The 15th Texas Girls’ Invitational set for Feb. 17-19

Addison – The 15^th Texas Girls’ Invitational heads to Eagle’s Bluff Country Club on February 17-19, for the first major championship of the 2024 Legends Junior Tour season. This event returns to East Texas for the first time since 2017.

The Texas Girls’ Invitational is an 84-player field modeled after the Byron Nelson Junior Championship and Texas Cup Invitational. The tournament quickly grew and has taken its own identity and is a favorite event among the girls on the LJT schedule. In 2019, the event changed from a 36 to 54-hole format held in February with World Amateur Golf Rankings points to play for.

The winner of this year’s tournament will have her name engraved on the Nez Muhleman Trophy.  Inez “Nez” Muhleman is known for her dedication to junior golf. Nez had gone to the annual U.S. Girls Junior Championship for 31 straight years and was awarded the USGA Joe Dey award In 2011.

This is the second LJT event that Eagle’s Bluff Country Club has hosted in the last year. The Jackie Burke Cup was staged here last November, and the Texas Cup Invitational is set to come out to Bullard next month. The golf course was designed by Carlton Gibson in 1999 and stretches 6,997 yards from the back tees. The par-71 layout is known for its beauty as the course runs through the tall pine trees of East Texas.

“We are very excited for this year’s Texas Girls’ Invitational at Eagle’s Bluff Country Club.  We have a very strong field of not only Texas players but also competitors from six other states coming in to compete for the Nez Muhleman Trophy,” shared Tournament Director Scott Davidson.

 “Eagle’s Bluff has been a great host for the Texas Golf Association and the Legend Junior Tour. The club took on our 103^rd Women’s Texas Amateur last year along with the LJT Jackie Burke Cup. They are going to host our boy’s Texas Cup Invitational in March as well. Everyone there is first class, and they truly enjoy hosting the incredible golfers we have on our tour.”

 Adrienne Ahn of Dallas won the 14^th Texas Girls’ Invitational by three strokes last year. Another impressive field of junior girls’ players with compete to have their name on that trophy this year.

 Past Champions of the championship include Farah O’Keefe, Kaci McCartan, Lakareber Abe, Maddie McCrary, Vanessa Ha, Jaravee Boonchant, Anne Chen, Mackenzie Niblett, Hailey Jones, and Tillie Claggett.

 For more information on the Texas Girls’ Invitational, please click here.

USGA, The R&A Announce 2024 World Handicap System™ Revisions

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J., USA and ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (Nov. 8, 2023) – The USGA and The R&A today announced the first update to the World Handicap System™ (WHS™) as part of an ongoing review of the Rules of Handicapping™ and Course Rating System™ with a continued emphasis on accuracy, consistency and equity. The latest revisions will go into effect beginning January 1, 2024.

Many countries have seen significant increases in the number of scores being submitted for handicapping purposes since the WHS was introduced in January 2020, reflecting golf’s broadening appeal. More than 100 million scores have been posted each year, unifying millions of golfers through a standard measure of playing ability. The 2024 update leverages the performance data gathered from around the world, in addition to feedback received from many of the 125 countries now using the system.

Significant updates to the WHS include:

• Inclusion of Shorter-Length Golf Courses Within the Course Rating System: The overall length requirements for Course Rating in the WHS will be significantly reduced. A set of tees on an 18-hole course may be as short as 1,500 yards [1,370 meters] to be eligible for a Course Rating and Slope Rating^®, and a set of tees on a 9-hole course may be as short as 750 yards [685 meters]. This change is intended to expand the WHS to thousands of shorter length courses, including par-3 courses, and enable more golfers to obtain and use a Handicap Index.
• Use of an Expected Score for a Hole Not Played: Improvements have been made to the method used to handle holes not played, which will now be based on a player’s expected score rather than a score of net par. This new method will produce a 9-hole or 18-hole Score Differential that more accurately reflects a player’s ability. As golfers across the world are playing more 9-hole rounds, an expected score can also be used to convert a 9-hole round into an 18-hole Score Differential. For some countries, this means that 9-hole scores will be considered in the calculation of a player’s Handicap Index immediately after the day of play, rather than waiting to combine with another 9-hole score.
• Playing Conditions Calculation Adjustments Made More Frequent: The Playing Conditions Calculation (PCC) has been modified to increase the likelihood of an adjustment for abnormal playing conditions. National associations were given discretion, beginning in July 2022, to introduce this revision within their computation platforms, which will be complete by April 1, 2024.
• Enhanced Guidance on Conducting a Handicap Review: The role of the Handicap Committee is vital to the success of the WHS and the Rules recommend that a Handicap Review is conducted regularly, or at least once a year to ensure a Handicap Index^® remains reflective of a player’s ability. New reporting tools have been developed that national associations can incorporate into their handicapping software to assist Committees in conducting the review process effectively and consistently.

Since its inception, the WHS has embraced the many ways golf is played around the world by giving national associations flexibility to apply regional discretionary items, with the objective for greater alignment over time. For this reason, the governing bodies expect countries to continue to shift the way they calculate Course Handicaps so that they are relative to par, making a golfer’s target score to “play to handicap” more intuitive.

Golfers are encouraged to visit their national association’s website to learn more about the discretionary items that apply to their region. Contact details for national associations can be found on the WHS website here: https://www.whs.com/#association.

The USGA and The R&A have also recently launched a new WHS Software Accreditation and Interoperability Programme to help ensure that there is consistency and accuracy in the calculation of handicaps worldwide, and to assist with the retrieval of a Handicap Index and the return of away scores from country to country.

Steve Edmondson, Managing Director – Handicapping & Course Rating at the USGA said, “The game of golf continues to evolve and the WHS has embraced those changes in a dynamic way to help all golfers, everywhere they play. It is a monumental time in golf, and improving both the accessibility of obtaining a Handicap Index and leveraging powerful data and technology to easily and accurately track performance is a great step forward.”

Claire Bates, Director – Handicapping at The R&A said, “We have made good progress in the early stages of WHS but we know there are always areas that can be improved as we gather more data and information on the system from around the world. Conducting a regular review process is important in terms of good governance and enables us to examine some of the key areas in which we have received feedback. We will continue to work with the handicapping bodies and national associations around the world to ensure that the WHS is providing golfers with a system that provides a sensible balance between inclusivity and integrity, making it as easy as possible to get a Handicap Index, subject to meaningful safeguards.”

The USGA and The R&A jointly launched and govern the WHS to provide a modern and responsive system, that gives an accurate reflection of a player’s demonstrated ability. It is calculated by incorporating the Rules of Handicapping and the Course Rating System and is administered by a range of handicapping bodies and national associations around the world.

The more flexible and accessible nature of the system has led to the introduction of successful initiatives from a number of national associations aimed at making it easier to obtain a Handicap Index and be part of the WHS.

Mirroring the review processes of other areas of governance in golf, including the Rules of Golf and the Rules of Amateur Status, reviews of the WHS will continue to be conducted at regular intervals, taking into consideration performance data and feedback to help identify areas for improvement.

To learn more about the World Handicap System, please visit www.WHS.com.

In the Volunteer Spotlight: Pam Murray

Every TGA volunteer found their way to the rewarding job via different avenues. For Pam Murray, it was the Course Rating Team that drew her into giving decades of service to further the game of golf.

Murray’s family is no stranger to the sport. Her father introduced her to the game. Her two brothers are both PGA Class-A Club Professionals who recently retired in the Pacific Northwest. It wasn’t until she graduated college that Murray decided to play and truly learn the game of golf though.

“My family would always play golf together because my mom would get us out of the house,” Murray said. “I got tired of my brothers always cheating me on the golf course. They would tell me I couldn’t do this, or I couldn’t do that. So, I decided I better learn the rules.”

Murray, former President of the Women’s Texas Golf Association from 2008-10, first spent her time with the Course Rating Team from 1997-2002. In 2002, she retired and had more time to learn the Rules. This allowed her to transition into becoming a Rules official at tournaments.

The Richardson native has served in numerous capacities since 2002 for the USGA and TGA. She became a member of the USGA Women’s Committee in 2011, serving as vice-chairman from 2015-16 and then as chairman from 2017-18.

She presided over the newly created U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Committee in 2014-15 and before that the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Committee in 2013-14. Murray also was a longtime member of the TGA Rules Committee.

Prior to becoming a TGA volunteer, Murray spent her working career in education. As a retired educator, she has seen that part of her profession pay dividends on the golf course.

“It helps you relate to the people you are dealing with,” Murray said.

At the top of her list of favorite memories from volunteering in golf are being able to be involved with the USGA’s inaugural 2022 U.S. Adaptive Open and helping with President Bush’s Warrior Open for five years.

Having been heavily involved in the game since 1997, Murray has seen great change over the past couple of decades.

“I see a lot more young girls and women playing golf than there were in 1997,” Murray said. “I think the TGA and what was the WTGA were very instrumental in getting a lot more women involved in the state of Texas.”

Murray estimates that she spends around 75 days of the year volunteering. She says it’s the people who bring her back. This is the same reason that a countless number of our volunteers continuously cite as their inspiration for devoting their time to the TGA.

“I’ve been lucky enough to travel around the world officiating,” Murray said. “It’s been a great experience just meeting other rules officials, players, and juniors. And watching my juniors grow up to now participate on the LPGA and PGA TOUR is special.”

The TGA thanks Pam for her countless years of service to the Association and the game of golf. If you see her at a TGA or USGA event this year make sure to say hello!

A Playbook for Golf & Life

“Golf is a metaphor of life. As soon as you assume something’s going to happen, it usually doesn’t. And maybe even the opposite happens.”

– Mike Booker, Texas Golf Association

If anyone knows what it takes to build the type of mindset needed to become a successful competitive golfer, it’s Houston’s Mike Booker. Winner of 14 TGA Championships, a 2019 Texas Golf Hall of Fame inductee, and a collegiate All-American on the late 1970s powerhouse University of Houston golf teams, Booker at age 68 knows exactly what constitutes a tournament golfer.

Or as he would put it, a Tournament Golfer: capital T, capital G.

The four-time Texas Senior Player of the Year recently published his first book. It’s a unique self-help offering for anyone who wants to know how to improve their tournament results and become more successful in their daily lives. It’s called The Tournament Golfer’s Playbook and identifies two very different types of competitive golfers and how becoming one of them can lead to triumph – in tournaments and life itself.

“My book is for players who want to win golf tournaments,” said Booker, who notched his latest triumph at the 2023 South Texas Senior Amateur. You see, Booker believes there are Golfers-Who-Play-Tournaments, and then there are Tournament Golfers. There is about a 700-yard, par-5 gulf between these two types of competitors.

For example, the Golfer-Who-Plays-Tournaments has a list of excuses for poor scores. It was a bad back, or inclement weather, or unlucky lip-outs that kept him from meeting his expectations. The Tournament Golfer, meanwhile, has no such rationalizations. This competitor, Booker notes, is drama-free. He turns in his scorecard without alibis.

Or, as Booker says in his book, “Don’t explain, don’t complain.”

There’s much more to the dichotomy, of course. Booker gets into all of it. The Golfer-Who-Plays-Tournaments has bad habits of getting ahead of themselves, thinking too far into the future (or the past), over-celebrating good shots and getting upset over bad ones.

Booker understands this because he is a Tournament Golfer. He is quick to add, however, that wasn’t always the case. He was a Golfer-Who-Plays-Tournaments for years and years.

There’s a great anecdote early in the book about when he was 16 years old and advanced to the semifinals of the California Junior Match Play Championship. He faced one of the top-ranked juniors in the state, future U.S. Open champion Scott Simpson. Booker took a quick lead – Simpson duck-hooked tee balls out of bounds on the first two holes – and he started thinking about who he’d face in the finals.

Cut to the end, Simpson won 3&2. Even as a teenager, Simpson displayed winning characteristics even when he was 2 down. No alibis.

“Scott was a Tournament Golfer, and I had no idea what had just happened to me,” Booker said. “It would take me over a decade to understand what he – and many other Tournament Golfers I encountered – possessed that I did not. In my book, I detail how the reader can become a Tournament Golfer and stop being just a Golfer-Who-Plays-Tournaments.”

Published in January, The Tournament Golfer’s Playbook debuted at #1 on Amazon’s New Release list. It also made it to #1 on Amazon’s Best Seller list in February. It’s stuffed full of the kind of advice, anecdotes, and insider information every serious golfer needs.

It’s more than that, though. At the end of each chapter, Booker gives readers a “Life Hack” that relates how becoming a Tournament Golfer also can help them succeed in life off the golf course.

The chapter about “Taking Responsibility” illuminates why and how the Tournament Golfer benefits from owning up for their actions on the golf course.

“Taking responsibility gives the player true freedom,” Booker said. “Everyone in life and business makes mistakes. The Tournament Golfer attitude calls for us to take responsibility: own (the mistake), fix it, and eliminate it.”

This new book is just the latest way Booker has given back to golf. Mike and his wife, Pat, founded the Booker Family Foundation that supports a wide array of worthy causes, including the TGA’s Youth on Course program that allows juniors to play for $5 or less at select courses across the state.

A melanoma skin cancer survivor himself, Booker’s foundation has raised more than $1 million for the Booker Melanoma Research Endowment for UT/MD Anderson to help eradicate the disease. He and Pat are Trustees for The First Tee, and ardent supporters of the University of Houston golf program. They funded the UH short game area at the Golf Club of Houston, the home course for Mike’s alma mater, the UH Men’s & Women’s Golf Teams.

Now he can add author to his impressive list of accomplishments. Once you read  The Tournament Golfer’s Playbook, you might start adding successful bullet points to your lists, too.

For more information or to order the book,  click here. To read an excerpt from  The Tournament Golfer’s Playbook,  click here.

North Texas Welcomes KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship

Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco is located approximately 953 miles from Augusta National Golf Club. Put another way, it’s roughly a 13-hour, 51-minute drive – if you adhere to the posted speed limits.

While the two sites couldn’t be more distinct – one a former Texas cattle ranch, one a former Georgia nursery – there is a little-known connection between the courses. They both will have played host to the event now known as the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.

When the 83rd edition of the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship takes place next month in North Texas, it will have evolved significantly from those inaugural 1937-38 championships contested at Augusta National. Despite the growth and changes, it rightfully maintains its position as the most historic and prestigious event in senior golf.

It’s a designation befitting a championship with beginnings so entrenched at perhaps the most famous golf course in the world and with a list of past champions equally as impressive. Legends of the game, from Sarazen and Snead to Palmer, Nicklaus, Trevino, and Watson, have had their names etched on the Alfred S. Bourne Trophy.

Set for May 24-28, this year’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship is the inaugural Major Championship to be contested on Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco, or what has come to be known as the “Modern Home of Golf.”

PGA Frisco consists of the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, the Home of the PGA of America, the headquarters of the Northern Texas PGA Section, and a retail and entertainment district, all which is centered around the Fields Ranch East and West golf courses. The new venue will be home to more than 26 PGA of America championships between now and 2034.

The run of major championships slated to be held on Fields Ranch East also includes the 2025 and 2031 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and the 2027 and 2034 PGA Championships, as well as another KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship in 2029.

KitchenAid’s involvement with the Senior PGA Championship dates to 2011 and has added some “foodie” culture to this special major. Amateur gourmet fans should check out KitchenAid’s main attraction at the event, the Fairway Club, which will host chef demonstrations throughout the week, including some likely familiar faces to any fans of the Food Network or Cooking Channel. In addition to the Fairway Club, KitchenAid will have other activities and product displays throughout the PGA District and Fields Ranch East.

There are a limited number of hospitality, pro-am, and ticket opportunities that remain available to be a part of the most historic and prestigious event in senior golf. If you would like more information on options for hosting clients, potential clients, employees, or your family during the Championship, please visit SRPGA.com.

Youth On Course is Full Speed Ahead

Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise, especially after the TGA Foundation’s success in 2022 in growing the number of participating Youth on Course (YOC) facilities around the state, but 2023 is shaping up to be a blockbuster year for broadening the reach of this life-changing program throughout Texas.

This is the fourth year of the TGA Foundation’s partnership with YOC, a national non-profit grow-the-game initiative that allows kids and teens ages 6-18 to play golf for $5 or less, plus opportunities for paid internships, caddie programs, and college scholarships. The collaboration initially began in January 2020 as a pilot project in the San Antonio area with 11 courses, including all eight that comprise the Alamo City Golf Trail.

As 2023 moves forward, the gained momentum continues apace with a multitude of new YOC facilities introduced in big cities and small towns alike. But that’s just the start of what is expected to be an outpouring of good news about YOC in Texas to arrive this year.

Through the first quarter of 2023, nine facilities have officially joined the YOC community, with another nine in process. When all the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed, that will bring the total number of participating YOC facilities in Texas to 65.

That’s a 38% increase in just three months since the end of 2022, and a whopping 140% jump in the number of locations from the same period last year. For comparison, there were 27 facilities heading into April 2022, and 47 total by the end of the year.

Not so coincidentally, membership numbers are on the rise too. There are currently 2,210 young people in Texas with YOC memberships, which is on pace for a projected record-high of over 3,500 members once school lets out.

The partnership expands upon the TGA Foundation’s current lineup of junior golf development programming, which now includes the Bill Penn Internship, Junior Girls’ Travel Fund, Bob Romero Scholarship, and the Doris Kallina/’Nez Muhleman Scholarship.

Among the new participating YOC facilities in 2023 are Tenison Park’s Glen Course in Dallas, Deer Run Golf Club in West Tawakoni, Tempest Golf Club in Gladewater, Lake Waco Golf Club’s Executive Course in Waco, Blue Lake Golf Club in Horseshoe Bay, and Olympia Hills Golf Course in San Antonio.

There are also three new facilities in the Greater Houston area. They are Hermann Park Golf Course in Houston, Pearland Golf Club in Pearland, and the La Quinta Course at Quail Valley Golf Course & City Centre in Missouri City.

While it’s exciting news for junior golfers in and around the Bayou City, the TGA Foundation and YOC are working diligently to add more facilities. The approximately 10,000-square-mile region is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S., and that means there are lots and lots of kids that could benefit from access to affordable golf and off-course opportunities. It’s one of the main reasons why the two organizations will be concentrating on expanding the network in that area.

“It’s rewarding to witness the commitment from the Youth on Course partner community,” said Tai Moran, a San Antonio-based Regional Development Officer with Youth on Course. “With each Texas facility added, we confirm our commitment to access and changing the economics of the game. One can only imagine the impact as we focus on Houston and its surrounding areas.”

But the collaborative efforts to help grow the game by encouraging more facilities to open their doors to YOC members won’t be limited to just the Southeast region of the state. As the geographical diversity of the new courses that have been added so far in 2023 indicates, the continued goal will be to expand the footprint to as many areas as possible in the months and years ahead.

“We’re incredibly excited about the recent signings and the momentum we have in the early part of 2023,” Kilgo said. “We’re so appreciative of all our new and current YOC facilities, but there are still so many areas in Texas yet to cover. We will be working hard to make sure that more kids will have access to this far-reaching program and the opportunities it provides both on and off the golf course.”

Partner courses that provide a nurturing atmosphere where YOC members feel welcome to play golf, have fun, learn, and grow, are helping to ensure the long-term future of the game. They are also realizing an immediate benefit as well.

Because partner courses are in full control and decide when YOC members can play the course at the special rate, they’re able to fill their tee sheets with enthusiastic young golfers during normally slow times. In addition to receiving a monthly check for the subsidized rounds, partner courses report that at least 60% of the time, a parent or guardian joined the junior golfer and paid full price for their round. That means additional revenue from green fees, cart fees, pro shop merchandise sales, and food and beverage purchases.

For more information about becoming a YOC partner course, click here.

It’s a proven win-win relationship between YOC members and partner courses that has worked incredibly well since the program’s inception in 2006. There are currently more than 140,000 YOC members that have access to nearly 2,000 courses across the U.S. and Canada, where they can play a round of golf for $5 or less.

Over the years, YOC members have played more than two million subsidized rounds of golf while the organization has helped generate more than $8 million in tee-time revenue reimbursed back to individual golf courses.

With the constant addition of new partner courses and summer just around the corner, and the promise of long days of sunshine ideally suited for being outside playing lots of golf, now is the perfect time for kids and teens to be a part of the growing YOC community.

Turn the page to learn more about YOC membership, including how the program works, benefits and opportunities, plus easy instructions on how to sign up.

San Antonio’s Oak Hills C.C. Awarded Two USGA Amateur Championships

The United States Golf Association has recently announced that Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio will host the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship and 2028 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship. The U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball will be contested from May 11-15, 2024, and the U.S. Senior Amateur will take place from Aug. 26-31, 2028.

“The USGA is thrilled to make our return to Oak Hills Country Club in both 2024 and 2028,” said Mark Hill, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “We know the course will be a true test for the best amateur golfers in the world. This will absolutely be showcased during the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball and the U.S. Senior Amateur.”

Oak Hills Country Club is one of the oldest private member-owned country clubs in the country. Originally founded in 1922 as the Alamo Country Club, Oak Hills was designed by premier architect A.W. Tillinghast, whose vision of beauty and challenging play is enjoyed by golfers of all abilities. Alamo Country Club ceased operations during World War II and the course reopened as Oak Hills Country Club in 1946.

“The Oak Hills membership and the larger community of San Antonio are looking forward to welcoming both the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball and U.S. Senior Amateur to our club,” said Cary Collins, director of golf at Oak Hills Country Club. “We look forward to hosting tremendous amateur golfers and having the opportunity to share our golf course on a national stage. It’s an incredible opportunity for all of us at the club and we are looking forward to working with the USGA closely over the next several years.”

Oak Hills previously hosted the 2001 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, when Henry Liaw defeated Richard Scott, 2 and 1, in the final match. The club has also hosted 24 Texas Open Championships won by several legends of the game, including Arnold Palmer, Hale Irwin and Lee Trevino. The PGA Tour Champions’ AT&T Championship was also hosted at the club from 2002-2010, with Craig Stadler, Jay Haas, Fred Funk and John Cook among those to hoist the trophy. Oak Hills also hosted the 1987 debut of the Tour Championship, which was then known as the Nabisco Championship and was won by Tom Watson.

The U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball is open to female amateur golfers of all ages. Each member of the side must have a USGA Handicap Index® of 14.4 or lower. The 2023 championship will be held at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash., from May 13-17. Additional future sites include Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C., from May 2-6, 2026, and Bandon Dunes (Ore.) Golf Resort in 2037.

In April, Georgia residents Thienna Huynh and Sara Im outlasted Kaitlyn Schroeder and Bailey Shoemaker, 1 up, at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Puerto Rico to win the 7th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. This installment of the championship made history as the first USGA championship to be contested outside the mainland in a U.S. territory.

The U.S. Senior Amateur is open to any golfer who is 55 years of age or older and whose Handicap Index does not exceed 7.4. The 2022 championship is currently taking place at The Kittansett Club in Marion, Mass., through Sept. 1, while Martis Camp Club in Truckee, Calif. will host the 2023 edition from Aug. 26-31. The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn., will host the 2024 championship from Aug. 24-29, and Biltmore Forest Country Club in Asheville, N.C., will host in 2025.

About the USGA

The USGA is a nonprofit organization that celebrates, serves and advances the game of golf. Founded in 1894, we conduct many of golf’s premier professional and amateur championships, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica. With The R&A, we govern the sport via a global set of playing, equipment, handicapping and amateur status rules. The USGA campus in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, is home to the Association’s Research and Test Center, where science and innovation are fueling a healthy and sustainable game for the future. The campus is also home to the USGA Golf Museum, where we honor the game by curating the world’s most comprehensive archive of golf artifacts. To learn more, visit usga.org.

In Memory of John Semander

It is with deep sadness that the TGA announces the passing of John Semander. Semander gave selflessly of his time, energy and resources to promote golf in Texas for many years. His contributions to the game of golf are immeasurable and have impacted the state’s entire golfing community. The longtime TGA volunteer and Past Director passed away on July 27. He was 89 years old.

Semander was a gentle spirit who didn’t know a stranger. He seemed to be friends with everyone and had a warm-hearted story to share about each one to back it up. The Houston native was recognized numerous times for his steadfast dedication and efforts in helping the TGA.

He was the recipient of the 2005 South Texas Volunteer of the Year Award and the 2009 Bob Wells Distinguished Service Award, the TGA’s highest honor for individuals who’ve contributed to the growth of the game through their volunteerism and meritorious service.

In addition to duties as a TGA Director, Semander also served as a member of the TGA Rules Committee, as well as the USGA Junior Amateur Committee.

In 2010, Semander captained the South Texas team to victory in the Texas Shootout held at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands.

The longtime Shell employee was also very active with the Houston Golf Association among other pursuits.

In 2017, the TGA established the John Semander Family Scholarship to financially assist golfers who are seeking higher education. Semander’s dedication, character and lifelong connection to golf were attributes that the scholarship program endeavored to honor and encourage in the next generation of golfers.

The TGA mourns the loss of John Semander and sends its condolences to his family and friends.

112th Texas Amateur Set for June 17-20

The state’s foremost amateur golfers are headed west and will gather at Midland Country Club from June 17-20 for the 112th Texas Amateur Championship.

“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to return to Midland Country Club,” said Chris Untiedt, TGA Tournament Director. “The club has a long history of supporting amateur golf and we are confident the course will rigorously test every facet of a player’s game and identify a worthy champion.”

This will be the fourth Texas Amateur and sixth TGA major championship to be contested at Midland Country Club.

The three previous Texas Amateurs were played in 1965 (won by Randy Petri), 1971 (won by Bruce Lietzke) and 1997 (won by Ed Brooks). Midland Country Club also hosted the 1963 and 2001 Women’s Texas Amateurs (won by Sandra Palmer and Denis Flores, respectively).

More recently, Midland Country Club hosted the 2020 TGA Women’s Four-Ball (won by Faith Delagarza and Amari Smith) and 2019 West Texas Amateur (won by Jackson Markham). The club also was the site of the Web.com Tour’s WNB Golf Classic from 2002-14.

“It is a huge honor to welcome the Texas Amateur back to Midland Country Club,” said Head Golf Professional Eric Dunkerson. “Midland Country Club is proud to have such a rich history of championship golf and we are excited to continue this legacy and showcase our club by once again hosting the state’s premier amateur championship.”

Midland Country Club was founded in 1927 and moved to its current location in the mid-1950s with an 18-hole course designed by Ralph Plummer. Over the years numerous upgrades have been made to course, and in 2017, Weibring-Wolfard Golf Design completed a comprehensive renovation in time for the club’s 90th anniversary. The $8.9 million dollar, 11-month-long project included building new greens, tees, bunkers and lakes, which has fortified the strategic elements of Plummer’s original design.

“The newly renovated course will provide a great stage for this year’s Texas Amateur,” Dunkerson said. “It’s a par-72 that can stretch to over 7,400 yards from the back tees. The course will be in excellent condition for the championship and when you factor in the West Texas winds it will present a true test of skill for the state’s best amateurs.”

The TGA accepted a record 985 entries for the 112th Texas Amateur at Midland Country Club, eclipsing the previous high of 883 for the 2019 championship at Dallas Athletic Club. A total of 33 players were fully exempt from qualifying based on past performance. To determine the remaining 111 spots in the 144-player starting field, 18-hole qualifiers were held at 14 sites across the state from April 6 – June 9.

The list of decorated amateurs who will assemble at Midland Country Club is headed by Baylor University sophomore Trey Bosco of Austin, who won last year’s championship at Boot Ranch Golf Club in Fredericksburg. Bosco carded rounds of 72-71-67-69 to finish at 5-under 279 and earned a one-stroke victory over runner-up Caleb Hicks of Arlington. He will look to defend his title and become the first player to win back-to-back championships in nearly 20 years.

A large contingent of elite players from the junior, collegiate and mid-amateur ranks will be looking to dethrone Bosco, including 2019 Texas Mid-Amateur champion Chris Wheeler of Addison, two-time Texas Junior Amateur champion Zach Heffernan of Fair Oaks Ranch, 2020 Texas Player of the Year Colby Harwell of San Antonio, reigning Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play champion Aaron Hickman of Tyler, 2020 LJT Player of the Year Matthew Comegys of Plano and 2020 West Texas Amateur champion J.T. Pittman of Monahans, to name a few.

Format for the championship is 72 holes individual stroke play. All contestants will play 18 holes June 17-18. After 36 holes the field will be cut to the low 54 players and ties heading into the final two rounds on the weekend.

Live scoring updates, daily recaps, as well as tee-times and pairings, will be available once the action gets underway from Midland Country Club. For more on the 112th Texas Amateur, click here.

Texas Golf HOF Reschedules Class of 2020 Induction Event

The Texas Golf Hall of Fame recently announced that the previously postponed formal 2020 induction dinner has been rescheduled for Monday, August 9 and will be held at the River Crest Country Club in Fort Worth. The event was originally slated for October 2020 but was postponed as a cautionary measure due to COVID-19.

Last July the Hall announced its 2020 Class of Inductees that are to be honored during this formal induction ceremony that is open to the public.

2020 Texas Hall of Fame Inductees:

• Professional Player: Angela Stanford
• Amateur Player: Hank Kuehne
• Lifetime Achievement: Verne Lundquist
• Golf Professional / Teacher: Mike Wright
• Golf Professional / Teacher: Dow Finsterwald, Jr.
• Texas Registry of Historic Golf Courses: Oak Hills Country Club

In addition to the upcoming induction dinner, each of the Inductees has been commemorated on a granite marker on the prestigious Texas Golf Walk of Fame at historic Brackenridge Park Golf Course in San Antonio.

“We are very excited to finally give this class of inductees the celebration that they deserve!” said Texas Golf Hall of Fame Board Chairman, Reid Meyers. “These are extraordinary times, and we are fortunate to be able to slowly return to the normalcy of life. We hope you join us in celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of this class to the State of Texas and the great game of Golf.”

This will be the Texas Golf Hall of Fame’s eleventh class to be inducted since the Hall’s reconstitution in 2009. Public nominations made online were voted on by living Hall members, the Texas Golf Hall of Fame Board of Directors, and designated Texas golf media members.

For more about the Class of 2020 Induction Event, including tickets and sponsorship information, click here.