The United States Golf Association announced on Wednesday that it has chosen Pinehurst Resort & Country Club as the site for the 2017 men's Four-Ball championship.
Pinehurst Resort Course No. 2, which is hosting the 2014 Men's and Women's U.S. Open Championships this week and next, will serve as the match-play course for the championship, while No. 4 will be the companion course, with the field set to feature 128 two-player teams.
"The U.S. Amateur Four-Ball is our newest championship and we feel that the format has widespread appeal," said Daniel B. Burton, USGA vice president and chairman of the Championship Committee. "It is fitting that the 2017 championship will be contested at a place that has played a significant role in the history of American golf. We are grateful for our continuing friendship and partnership with Pinehurst."
This will be the third installment of the Four-Ball championships, as the first two will take place at the Olympic Club (2015) and Winged Foot (2016).
The men's and women's Four-Ball championships are the first new events on the USGA schedule in over 25 years. They were added when it was announced that the Amateur Public Links titles will be retired after 2014.
This will be the ninth USGA championship staged at Pinehurst, including the back-to-back U.S. Open Championships this year. Other USGA events held at the resort were the 1962 and 2008 U.S. Amateur's, the women's U.S. Amateur in 1989, the 1994 U.S. Senior Open and the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Open championships.
"Pinehurst is especially proud to host the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, which extends our deep connection with the USGA and celebrates our passion for the amateur game," said Don Padgett, president of Pinehurst. "Our friendship with the USGA was forged by the founding Tufts family and continues to this day. And for nearly as long, Pinehurst has held events that showcase the best in amateur golf."
The Four-Ball championships will be limited to amateurs with a handicap index better than 5.4 for men and 14.4 for women. There will be no age restrictions and qualifying will begin in August.
[SportsNetwork.com]
