Bay Area Golf fans have a couple of big weeks ahead with the LPGA Tour, PGA Tour’s World Golf Championship and the USGA all hosting events in San Francisco.
First up is next week’s Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic at Lake Merced in San Francisco.
The event, which is in its second year, was won last year by teenage phenomenon Lydia Ko – her first victory as a professional – on her way to ascending to No. 1 in the world. Ko is back to defend along with other stars such as Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie, Suzanne Petterson and Azahara Munoz.
The tournament proper starts on Thursday, April 23, and runs through Sunday, April 26, while the pro-am will take place Wednesday April 22. Tickets are $20 for Wednesday and $25 for each of the tournament rounds, with tickets available at the gate. For more info, go to swingingskirtslpgaclassic.com.
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Starting on Monday, April 27, the World Golf Championship will see the top-64 players in the world compete at Harding Park Golf Course.
The Cadillac Match Play Championship will make a one-year stop at Harding before moving to Austin, Texas, next year.
A new format, which will see players broken into 16 four-player groups, with those players competing against each other in a round-robin format, before the winner of each group goes on to the final-16.
This gives fans the chance to see the best players in the world for more than just one day. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, newly crowned Masters champion Jordan Spieth, as well as other stars such as Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson will all be looking to take home the crown as match play champion.
Round robin matches get underway on Wednesday, April 29, and run through Friday, May 1, with the head-to-head matches starting on Saturday, and the finals on Sunday.
Tickets range from $20 for the Monday and Tuesday practice rounds, to $60 for the round-robin matches, and $35 for the Saturday and Sunday elimination matches. For more info, go to worldgolfchampionship.com/cadillac-match-play.
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While the finals of the Match Play will be taking place at Harding, right across the street at the Olympic Club the USGA will be hosting its inaugural Four-Ball Championship.
Both the Ocean and Lake courses will be used in the 36-hole stroke-play qualifier, while the Lake Course will be used exclusively for the event.
Admission is free and fans will have the chance to see some of the best amateurs in the country compete for the first new USGA Trophy in over 50 years.
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Monday, April 12, saw the Sonoma Valley Golf Club hold its first “Masters at Sonoma” tournament, which was hosted by head golf professional Tony Marshall at the Sonoma Golf Club.
The event saw 18 of the area’s PGA pros compete with three Sonoma Golf Club members in four-man teams, and when the final putt dropped, it was SGC assistant pro Kyle Johnson taking home the title with a fine round of 69 playing with his pro-am team of Steve Kyle, Kevin King and Shawn White.
Second place in the pro division went to Shawn McEntee with a 70, while Ray Otis, from CordeValle, finished third with 72.
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The Murphy’s Bottomfeeders Open returns for another year of fun and laughter on the fairways and greens of Oakmont’s West Course.
This year’s event will take place on Friday, May 1, with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start, followed by a dinner at Murphy’s Irish Pub.
Cost for this year’s event is $140 and includes golf, cart, range balls, tee prizes, and lunch and dinner. For those looking just for dinner or to bring a guest for the awards, the cost is $40.
Interested parties can sign up at the pub; call 935-0660, or contact Tom Kelly at tjkelly@comcast.net.
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The Valley of the Moon Lions Club is holding its 28th annual tournament on Monday, June 1, at the Sonoma Golf Club, getting underway with registration at 9:30 and an 11 a.m. shotgun start.
Early bird special re-entry fee before May 2 for a foursome is $720, and $800 after the date, while the individual registration cost is $200 a person, and includes green fees and dinner – the dinner-only cost is $50.
Format will be the ever-popular scramble and there will also be a putting, longest drive and closest-to-the-pin contests, with a car provided by Sonoma Chevrolet for a hole-in-one. To register by mail, send a check payable to V.O.M. Lions to Paul Morrison, 976 Glenwood Dr., Sonoma, CA 95476, or for more information, contact Morrison at 337-1106.
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The 11th annual Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa Tournament, which benefits El Verano Elementary School, takes place on Monday, April 27, at Sonoma Golf Club.
Registration and the driving range opens at 10 a.m., followed by a putting contest until noon, when the scramble tourney gets under way with a shotgun start. A reception, dinner, raffle and prize give-aways follow the tourney.
For costs or more details, or to sign up, contact Maite Iturri at El Verano School, 935-6050.
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