For those who may have missed the story in last Thursday’s Port Arthur News,
the PGA of America dropped a bombshell of an announcement that should considerably enhance Texas’ perception in the golf world.

Confirming rumors that had been swirling for months, the PGA announced it is moving its headquarters from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida to the booming north Dallas suburb of Frisco. For starters, the economic impact will be in the hundreds of millions.

From a pure golfing standpoint, the bottom line is that Texas will at long last once again be a part of the game’s “majors”, and will quite likely host a Ryder Cup. Only three U.S. Opens, three PGAs and one Ryder Cup have been played in Texas.

The 2027 and 2034 PGA Championship, the Senior PGA in 2023 and two women’s PGA Championships have been ticketed for one of the two courses to be built in the sprawling new Frisco complex. No date has been set for a Ryder Cup, but there is little doubt it’s going to happen.

Texas has been snubbed by both the USGA and PGA for majors since the 1969 U.S. Open at Champions Golf Club in Houston. Only other Texas U.S. Opens were played in Dallas in 1952 and Fort Worth in 1941.

As for the three PGAs, they were played in San Antonio in 1968, and Dallas in 1963 and 1927. A local footnote to that 1968 PGA played at Pecan Valley in San Antonio was the the fact Port Arthuran Marty Fleckman led or was tied for the lead after 18, 36 and 54 holes.

Fleckman finished tied for fourth, two shots behind champion Julius Boros and one behind Arnold Palmer and Bob Charles.

The lone Texas Ryder Cup, meanwhile, was played at Champions in 1967, with Ben Hogan the United States captain. It provided to be the most one-sided Ryder Cup in history, with Hogan’s team winning 23 1/2 to 8 1/2.

Main reason given for so few U.S. Opens and PGAs being played in Texas has been the summer heat. Making that reasoning somewhat dubious is the fact multiple majors have been contested in sweltering cities like Tulsa, St. Louis, Birmingham and Palm Beach.

A second, sort of under-the-radar reason for avoiding Texas was a suspected feeling among elites in both of golf’s governing bodies that the state just didn’t have golf courses of high-enough quality to host a major. The elites seemed to strongly prefer sites steeped in history.

While the U.S. Open may never return, its now pretty much a given that there will be a PGA played in Texas every five years or so. With the tournament’s date having been moved from August to May starting in 2019, heat won’t be an issue.

CHIP SHOTS

Danny Monzy of Ivanhoe made a Dec. 4 visit to Port Arthur memorable when he scored his first hole in one at Babe Zaharias. Monzy sank a 9-iron from 115 yards on No. 7.
Witnesses to the ace were Murphy DeMarcay, Cricket Owen, Charlie Iwasko and Terry Wilson. …

PNG ex Andrew Landry picked up $85,000 in unofficial money last weekend
when he and partner Luke Donald finished 10th in Greg Norman’s QBE shootout in Naples, Florida. They shot rounds of 63-68-65 for a 54-hole total of 196 in a
format of scramble, alternate shot and best ball.

Patton Kizzire and Brian Harmon won with 18. …

One guy certain to take lots of grief from fellow PGA players as a result of the QBE is Charlie Hoffman. Though Hoffman and playing partner Gary Woodland tied for third, only two shots off the winning pace, Hoffman won’t live down being outdriven by LPGA star Lexi Thompson on the 18th hole of the second day.

Thompson, who averaged 276 off the tee on the LPGA Tour last year, unleashed a bomb on 18. Hoffman, who had only been outhitting her 10 to 15 yards, blasted a good drive and walked past what he thought was her ball to his. Thompson’s playing partner, Tony Finau, got to the shorter drive and noticed it was not her ball. He promptly shouted to Hoffman, “Hey, Charlie, this is your ball. Do you want me to pick it up?”

Finau and Thompson, the only LPGA player in the field, finished seventh. …

In the Senior 50 Plus Game played at Babe Zaharias Monday, the team of Tom LeTourneau, Raymond Darbonne, Dwayne Benoit and a ghost (Cap Hollier) scored a sweep, winning the front in plus 1 and the back in minus 2. …

The Friday 2-ball at Zaharias saw the team of Bob West, Larry Johnson, Don MacNeal and Pete Reobroi win the front with minus 2. On the back, the foursome of Keith Mullins, Rick Pritchett, Charles Leard and Benoit won with even.
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Golf news should be emailed to rdwest@usa.net.