holes of championship golf on five courses, including the famed Champion Course, home to the popular PGA TOUR Honda Classic and past host of the Ryder Cup, PGA Championship and a litany of other prized professional golf tournaments.
The Champion showcases the legendary “Bear Trap” – one of the most difficult three-hole stretches in the game. Holes 15, 16 and 17 are where designer Jack Nicklaus famously said, “It should be won or lost right here.” On-site programs from both the David Leadbetter Golf Academy and the Dave Pelz Scoring Game School, along with tour level custom club fitting from the PGA National Club Fitting Lab, are available.
PGA National features customized suites ideal for weddings, golf “buddy trips” and spa aficionados; a permanent, lakeside wedding venue with stunning vistas; and new 19thhole bar and grill named “Bar 91.” Other distinguishing highlights include a world-class 33,000 square-foot health-and-racquet club with 19 Har-Tru tennis courts, 40,000 square feet of self-contained conference space and seven on-site restaurants and lounges.
Conveniently located within easy driving distance of major Florida population centers, the AAA Four Diamond resort is 15 minutes from Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), one hour from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and 90 minutes from Miami International Airport (MIA).
Contact:
David Wood (703.635.0577)
Buffalo Communications
dwood@buffalocommunications.com
Jane Milbrandt (786.459.7794)
Buffalo Communications
jmilbrandt@buffalocommunications.com
