ARIZONAGOLF Superstars Menne and Chirravuri Win State Titles Famed Desert Highlands hosts back-to-back state amateur championships for the first time in AGA history
1923–2023
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contents AZ Golf News
52 8. SIGNATURE HOLE 10. MEMBERS ONLY 48. JUNIOR GOLF 64. 19TH HOLE
12 Businesses like Putting World, PopStroke and PuttShack have recently popped up all over Arizona, bringing a modern approach to the putt-putt courses of the past.
18. A NEW ERA FOR THE AGA | By Joe Passov 32. ARIZONA GOLF HALL OF FAME: CLASS OF 2023 | By Lainie Hallows
Wade Dunagan, Peter Kostis, Judy McDermott and Howard Twitty make up the 2023 Arizona Golf Hall of Fame Class at a ceremony in late October.
42. 2023 ARIZONA STATE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS TAKE CENTER
STAGE | By Brandon Genson Ashley Menne and Mahanth Chirravuri bested elite fields at Desert Highlands Golf Club to take home the 2023 Arizona State Amateur Championship Kachinas.
4 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
Superstars Menne and Chirravuri Win State Titles
58. RULES
By Logan Rasmussen There are several differences between golf's two most popular formats, Stroke Play and Match Play. The rules are no exception.
62. OUT OF BOUNDS By Ed Gowan The confluence of professional golf tours, changes to ball and club rules, and the water debate highlight issues impacting today's golfers.
ARIZONAGOLF INSIDER
Famed Desert Highlands hosts back-to-back state amateur championships for the first time in AGA history
OCTOBER 2023
For the AGA, the 21st century has been marked by high-caliber competition, progressive programs and unprecedented membership growth.
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ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER
12. FLATSTICK FUN | By Tom Mackin
1923–2023
ON THE COVER The 2023 Arizona Women's Amateur Champion Ashley Menne and 99th Arizona Amateur Champion Mahanth Chirravuri overcame the state's best amateurs at the renowned Desert Highlands Golf Club.
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From the Executive Director BY JOE FOLEY
PRESIDENT ............................................... Tim Brown VICE PRESIDENT ..........................................John Souza VICE PRESIDENT ....................................... Tim Hulscher SECRETARY .......................................... Jackie Bertsch TREASURER ........................................... Vera Ciancola GENERAL COUNSEL ......................................... Greg Mast
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olf at maximum capacity and high summer temperatures typically don’t go hand-in-hand, but Arizona begged to differ these past few months. Despite a seemingly endless record-breaking heatwave that overtook much of our region, tee sheets saw no shortage of golfers. In fact, many conversations with golf course operators leads me to believe that we continue to witness a steady increase in tee times at courses across the state during the hottest months. Now that the worst of summer temperatures are behind us (hopefully), traffic is only expected to increase at courses. Along with welcoming back our friends from cooler climates who are looking for more golf-ready weather, facility staffs will remain hard at work providing locals and visitors alike with the green rye grasses and first-class experiences that have made Arizona a worldwide golf destination. It’s not only green grass golf courses that are seeing increased business, either. If finding a tee time proves to be a challenge over the coming months, golfers are looking to alternatives like the ones that have spawned a putting craze in Arizona. PuttShack, PopStroke and Putting World have emerged, hoping to put a putter in the hands of more new players while still giving experienced players the chance to show off their skills. In this edition of Arizona Golf Insider, Tom Mackin looks at how these businesses have turned putting into a Topgolf-like experience. The explosion of putting marks another chapter in golf’s history across the state. As Joe Passov details in his last installment of “The History of the AGA,” the past couple of decades have seen periods of tremendous growth, thanks to 6 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
factors like the Tiger-boom and the sheer increase of people who now call The Grand Canyon State home. The AGA has also survived times of uncertainty, like the 2008 Recession and COVID-19 pandemic, by and large coming out of them stronger than before. The Arizona Golf Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 is profiled, and I personally can’t wait to celebrate Wade Dunagan, Peter Kostis, Judy McDermott and Howard Twitty at the ceremony later this month. Each worthy inductee has left an immeasurable imprint on the fabric of Arizona Golf. And while not yet Hall of Famers in their own right, Ashley Menne and Mahanth Chirravuri’s respective state amateur wins at Desert Highlands certainly have the two collegiate stars on the right path. And lastly, we continue to push ourselves to serve our customer base innovatively by unveiling a new website at azgolf.org – which will help us continue support all Arizona golfers on their golfing journeys. The fresh design and features coincide with the progressive direction in which the AGA is headed. I personally invite you to take a look and share your thoughts by sending an email to info@azgolf.org. As the AGA’s centennial celebration comes to a close in 2023, there is much to be excited about heading into our next 100 years – much of which will be detailed in future editions of the Arizona Golf Insider. For now, enjoy the beginning of another season across our beautiful state. I’ll see you on the first tee!
Dr. Harry Cavanagh Jr., Joe Foley, Tameka Fox-Hartman, Bryan Hoops, Mark Jeffery, Leslie Kramer, Ann Martin, Scott McNevin, Jay Pennypacker, Rod Tomita, Victoria Totlis
AGA STAFF
Anj Brown, Joe Foley, Amy Fruhwirth, Brandon Genson, Sharon Goldstone, Lainie Hallows, Vivian Kelley, Kathy Laux, Mike Mason, Meagan McEnery, Derek McKenzie, Robyn Noll, Austin Pelias, Everett Priddy, Logan Rasmussen, Katie Shershenovich, Daniel Shoup, Peg Tanner, Alex Tsakiris, Susan Woods Partnership Contact ........................................ Joe Foley jfoley@azgolf.org National Advertising Contact ........................... Brian Foster bfoster@azgolf.org - (602) 909-7799
AZ GOLF INSIDER STAFF
AGA EDITOR .......................................... Brandon Genson CONTRIBUTORS ............... Anj Brown, Joe Foley, Brandon Genson, Ed Gowan, Lainie Hallows, Jeff Locke, Tom Mackin, Cori Matheson, Joe Passov, Logan Rasmussen
PRESIDENT AND CEO ........................... Robyn Lambert Lynch DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & BUSINESS OPERATIONS .....Gina Pinaire DIRECTOR OF FINANCE .................................... Andy Holtz PRODUCTION MANAGER ................................... Julie Vance SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES..... Lisa Grannis, Michelle Schneider ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE ...............................Morgan McClellan DIGITAL MEDIA ASSISTANT ............................ Emma Lambert CREATIVE DIRECTION ...... Haines Wilkerson, Hither & Wander Inc. ART DIRECTION ......................................... Michael Min FOR PRINT ADVERTISING SALES CONTACT: SALES@ONMEDIAAZ.COM Arizona Golf Insider (ISSN 2765-9054) is published four times per year by the Arizona Golf Association. It is supported by members’ dues, utilizing $5 per member per year. We welcome all editorial submissions, including letters, but assume no responsibility for the loss or damage of unsolicited material. They will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Views expressed within these pages do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or official policies of the Arizona Golf Association. No part of this magazine is intended as an endorsement of any equipment, publication, videotape, golf course, or other entity. No part of this magazine may be reproduced for use as an advertising, publicity or endorsement item without written approval of the AGA. Arizona Golf Insider is offered on a subscription basis for $12.95 annually. Individual copies may be obtained by forwarding $5 to the address above. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Arizona Golf Association, 7600 E. Redfield Road, Suite 130, Scottsdale, AZ 85260-1101
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SIGNATURE HOLE
Desert Highlands Golf Club The site of the first two Skins Games in 1983 and 1984, Desert Highlands Golf Club has hosted many of the greatest players to play the game. Fast-forward to this year, and Desert Highlands became the fitting host of both the 2023 Arizona Women’s Amateur Championship and the 99th Arizona Amateur Championship, with the best amateurs in the region competing at one of the most esteemed private clubs in Arizona during back-to-back weeks. The Jack Nicklaus Signature Design features panoramic views on every hole, with Pinnacle Peak serving as a beacon of sorts on the back nine. Elevated tee boxes and split fairways lining the natural desert landscape have made it one of the most challenging – and favorite – golf courses for players of all abilities in The State of Golf. // DesertHighlandsScottsdale.com //
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Once the camera is put away and a Pinnacle Peak-centered memory is captured to show friends and family after the round, aim just to the right of the rocky icon off the tee to avoid a well-placed bunker on the left side of the fairway. Now that you have a proper angle for an approach, any birdie opportunity will come from aiming to the left-center of the undulating green – and staying out of the greenside bunker to the right. A two-putt par is a good score on one of the toughest par 4s on the course.
8 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
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Brandon Genson PopStroke - Glendale
12 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
SHORT GAME
Flatstick Fun
Trio of New Putting Courses Debut in Scottsdale WORDS BY TOM MACKIN
F
or many reasons, the odds of a brand-new, 18-hole, regulation-sized golf course being built in Arizona anytime soon are slim. Not so when it comes to mini-golf course facilities. In fact, it’s a boom time for those, especially in Scottsdale. Three very different operations totaling 90 holes have been unveiled there this year, with another 36 set to open soon. We’re not talking about the putt-putt courses of the past, either. Forget the windmills, clown mouths, and fire-spewing volcanos. Instead, think high-tech, above-average food and drinks, and plenty of challenge in both indoor and outdoor settings. Even Tiger Woods is involved in one project, while another has some Topgolf-related DNA in its bones. Why the flurry of activity in, let’s call it small golf? First, there’s the novelty factor. “I think it’s just a new form of entertainment,” said Ron Aeikens, hospitality manager at Puttshack, which opened in Scottsdale Quarter in June. “People are constantly looking to be entertained, and I think this is just another way of taking care of that.” There’s also the simplicity element. “Everybody can putt,” said Cory Lehrman, regional operations manager, Arizona PopStroke.
“Not everybody can swing a club. That’s the big difference.” And Tim Suzor, CEO of Putting World, which opened this past February, sees an opportunity to shine a light on an important element of the game. “Our overarching goal is turn putting into a sport-within-a-sport,” he said. Whatever the reason, business is booming at all three locations. And don’t shortchange the impact these facilities can have on their full-sized counterparts. According to the National Golf Foundation, an estimated 2.5 million (or 10 percent) of today’s 25.6 million on-course players credit their off-course experience(s) for getting them to the golf course. Additionally, interest in taking up the traditional game is five times higher among “non-golfers” with offcourse experience than those without. GAME TIME Housed in a two-story, 25,000-square-foot space at the south end of Scottsdale Quarter, Puttshack calls itself the “world’s first and only upscale, tech-infused mini golf experience with globally inspired food and beverage.” Just ©USGA don’t call it “eater-tainment.” The company prefers the term, AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 13
SHORT GAME
“competitive socializing.” Toss the branding jargon aside and what you will find are four 9-hole courses. Think miniature golf meets nightclub, especially after 8 p.m. each night when you have to be 21 or older (a DJ mixes the beats from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and until midnight on Sundays) to gain entrance. No scorecards are needed. Why? That tech infusion includes a computer chip in each ball that tracks every shot you take, and scoring is broadcast on TV screens around the facility. The holes themselves are traditional in one sense only: You are trying to get your ball in the cup. Everything else is very, very different. Scoring is less about the number of strokes you take than points you accumulate (i.e., hit your ball through a green Supertube and earn bonus points!). Hole themes range from Tetris to Pop-A-Shot to Skee-Ball, with others featuring a skateboarding half-pipe, Trivial Pursuit (answer a question on a TV screen above the hole for more points!), and even one hole where your ball bounces along a series of drums, adding to the musical soundtrack playing throughout the facility. There’s a serious cocktail and food menu (Tuscan Pork Porchetta sandwich, anyone?) where $1 from every order of an Arizona Tailpipe — a spring roll with chili lime chicken plus chili cheese dipping sauce and house made salsa — is donated to the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale. If the lively atmosphere reminds you of Topgolf, you’re not wrong. Puttshack was created in part by Steven and Dave Jolliffe, the two British brothers who founded Topgolf. They’re hoping for a similar success story — and are well on their way toward that goal. Scottsdale is the ninth Puttshack in the U.S., joining locations in Atlanta, Chicago (Oak Brook), Boston, Miami, Houston, Pittsburgh, Denver, and St. Louis, with more planned for 2024. The very first location opened in 2018 in the United Kingdom. “It’s been absolutely incredible,” said Aeikens. “After the first couple of weeks we were the number one Puttshack in the country.” 14 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
THE TIGER LINE The large sign between first holes of the Black and Red Courses at PopStroke explain it all: “Some of my happiest memories are of spending time with my pops on the golf course having putting contests.” So says Tiger Woods, who turned out to be pretty good with the flatstick. He and his design firm are partners in PopStroke, which opened a location in Glendale in the Westgate Entertainment District last March and will unveil an even larger space at The Pavilions at Talking Stick in Scottsdale this fall. Both have two outdoor 18-hole courses: the aforementioned Red and Black (one course is handicap accessible at PopStroke locations) layouts come with a smattering of undulations, elevation changes, and even a painted white “bunker” in the middle of one green. Trees with mister fans provide some (but not enough) relief from the sun, while a Jumbotron screen provides leaderboards if you keep scoring via the PopStroke app, which you can also use to order drinks brought out to your group on the course. Feeling competitive? There’s a PopStroke Tour Series, with events held around the country that lead up to a PopStroke Tour Championship (the High Roller portion of the latter comes with a $500,000 purse, but there’s a $5,500 registration fee per player). The inaugural version with two-person teams was held last year in Florida and broadcast on the Golf Channel. This year, the finals will be played on November 12-13 in Scottsdale. “Golf has always been too stuffy and elitist and too expensive, and you needed a ‘uniform’ to play,” said Lehrman. “I never liked that even while I was working at country clubs, and I never really thought all of that was the best introduction to a sport. This by far is the best thing to happen. There’s music, it’s not intimidating, and you can be any age. Everyone is just focused on themselves and they’re not going to care what you look like or what you are doing. And these golf entertainment venues are bringing more people to the game than any other avenue out there. Being a PGA
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People are constantly looking to be entertained, and I think this is just another way of taking care of that.
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Hornstein Creative
Puttshack AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 15
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We do tournaments, provide putting lessons, putter fittings, and have food and beverage options. We run it like a golf club. The differentiating factor is the technology.
The Thunderbirds
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GCSAA
Caption goes here Puttshack
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SHORT GAME
Putting World
member myself, I take pride in bringing people to the game. We hope it leads to green grass customers, but some may never go to a golf course.”
MORE INFO PopStroke 9480 West Hanna Drive Glendale, AZ, 85305 623-323-0002 9245 East Humming Bird Lane Scottsdale, AZ 85050 PopStroke.com Puttshack 15059 North Scottsdale Road Scottsdale, AZ 85254 480-300-7888 PuttShack.com Putting World 16259 North Scottsdale Road Scottsdale, AZ 85254 480-398-8201 PuttingWorld.com
A NEW WORLD The idea first came to Tim Suzor, a PGA pro and veteran instructor, more than 25 years ago when he represented Arizona in a world putting championship held in Florida. He saw a temporary outdoor putting course and thought it had the ingredients to be turned into something more. That thought was reinforced when he played in a similar event in Las Vegas six years ago. Now, it’s become a reality. Located in a former OfficeMax location in Scottsdale’s Promenade shopping area, Putting World is akin to an indoor country club, with an 18-hole putting course featuring artificial turf greens created by Celebrity Greens of Scottsdale. “We’re more geared for golfers,” said Suzor. “We do get non-golfers, which is great, because anybody can putt. But we really built this as kind of a semi-private putting club, if you will. We do tournaments, provide putting lessons, putter fittings, and have food and beverage options. We run it like a golf club. The differentiating factor is the technology.” The latter is cutting-edge stuff used during putter fittings and lessons, plus there’s a yet-to-be employed system that will track every shot from lasers and cameras in the ceiling above the course.
Suzor and his team also created the World Putting Tour, with monthly events (where green speeds can reach 12 on a Stimpmeter) open to all ages who compete in a field with a $30,000 purse. “We have people coming in from San Diego, Vegas, Florida, and elsewhere for those,” said Suzor. “We just started doing qualifiers at clubs around Arizona, where we set up a 9-hole course on a practice green. We’re also creating leagues for juniors and women. We’re just getting started.” Four levels of membership (plus corporate deals) are available, with perks such as special events, putter and liquor lockers, and a members-only speakeasy area in the future. There are also plans for additional locations in the U.S. and around the world. “When I sat down with my business partner, the first thing was to go and research the idea,” said Suzor. “PopStroke came up. We didn’t really want to go up against Tiger Woods (a partner in that business), but then we looked at what they were doing. We are so much different than that. We’re targeting more of an avid golfer. I think we kind of flipped it. Topgolf and Puttshack are probably 25 percent golfers and 75 percent not golfers, and we’re the opposite. I love the fact that there is Puttshack and PopStroke. People ask me am I worried about them? I say no. It’s great for what we’re trying to do. It just grows what Child Crisis Arizona our vision is.” AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 17
AGA HISTORY
Mahanth Chirravuri
18 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
AGA HISTORY
A New Era for the AGA Epic changes and progressive programs define the Arizona Golf Association in the 21st century
Mahanth Chirravuri and Kiko Coelho ahead of the 99th Arizona Amateur Championship Match
WORDS BY JOE PASSOV
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or the Arizona Golf Association (AGA), the first five years of the 21st century felt like the last five years of the 20th century in one respect: Ken Kellaney dominated the amateur ranks. Kellaney captured the Arizona Amateur in 2002 and 2003, the latter a record-breaking fifth win; he won the State Stroke Play in 2002 and 2004, grabbed the Arizona Mid-Amateur and Public Links Championships in 2001 and was named Player of the Year four consecutive years, from 2001-2004 and again in 2006, giving him 10 wins in that category — a mark likely to last forever. Yet, plenty more was taking place for the AGA during that period — and in the years beyond, as well. MOMENTUM SWINGS
AGA fortunes soared from 2000-2007. Much of the growth, which began in the 1990s, was tied to the Tiger Effect, with more people entering the sport and others playing more often due to Tiger Woods’ popularity. Then came the economic downturn of 2008. Membership in the Association dropped 15 to 20 percent over the next five years because people were playing less golf. In 2013, Gowan lamented “young people aren’t joining, clubs are struggling, and so our membership is stagnant. Yet expenses rise five percent a year.” AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 19
AGA HISTORY
Robin Farran
However, Gowan saw rays of hope on the horizon. “We’re developing new outreach opportunities for all golfers, and that’s changing the face of the AGA to appeal to all who play golf, not just members of clubs with handicaps,” he said. “Change is stressful for all, and we’re 80 percent of the way through the effort. But it’s already showing great promise. It’s an exciting time for the AGA and golf in Arizona.” Membership dwindled from 65,000 to 53,000 by 2014. Gradually, starting in 2015-2016, recovery began, slowly, steadily. Then came two of the most significant growth events in the Association’s history: integration and the pandemic. For nearly 100 years, the Arizona Golf Association and the Arizona Women’s Golf Association (AWGA) ran on parallel paths, with their own state championships and communication efforts. By 2015, the AWGA was the largest women’s golf group in the U.S. However, the United States Golf Association (USGA) decided mid-decade that 93 associations nationwide were too many, with too much overlap. A reorganization was mandated, which meant that women’s and men’s organizations in any given region would have to merge. After four years of negotiations and discussions, Arizona’s merger took place in 2019. Gowan prefers the term “in20 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
Joe Dey Award recipient Robin Farran addressing USGA and AGA Staff last January
tegration” to merger, as no jobs were lost, nor services cut. Overnight, the Association grew from 54,000 to 77,000. When COVID struck in 2020, it was a dual-edged sword for golf. With people unable to go into offices and with few entertainment options available, socially based recreational opportunities came to a standstill. One activity that stayed open for business was golf. The National Golf Foundation reported that play in Arizona jumped 14.9 percent in 2020 from 2019 figures. AGA membership swelled to well over 90,000. “The pandemic was very beneficial to golf in general and to the Arizona Golf Association,” said Drew Woods, AGA president in 2011-2012 and winner of the Updegraff Award in 2018. “For a situation that had so many negative effects
on families, it had a positive effect for the Association.” Bob McNichols, AGA president in 2021-2022, set a goal for the Association to reach 100,000 members in time to celebrate the AGA’s 100th anniversary in 2023. Ahead of the Quarter 3 Board meeting on August 17, 2023, Director of Outreach Anj Brown delivered the good news to Joe Foley: For the first time, the AGA had surpassed 100,000 members. THE SPIRIT OF VOLUNTEERISM
“The strength of any amateur golf association is its volunteers,” said Woods. “And our association has been fortunate to have some true greats in that department.” Woods and Gowan put Doc Graves at the top of that list. Beginning in the course rating capacity in 1985, Robert
AGA HISTORY
“ Longtime AGA Executive Director Ed Gowan preparing for The Patriot All-America Invitational
“Doc” Graves served more than 30 years as a volunteer with the AGA, the Southwest Section PGA, and the Junior Golf Association of Arizona. He did everything from on-course setup to first tee starter to making rulings during play. He was the AGA Volunteer of the Year in 1992, the Updegraff Award winner in 1999, and was elected to the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame in 2004. Described as “the ultimate volunteer whose dedication and service were unmatched,” Doc Graves passed away in December 2019 at 88. His name is attached to two AGA annual awards: the Doc Graves Volunteer of the Year and the Doc Graves Mid-Amateur Trophy. Another titan of AGA volunteerism in the 21st century is Robin Farran. A longtime tournament director, educator and committee member, he’s best known for his prowess
We expanded the magazine as well, making sure that we were not just copying what other associations did, so that we had a strong Arizona focus.
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with the rules. “Robin is one of the most knowledgeable people on the rules I’ve ever met,” said Woods. Farran was already an expert when he relocated to Arizona from New York in 2004. In his role as educator, he writes a weekly Rules blog and sends quizzes out to more than 500 volunteers and golf administrators. A winner in 2017 of the Doc Graves Volunteer of the Year Award, he also earned the Updegraff Award in 2020. In 2023, he received one of the USGA’s highest honors, the Joe Dey Award, which recognizes an individual’s meritorious service to the game as a volunteer. The USGA recognized that Farran had officiated more than 1,000 championships locally, nationally and abroad. Many other stalwarts of service graced the Association
with their time and talents. In 2001, Christi Dickinson became the first female president in the 78-year history of the Arizona Golf Association. A rules expert, Dickinson was supremely qualified for the role. She served on the USGA Women’s Committee from 1997-2008 and sat on rules committees at multiple USGA events, including three U.S. Opens and 17 U.S. Women’s Opens. She also held prominent positions at Paradise Valley Country Club. In 2014, she earned the AGA’s highest tribute, the Updegraff Award. EVOLUTION
Ed Gowan recently reflected on how the Arizona Golf Association was at the forefront of responding to the wants and needs of its membership. “In the past 30 years, there’s been a serious effort to take the focus away from handicaps when other people wanted to make that a focus,” he said. “The membership expressed interest in alternative services for the golfer. We expanded the website dramatically. The largest effort from a growth standpoint revolved around communications. We expanded the magazine as well, making sure that we were not just copying what other associations did, so that we had a strong Arizona focus.” The AGA made it much easier for members to renew their memberships online, thanks to the efforts of Lorraine Thies and her daughter, who was an inventive software developer. “We didn’t mind at all being pioneers,” said Gowan. “There were a few rough edges, but for the most part, we created something people wanted.” So, too, heightened emphasis was placed on creating new tournaments, special one-day events and other opportunities for all AGA members, not just the small percentage elite that competed in the State Championships. One example is the AGA One Day Series for men and women, which in 2023, featured nine different dates and venues, plus a final invitational championship in mid-September. Another is the Senior Cup Series, a collection of two-person team events open to AGA members 50 and older who AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 21
AGA HISTORY ELITE PLAYERS
Ken Tanigawa
have a USGA index of 36.4 or less. The prevailing thought was that senior golfers were looking for ways to play that were a little less competitive than the highest level — something a little more friendly. The membership expressed interest in such events, so the AGA expanded them and they continue to expand today. Another method of connecting the rank and file members to the AGA is through travel opportunities. Those opportunities began in the late 1980s with Ed Gowan and later Ginger Monroy, who was director of member services from 1996-2016. 22 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
Anj Brown, who now runs the travel events, continues to push the envelope. She and the Association have expanded trip destinations to include Scotland, Mexico, Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Trail, and in 2024, Wisconsin’s Whistling Straits and Southwest Ireland. The Association remains uniquely positioned to offer extraordinary golf travel for a discounted price. That’s one more membership benefit that flows with the interest of its members. In the early 2000s, members weren’t especially interested in group travel. These days, the trips sell out.
Ken Kellaney wasn’t the only player who excelled in major Arizona events over the past quarter-century. Four names in particular stand out. Reinstated amateur Ken Tanigawa, a former UCLA star, captured the Arizona Amateur in 2015 and 2017, grabbed back-to-back Mid-Amateur crowns in 2014-2015, and earned Player of the Year in 2015. Spurred on by fellow Whisper Rock members, Tanigawa qualified for the PGA Tour Champions in the fall of 2017 at TPC Scottsdale’s Champions course. “If I hadn’t won the state events, I would have never entertained the thought,” Tanigawa told the AGA in 2021. And a good thing, too, as he captured the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach with a dramatic eagle at the 18th hole, then won the oldest Champions Tour major in 2019, the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y. “Having the opportunity to play in AGA events, to work on my game in competitive environments, and to have won several times, were all instrumental steps in my path to the Champions Tour,” said Tanigawa in 2022. “I certainly owe the AGA many thanks!” Jake Chanen, a graduate of Thunderbird High School in Phoenix, went on to play collegiately at Grand Canyon University. Away from his classes, Chanen bagged consecutive State Stroke Play titles in 2017 and 2018, and hoisted the Arizona Amateur trophy in 2018 and 2020. Special mention goes to Bryan Hoops, the long-hitting mid-amateur maestro. Player of the Year in 2005, 2016 and 2020, Hoops captured the Arizona Mid-Amateur in 2005, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021. He also owns two shared victories in the Arizona Four-Ball, four wins in the Arizona Divisional Stroke Play (Masters), two wins in the Arizona Divisional Match Play (Masters) and for good measure, earned three Mayfair Awards (2018, 2019 and 2021), which is given to the AGA Member with the lowest weighted tournament scoring average at the end of each year. Yet, no one recently has dominated Arizona golf over a
AGA HISTORY
short period of time quite like Chris Kamin. The tall, genial Kamin won the 2022 Stroke Play in April by nine shots. As if to prove that wasn’t a fluke, two months later, he claimed the Mid-Amateur by 11 shots! Kamin also won the Northern Amateur, the Players Cup and the Mayfair Award for low stroke average, a feat he first accomplished in 2020. As a team member for the Goldwater Cup, the Pacific Coast Amateur and the Arizona-Utah Shootout (Captain) Kamin lapped the field when it came time for Player of the Year honors. Kamin continued blazing away in 2023. In April he went wire-to-wire to win back-to-back at the Stroke Play, this time by 6 shots. That followed a win in the Association’s first major of the year, the AGA Championship (formerly the AZ Publinks) in March. Kamin’s runaway victories wowed everyone in his sphere. “Chris has clearly been the best player since I’ve started [in 2022],” said Joe Foley, executive director of the AGA. “He’s pushed the game locally to a new level. And my experience in talking with other players is that they believe that he is pushing them and Arizona golf to a new level, and they are working harder and they are getting better.” Arizona’s women golfers have also produced serious star power in the modern era, though to be fair, championships through 2019 were conducted under a separate, if parallel organization, the Arizona Women’s Golf Association. Any such list has Tui Selvaratnam at the top. All she did was win AWGA Player of the Year 11 consecutive times from 2001 through 2011, and added three more in 2016-2018. At the national level, she finished runner-up at the 2006 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and led the Arizona team that won the 2007 USGA Women’s State Team Championship. Tui isn’t done competing, either. She shared the 2022 State Four-Ball title with Mari Miezwa. Kim Eaton has ruled the senior circuit, earning her ninth Senior Women’s Player of the Year award in 2021. She twice won the State Stroke Play, in 2013 and 2016, and owns 19 state championships, plus another 29 in Colorado. The youth movement, fueled by the excellent programs
Chris Kamin AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 23
AGA HISTORY
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The youth movement, fueled by the excellent programs run by the Junior Golf Association of Arizona, the First Tee and the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix and Tucson, has witnessed phenomenal growth and results.
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run by the Junior Golf Association of Arizona, the First Tee and the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix and Tucson, has witnessed phenomenal growth and results. In the past several years, Ashley Menne ruled the roost. The state’s top junior while at Xavier College Prep in Phoenix, Menne is a three-time All-American at Arizona State University entering her senior year. Off campus, she captured her third Stroke Play event in 2023, following wins in 2020 and 2021, in the tournament now known as the Arizona Women’s Amateur Championship. She also snagged the State Match Play crown in 2020 and 2021 and the Women’s Players Cup in those years, as well, leading to her earning Player of the Year honors in 2021. Menne’s logical successor is another Ashley — Litchfield Park’s Ashley Shaw. In 2022, at age 13, she shocked her elders by winning the State Match Play, defeating 2022 Player of the Year Tori Totlis. Shaw would go on to win the inaugural Curry Cup at San Francisco’s TPC Harding Park, presented by NBA star Steph Curry. Look for Shaw to be an Arizona and national force for years to come. UNFORGETTABLE TOURNAMENTS
Ashley Menne (©Lainie Hallows)
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Prestigious tournaments bring out the best in great players. Thus, it’s no surprise that the Arizona Amateur has produced so many memorable moments — notably for the past six years. In 2018, Grand Canyon University’s Jake Chanen held off George Markham to win 1 up at Tonto Verde in Rio Verde. Texan Evan White closed out the 2019 event by draining a 30-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to beat Tyler Kertson 2 & 1 at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club. The 2020 tournament, played in the heat of a brutally hot summer amid the specter of the pandemic, yielded one of the most riveting final matches in the event’s 96-year history. At the rugged Desert Forest, 2018 champ Chanen came to the 18th hole tied with Kamin. Chanen pushed his drive into the desert and had to chip back to the fairway, leaving him 143 yards for his third shot. Kamin found the fairway with his drive, but mud on the ball helped induce a pulled approach
onto a dirt cart path. Chanen then struck a sensational pitching wedge to two feet for a conceded par. When Kamin failed to get up and down, Chanen was the champion. Nearly as compelling and certainly more surprising was how the 2021 final unfolded. Evan White, the 2019 champion, was considered the favorite over Kristoffer Marshall, who at 41 was twice White’s age. In the end, life experience triumphed. Marshall took a 1 up lead after 16, then stuck a wedge to eight feet at the island green par-3 17th. White responded by hitting his shot even closer, six feet from the cup. Marshall buried his putt, and White missed. Marshall lifted the trophy as a 2 & 1 winner. In 2022, 25-year-old Joe Neuheisel, son of football legend Rick Neuheisel, won 2 & 1 in a see-saw encounter with Camden Braidech at Desert Mountain’s Outlaw course. Neuheisel sailed to a 5-up lead after 12 holes, but Braidech closed the gap by winning the 14th, 15th and 16th holes. Neuheisel was a popular champ, but the 17-year-old, home-schooled Braidech was the center of attention. Braidech impressed with his social media presence, his long, flowing locks, his colorful socks, his 66 in the first round of stroke play qualifying and his hole in one during his round of 32 victory. Perhaps it was too much to expect for a compelling encore in 2023, but once again, the Arizona Amateur delivered. Mahanth Chirravuri, a Pepperdine transfer after a freshman year at the University of Southern California had all he could handle with Portugal’s Kiko Coelho, a junior-to-be at Arizona State University. At Scottsdale’s Desert Highlands, Chirravuri, who had captured Arizona state high school titles while competing for Chandler’s Hamilton High School, lost the 17th and went to the 18th tee tied. Two solid shots to the par-5 closer left him 25 feet for eagle — and that’s just what he did, sinking the eagle putt to win 1 up. It was the first eagle to end the Arizona Amateur since Charlie Beljan accomplished the feat in 2006. One candidate for the most memorable final since 2000 may well be the 2003 tournament at Moon Valley, when 47-year-old Ken Kellaney won his record-breaking fifth title, beating Tucson’s 18-year-old Ben Kern. However, veteran
2023 Arizona Women’s Amateur Champion Ashley Menne
observers place the 2012 final as the one that tops them all. The Gallery Golf Club’s North course in Marana served as the stage and the protagonists were Andy Aduddell and Michael Anderson. Aduddell, a former All-American at the University of Texas, was a 37-year-old U.S. Air Force Captain who trained pilots at Luke Air Force Base in Litchfield Park. He had only played in two competitive tournaments in the previous 10 years and needed a controversial exemption to be entered in the field. Phoenix’s Anderson, a Washington State sophomore, had played eight tournaments in the previous two months. It was an epic generational and cultural battle. Aduddell scorched the front nine to take a 3 up lead and won the 10th and 11th with two more birdies to go 5 up. Then things got interesting. Anderson birdied four consecutive holes, and a par won him the fifth hole. They came to the
2x Arizona Amateur Champion Jake Chanen
18th tied. Aduddell hit his approach first to the par 4, placing it 12 feet above the hole. Anderson hit next, thinking he hit it pure. However, the putting surface was blind from the fairway and was bisected by a ridge. Anderson arrived at the green first and marked his ball — except that it was not his ball. That drew a one-shot penalty. Now he faced a 50-foot par putt over the ridge with a 15-foot break. His putt left him 15 feet below the hole and he missed the comebacker, for a double-bogey 6. Aduddell two-putted for the title, ending the most exciting final in the strangest way possible. PATRIOT GAMES
Aduddell was only introduced to the AGA because he had been asked to speak to the collection of players who had gathered several months before at the inaugural Patriot AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 25
AGA HISTORY
one charity, the Folds of Honor.’ I told him it would be great if we could work with them. He said, ‘Dan Rooney’s sitting at the next table (Lt. Colonel Dan Rooney is the founder of Folds of Honor). Let’s go talk to him.’ So in a matter of 15 minutes, we had the concept for the Patriot. And it just exploded.” CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Antonia Malate
All-America Invitational. A joint collaboration between the AGA and the Golf Coaches Association of America, the event is played every December 29-31 at the Wigwam Golf Resort in Litchfield Park and features some of the best collegiate golfers in the world, across all divisions. The field has grown to include 84 of the top collegiate men, and for the first time in 2021, 42 of the top collegiate women. The Patriot All-America Invitational honors fallen or severely wounded soldiers in partnership with the Folds of Honor Foundation. Participants each receive a golf bag, donated by PING, emblazoned with the name and service branch of a fallen or injured military member, and a card with the soldier’s story. Players represent their soldier for the duration of the tournament. After the event, the golf bags are auctioned, with proceeds donated to Folds of Hon26 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
or to support the soldiers’ families. A tour of Luke Air Force Base and an Opening Ceremony flyover are highlights of tournament week. Notable alumni of the event include Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas, as well as the inaugural Women’s Champion, Valery Plata. Ed Gowan reflected on the genesis of the Patriot. “One of my proudest achievements on behalf of the AGA was the creation of the Patriot All-American,” said Gowan. “We had wanted to create an elite amateur winter event for Arizona. After figuring out the timing, we also knew we wanted to honor the military because our AGA Foundation for a good 15 years had raised money for military charities. I was talking to Gregg Grost, executive director of the Golf Coaches Association of America, and he said, ‘We work with
After 37 remarkable years as executive director of the AGA, Ed Gowan stepped aside in 2022. Following a nationwide search for his successor, the executive committee of the AGA named 33-year-old Joe Foley to fill the role. Foley had spent the previous eight years with the USGA, rising through the ranks from manager of rules and competitions to senior manager of corporate partnerships to director of regional affairs. In the latter capacity, he dealt frequently with state and regional golf associations, USGA committee members, and other partners in the region. “We met many qualified and accomplished candidates in our nationwide search process,” said then-AGA President Bob McNichols at the time Foley came aboard. “Joe Foley fits the experience profile that Ed Gowan brought in 1985 and will have the full support of Arizona golf for years to come. We welcome him and look forward to the success of the Foley Era at Arizona Golf.” Ahead of the 2023 Annual Meeting, current AGA President Tim Brown commended Foley’s efforts. “Since coming to Arizona last spring, Joe has led strategic planning, coordinated efforts amongst the executive committee and gathered staff for focus groups to envision where we see the association in 3-5 years,” said Brown. “He also joined the board of the Arizona Alliance of Golf and will assist the executive committee’s efforts to keep our game thriving in The State of Golf, while simultaneously addressing the challenges facing the game in Arizona, including the water crisis, growing populations, and securing courses for tournaments.”
AGA HISTORY
While Foley sees many opportunities ahead for the AGA, he acknowledges that the biggest challenge facing the state and its golfers revolves around water and the environment. The Arizona Alliance for Golf (AAG) was formed in 2022 to unify local allied associations, nonprofits, private industry and consumers to speak with one voice for the purpose of protecting Arizona’s golf industry by educating the broader community, policymakers, and governmental agencies about issues shaping the future of golf in Arizona. “I’m proud to say the AGA is the largest contributor of any of the organizations and clubs in the state of Arizona to the Arizona Alliance for Golf over the last two years,” said Foley. “That was a commitment started by Ed Gowan and supported by the executive committee. And given my leadership role within the Alliance, it’s something I’m going to continue to champion. The message for us right now around the Alliance as it relates to water is that we have never been this united as an industry to recognize that we all need to be waving the flag for the sport. And that, to me, is what the Alliance represents.” Foley noted that Arizona’s golf industry does an effective job of managing water use, especially when balanced with the economic boost that golf provides to the local and regional economies. A study conducted by Rounds Consulting Group in partnership with AAG, “The Economic Contribution of Arizona’s Golf Industry” reported in January 2023 that there were $2.3 billion in wages earned through 66,200 jobs supported by the golf industry, which generated $518 million in state and local tax revenues. The overall impact from the golf industry was $6 billion. “The positive impact to our community provided by the golf industry is good for everyone, even for those who don’t play,” said Foley, who is an AAG committee member. “And using just two percent of the state’s water in the process plainly shows that the golf industry efficiently manages the vital resources we all depend on.” When Foley stepped into his executive director role,
AGA Executive Director Joe Foley winning the Charles Schwab Cup Championship Putt Fore Charity
he acknowledged the path forward. “There was this healthy tension between honoring and preserving the history of the Association and all that had been done before me together with doing what was necessary to be up-to-date,” he said. Foley was tasked with factoring in the changing demographics of the game, the fact that so many people are moving to Arizona, and in understanding how the game was now being played. “The non-green grass facilities such as Topgolf and Putting World were helping to change golf as we know it,” he said. “Revenues and membership at the Association were up and we had an influx of capital, but the key question involved how do we allocate those resources in a changing environment?” Going forward, Foley believes these aspects of growing the AGA are opportunities, rather than challenges. “We
know there are several hundred thousand golfers in the state who are not AGA members,” said Foley. “We’re striving to get those folks involved, to make membership so valuable to them that they feel they have to be a part of it.” Foley aims to redefine the membership experience, to expand engagement well beyond the elite tournament players. The basis of that engagement is tied to three aspects: access, value proposition and community. “Ultimately, we want each member to acknowledge that for the $45 they pay, they’re getting benefits that extend far beyond just obtaining a handicap. Those are the keys to increasing the value of the membership. How do we become more meaningful and valuable to more golfers as it relates to their golf experience? That’s the question I’m asking myself, our team and our executive committee every day.” AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 27
LEADERSHIP
Superintendent Trailblazer Maddie Storm brings a fresh perspective to a male-dominated role WORDS BY TOM MACKIN
Maddie Storm
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LEADERSHIP
E
ver hear of a woman who drove a beverage cart and seven years later became a golf course superintendent? Probably not. Meet 30-year-old Maddie Storm, the rare example of someone who followed that very unorthodox career path. Storm had never stepped foot on a golf course until that beverage cart job in 2011 at McDowell Mountain Golf Club in her native Scottsdale. And she only did it to make some money while attending art school. But after picking up some shifts in the golf shop, she volunteered to help the agronomy team during the annual overseeding process. “I thought, ‘Dang, this is cool,’” Storm said. “I didn’t know this was part of golf. So I continued to help out there. Eventually the head pro (Chris Johnson) pulled me aside and said, ‘You don’t enjoy folding sweaters. Go work full-time on the grounds crew.’ He was right. And that was that.” Then, all she did for the first 18 months was rake bunkers. “It was a smaller crew, so that was what the new guy did,” she said. “Once another new guy came in, you moved your way up. I stayed there long enough and showed enough interest to eventually move from bunkers to mowing greens and changing cups.” Storm had found her calling. “I thought, ‘You’re telling me I can be outside, keep to myself generally, and know what I do provides immediate gratification?’” Storm said. “I could stripe a fairway or make a messy bunker look pretty. I could make that difference and see it immediately. Once I realized I could make a career out of it, that’s when I thought being a superintendent was what I wanted to do.” It was a steep learning curve, but Storm logged endless hours on the job, filled up a bulging binder with notes, pestered the superintendent with questions, and took online classes through Penn State University’s turfgrass program. That hard work paid off in 2015, when she was hired as a second assistant on the agronomy team at Desert
Forest Golf Club, a highly regarded private course in Scottsdale. Four months later, she was promoted to first assistant. Then, in 2019, at just 26 years old, she got the superintendent job at Terravita Golf & Country Club, also a private facility in Scottsdale. Today she oversees a staff of 22, which includes seven other women. “There was some tension about why I hired them,” she said. “No one ever actually came out and said that, but you could just tell that was out there. In their first couple of days though, we were doing cleanup and they were out there swinging pickaxes harder than some of the guys. They knew the girls were here to stay.”
What was also changing, according to Storm, was the old way of a superintendent being at the course from sunrise to sunset. “That has gone away for the most part, which is a good thing,” she said. “This job does not need to be our life. We do what we need to do, and technology has certainly helped.” A big part of her life away from work revolves around family. She and her husband, Todd Storm, are parents of two girls, ages 3 and 2. “I told myself when we had our first daughter that I wasn’t going to put anything above my time with her,” she said. “I’m here on some level every day. I get my girls ready every morning, so sometimes I’m not here first thing,
Joe Foley presents Kachina trophies to AGA Women’s Four-Ball Champions Mari Miezwa (left) Terravita and Tui Selvaratnam. Golf & Country Club
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LEADERSHIP
but I might stay later in the afternoon. On weekends I might get them to swim lessons, then bring them home for a nap and run over to the club for a while to make sure everything is good while my husband is home with them.” And her husband knows exactly what her job entails. The two met while working at Desert Forest, where he has been the head of agronomy for the past 12 years, and started dating after she moved to Terravita. “He was and still is my mentor in the business,” Storm said. “He knows where I came from, and he gets it. His course is right up the road from mine, so we keep tabs on each other.” Credit her youth — and being a mom — for helping create a better work-life balance among her team. “One of the first things I say when I’m hiring somebody is, ‘Look, we have a job to do and we are going to get it done. But family and health comes first.’ When my 30 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
Terravita Golf & Country Club
LEADERSHIP
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I could stripe a fairway or make a messy bunker look pretty. I could make that difference and see it immediately. Once I realized I could make a career out of it, that’s when I thought being a superintendent was what I wanted to do.
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first assistant was having a kid at the same time I was, I told him we are never missing a birthday party, a swim meet or a recital. We’re never doing any of that. Let’s figure out our schedules and learn how we can make it work. I’m not missing those things, and I don’t expect you to, either. And that goes for the rest of our staff.” When it comes to the perception of women working in the golf industry, especially in agronomy, Storm sees the world changing for the better. “Certainly within our community it’s now a lot less shocking to see women in roles like mine,” said Storm, who participates in a group text thread of almost 40 female colleagues in the Women in Turf group. “When I say we have seven women in our department, five years ago people would be like, ‘No way.’ Now there are other courses that have a couple of women in agronomy, too. There is definitely a shift happening.” Her advice to younger assistants just starting out, female and male, is that things will get better. “There were a lot of times it would be 6 p.m. and I’d be in a trench doing irrigation repair wondering, ‘Where does this get me, and how will it pay off?’ You do that year after year and wonder if it will ever end. That’s the industry. I would say now, ‘Hey, you will get there. Keep your head down and keep moving forward.’” For women, that can mean plowing through misperceptions, myths and sexism.
“When I got here, I had never faced anything that was blatant sexism, but there would be some tension in emails early on,” she noted. “I would fire off something in response, but that would probably be something I would not do over again if I could. Instead of keeping my head down and ignoring it, I let things get to me more than I should have. That will come in any industry. Proving yourself with consistency and hard work will get you further than fighting every single battle.” As for the future, Storm sounds pretty content. “Without sounding unambitious, I’m really happy where I’m at right now,” she said. “My perfect scenario would be retiring at Terravita. I really want to create something here. There’s stuff you have to do over and over again for 10, 15 or even 20 years, and that’s when you see the fruits of your labor and get our course (remodeled last year by Scottsdale-based architect Phil Smith) mature.” She’s already influencing the next generation of women, both on the job and at home. At a recent joint birthday party for her daughters, their coolest gifts weren’t the teddy bears or dolls they received, but rather a toy excavator and tractor. “They equate what I do with being on an excavator and tearing stuff up,” she said. “I have done that, but they just love coming to the course. I know they won’t think I’m the coolest thing in the world forever, but they do right now. And they’ll grow up seeing things differently than my generation of women did.” AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 31
HALL OF FAME
ARIZONA
Golf Hall of Fame: Class of 2023 WORDS BY LAINIE HALLOWS
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HALL OF FAME
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HALL OF FAME
Judy McDermott Very few people have made an impact on Southern Arizona golf comparable to Judy McDermott. Her impact on the region’s golf landscape has earned her the distinction of being the top female sports executive in Tucson’s history. But when she received news that she had been voted into the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame, her first emotion was a dash of embarrassment. A self-described “behind the scenes type of person,” McDermott prefers to stay out of the spotlight and credits much of her success to the efforts of the people around her. “The people that mow the grass, the superintendents, all the worker bees that are getting the bunkers perfect and getting up at the crack of dawn – it’s those people that we can’t thank enough,” McDermott said. “Everything I’ve ever been able to accomplish, it’s all been a team and I just try to conduct that team.” In 1992, McDermott made the move to Tucson, joining the Tucson Conquistadores as marketing director for the PGA TOUR Northern Telecom Open. Soon after, she was promoted to tournament director for PGA TOUR events and held that role until 2006, becoming the executive director in 2020. She also oversaw the Conquistadores’ hosting of the World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play for eight years, and in 2015 took the lead in planning tournaments and operations for Tucson’s PGA TOUR Champions event, the Cologuard Classic. Driven by a passion for golf – particularly junior golf — McDermott partnered with the City of Tucson and the PGA TOUR in 2006 to establish The First Tee – Tucson. She seamlessly ran multiple organizations at one time and her leadership over the years has brought in millions of dollars to youth sports organizations in Southern Arizona, directly impacting thousands of lives across the region. She stepped away from professional golf and the Conquistadores in 2019, and now focuses her efforts full-time as the executive director of The First Tee – Tucson. In 2015, McDermott was inducted into the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame. She earned the Women of Influence Nonprofit Champion Award in 2017. In 2021, she was also named one of Tucson’s 100 top sports figures by the Arizona Daily Star and in 2022, was awarded the AGA’s Champion of Golf and the Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona’s “You Too Can Make a Difference” honor. She has spent time as a member of the City of Tucson Greens Committee, was president of Women at the Top, and currently serves on the Beacon Group board of directors, on the Arizona Alliance for Golf’s board of directors and as a board 34 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
HALL OF FAME
Howard Twitty Through his passion for the game, coaching and course design, Howard Twitty – a lifelong Phoenix resident – has made a lasting impact on his home state’s golf community. “It’s not anything you ever shoot for as a goal. I suppose it’s in the back of your mind, but it’s wonderful to be recognized,” Twitty said. “I have been so blessed and so lucky to have been able to do all of the things I have wanted to. Golf never ceases to amaze me.” Twitty began to make his mark on Arizona golf while a student-athlete at Arizona State University. His decorated collegiate career includes first-team All-American honors in 1970 and 1972, as well as a third-team selection in 1971. In 1972, he was also the NCAA’s individual runner-up and earned medals at several notable events.
Following his playing career, Twitty turned professional; his PGA TOUR wins include the B.C. Open, Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open, and United Airlines Hawaiian Open. Twitty’s time with the TOUR continued beyond his years as a player; he served as the vice president of the PGA of America in 1980, and player director on the PGA TOUR Policy Board from 1981-1982. More recently, Twitty has turned his attention towards teaching the game of golf to the younger generations. In a five-year tenure as an assistant coach at Chaparral High School, Twitty helped lead the team to five state championships. In 2018, he returned to his alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach, guiding the team to an NCAA Championship Match appearance in 2022. Twitty also ventured into the world of golf course design consultation. He worked with Roger Maltbie on the well-received redesign of the TPC at River Highlands in Connecticut, which went on to host the Buick Championship; he also collaborated with Tom Weiskopf on TPC Scottsdale’s redesign before it hosted the FBR Open. In 2010, Twitty also co-authored “There is More to Putting than Meets the Eye” – a study of more than 200 PGA TOUR strokes, and developed and patented the “Twitty” Putter.
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HALL OF FAME
Wade Dunagan In 1985, Wade Dunagan took his first job in the Grand Canyon State as TPC Star Pass’s assistant golf professional. There, he quickly worked his way up the ladder and was promoted to the club’s head golf professional, commencing a career that would lead him to the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame. “This type of recognition has never been on my radar, and in my opinion, there are many who deserve this far more than I do,” Dunagan said. “I am very grateful for this honor, and humbled by all of the great people we have in the game and business of golf in Arizona.” After his time at TPC Star Pass, Dunagan briefly traded the Arizona heat for the humid breeze of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., where he worked as TPC Sawgrass’s head golf professional. By 1990, he returned to the desert and shortly after, was selected to be the Director of Golf at Tucson National Golf Club. While at Tucson National, Dunagan began a track record of utilizing his strong relationships in the golf industry to put his clubs on the map. Largely thanks to Dunagan’s efforts, Tucson National became the home of the Tucson Open in 1991 and 1992. He also worked with the World Golf Championships to bring two WGC-Accenture Match Play Championships to The Gallery. In 2009, he was hired as the Executive Director of the WGC Championships. Eventually, Dunagan was selected as the head golf professional at Tucson Country Club and was involved in the planning process of the Galley Golf Club. In 2014, Dunagan was tapped by OB Sports Management to oversee the daily operations of Randolph Golf Complex and in 2015, he took a position as general manager of the Golf Club at Chaparral Pines. It was not long before Dunagan realized Tucson was home; he resumed his position at Tucson Country Club in 2016 and has resided there ever since. “To be included with the other candidates this year and to have my name on the same list as so many great Arizona golf icons is pretty incredible, and honestly, pretty hard to believe,” Dunagan said. “I have had great examples set for me by my mentors, fellow competitors, fellow workers and leaders across our industry, and I have always aspired to understand, compete and lead to the standards they have set.” 36 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
HALL OF FAME
Peter Kostis There are few voices in golf as recognizable as Peter Kostis’. For decades, Kostis– an Arizona resident– has been the voice of some of the game’s marquee events, including 30 straight editions of the Masters and 28 consecutive PGA Championships. “These things are tremendous honors, and at least in my world, you never wake up wishing for or expecting this in any shape or form, so I was pleasantly surprised and honored to get the call,” Kostis said. In 1989, USA Network was trying to break into early-round golf coverage with their first broadcast of The Ryder Cup. With Kostis serving as an analyst, the first broadcast was a smashing success; he went on to serve as the network’s 18th tower analyst through 2004.
Wanting to provide a more educational experience for the viewers, Kostis developed Konica Minolta SwingVision: a cutting edge, slow-motion swing analysis, for which he won an Emmy. Kostis joined forces with Bob Toski, Jim Flick, and Davis Love Jr., in order to start the Golf Digest Golf Schools, which changed the teaching landscape for all golf professionals. Then, in 1982, he wrote “The Inside Path to Better Golf”, a best-selling instruction book. Kostis’s teaching career has spanned 30 countries and well over 150,000 lessons. While still a broadcaster, he continued to teach championship winning PGA and LPGA TOUR Players from Arizona, including Paul Casey, Chez Reavie, Grace Park, Mark Calcavecchia, Tom Purtzer and Bernhard Langer. As a nod to his compelling broadcasting and coaching career, Kostis has been voted to the Golf Magazine Top 50 and Top 100 Best Teachers every year for the last two decades. Alongside Gary McCord and Andrew Magee, Kostis founded the Santa Claus Classic held at TPC Scottsdale. Known as “The Valley’s Best Golf Charity Event”, the event’s 10-year run raised millions of dollars for local Arizona children’s charities and The Salvation Army.
AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 37
TOUR STOP
2024 WM Phoenix Open Preview
A view of the famed 16th hole at the WM Phoenix Open
38 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
TOUR STOP
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f you have had the chance to drive down Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard over the past few weeks, you might have noticed the familiar sight of white vinyl reaching into the September sky to the north of the Central Arizona Project canal. It can only mean one thing - construction has begun on the “city” that will host the 89th playing of the WM Phoenix Open presented by Taylor Morrison. Don’t we all wish we could look this good at 89? Affectionally known as “The People’s Open” for its eclectic and enthusiastic patrons and commitment to an over-the-the-top fan experience, the WM Phoenix Open will bring the best golfers in the world to TPC Scottsdale February 5-11, 2024, where they will vie for 500 FedExCup points and the Waterford Crystal Thunderbird trophy. As part of the world-class field, Scottie Scheffler will be on hand to once again defend his WM Phoenix Open title as he seeks to become only the fourth three-time winner of the event (Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson, Mark Calcavecchia) and only the second player to win three times in a row (Palmer). While the PGA TOUR action begins Thursday of tournament week, for the third straight year, festivities at TPC Scottsdale begin the Saturday before with a one-of-a-kind concert experience unlike anything in professional sports – the aptly named Concert in the Coliseum. The first playing of the concert brought country music superstars Thomas Rhett and Old Dominion to the rotating stage in the middle of the iconic 16th hole. Last year’s festivities featured future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group Maroon 5 as they played to a packed house of 12,000 strong inside one of professional golf’s most recognizable holes. The Thunderbirds AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 39
TOUR STOP
“ While the famed 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale is certainly one of the main attractions at “The People’s Open” – (get in line early) – it is by no means the only “must-see” venue at the event. There are plenty of amazing general admission viewing areas throughout the course, including the Fairway House presented by Taylor Morrison, where fans can catch the action on the par-3 12th, 13 teebox and approach shots into 6 green. And just a light walk east is the new and improved Fan Zone, which got a facelift last year and includes spacious areas for gathering with friends and family, grabbing a bite to eat, or to find a little shade and recharge before heading back out to the action. “As hosts, we challenge ourselves every year to innovate and take our fan experience to new heights,” said 2024 Tournament Chairman George Thimsen. “The WM Phoenix Open is known as ‘The People’s Open’ because we have the greatest and most dedicated fans in golf. This is why we take immense pride in consistently finding ways each year to elevate the fan experience throughout the entire week, in all areas of our event.” One of those fan-favorite events outside of the actual golf tournament kicks off Wednesday, February 7. We’re talking, of course, about the ever-popular Coors Light Birds Nest, a four-night music fest located inside an enormous tent across the street from TPC Scottsdale. The Birds Nest, with its wide variety of music stars, beautiful patrons and enthusiastic nightlife, is not only a staple of the WM Phoenix Open, but also one of the most unique special events on the PGA TOUR. The lineup for the 2024 Coors Light Birds 40 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
Giving back to our wonderful communities and helping people and families in need is easily the best part of being a Thunderbird.
”
TOUR STOP
The Coors Light Birds Nest
Nest is underway as officials confirmed that 2022 ACM award-winner Hardy and country music’s latest sensation Bailey Zimmerman have committed to start things off with a bang on opening night. More information on the rest of the lineup will be released soon, once more musicians are confirmed to perform at this year’s Coors Light Birds Nest. The WM Phoenix Open generates an enormous economic impact for the State of Arizona, but more importantly, has been one of the state’s largest philanthropic engines for nearly a century. The Thunderbirds – hosts of the WM Phoenix Open – announced the 2023 edition of The People’s Open raised a record $14.5 million ($14,533,000) for Arizona charities. ©USGA This marks the sixth time in tournament history The Thunderbirds and the WM Phoenix Open have raised more than $10 million in charitable dollars in a single tournament. The previous record was set in 2020 ($14 million). The Thunderbirds raised $10.5 million in 2022. “Giving back to our wonderful communities and helping people and families in need is easily the best part of being a Thunderbird,” said Pat Williams, president of Thunderbirds Charities and tournament chairman for last year’s WM Phoenix Open. “We’re immensely proud of once again topping our previous record of charitable donations and reaching the $14 million mark for the second time. We understand the vital importance of an incredible support network, including the best title sponsor in sports in WM, the resolve and commitment to excellence of the PGA TOUR, and, of course, the greatest fans in golf. Enormous charitable impact doesn’t happen without everyone working together, and we’re incredibly thankful to be a part of something so impactful.” Whether you’re a golf fanatic, prolific partier or concert connoisseur, the WM Phoenix Open has something for everyone. Don’t miss the 89th playing of The People’s Open, February 5-11 at TPC Scottsdale. AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 41
Genson AMATEUR Brandon CHAMPIONSHIP
AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
2023
ARIZONA STATE AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tori Totlis/Compete Confidence
TAKE CENTER STAGE Ashley Menne, Mahanth Chirravuri Outlast Top Fields at Scottsdale’s Desert Highlands
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY BRANDON GENSON
Caption goes here
42 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
COMPETITION
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or the first time in the Arizona Golf Association’s (AGA) history, the women’s and men’s state amateur championships were held on the same golf course, with Desert Highlands Golf Club in Scottsdale serving as host for two straight weeks of top-flight golf over the summer. Each tournament featured the best that Arizona golf has to offer: The best amateur players from across the region, competing at a high level at one of Arizona’s most esteemed facilities. CONSISTENCY THE KEY FOR MENNE AT THE 2023 ARIZONA WOMEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
The Arizona Women’s Amateur Championship’s 49-year history has seen just three, three-time champions: Heather Farr, Tui Selvaratnam and Julie Stanger, all of whom are Arizona State University (ASU) Sun Devils. Throughout her win at the Desert Highlands’ Jack Nicklaus Signature design, ASU senior Ashley Menne braved 100-plus degree temperatures and gusty winds and showed grit, perseverance and skill to become the fourth player on that elite list. Fresh off a summer that included a Team USA win at the Arnold Palmer Cup and capturing North/South Amateur Championship medalist honors at Pinehurst No. 2, momentum was on Menne’s side. She was one of two players in the 62-player field to break par in round one, but with a score of 70 (-2), found herself four strokes behind Goodyear’s Abbey Schutte. The incoming University of Arkansas freshman set the pace with a -6 (66) round in which she birdied half the holes she played. “I love this course – honestly, we should all feel super blessed to be able to play here,” said
Schutte, 18, a three-time JGAA Girls’ Player of the Year who qualified for the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur with low medalist honors at Desert Highlands. “My game felt great today. I started off a little slow, a couple birdies and a couple bogeys early on. I just really tried to stay patient and let the ball do what it was going to do.” A player known for her consistency, Menne knows as well as anyone that golf is a game of misses. “It’s not about being perfect. It’s about dealing with the misses,” the 2021 AGA Women’s Player of the Year said after matching her round one 70 (-2) on day two. Meanwhile, Schutte settled for +4 (76), but remained in second place, just two strokes out of the lead with the final round on the horizon. The second round also saw Mesa’s Sydney Bryan fire a 69 (-3) – the second best score of the tournament. Through 36 holes, the field’s oldest player, Sue Wooster, fired 73-72. The 61-year old was in the hunt headed into the final day, ultimately finishing in eighth place. Her three days at Desert Highlands readied her for slate of four USGA Championships that she had qualified – or earned exemptions – for: the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles; the U.S. Senior Women’s Open at Waverley Country Club in Portland, Ore.; the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Stonewall in Elverson, Pa.; and the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale. Kaya Kshatriya, 19, of Scottsdale captured the overall Net Championship, earning her first Kachina trophy following net scores of 71-7568 for -2 overall. A sophomore student at the
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I love this course – honestly, we should all feel super blessed to be able to play here.
”
RTJ Golf Trail - Cambrian Ridge
AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 43
University of Arizona after playing golf at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs last season, Kshatriya stuck to what she knows best to come out on top. “It feels really good, it was just really fun being out there and playing a really nice course – the fairways were really nice and the greens were rolling really well,” she said. “It was a lot of pars, keeping the ball in play, being conservative off the tee and hitting greens. My putting was really good today, so that helped me stay consistent.” The 62-player field was split into three flights – Championship, First and Second – with Gross and Net Divisions. A junior at the University of Arizona, Bryan captured the Championship Flight Net Division at -1, with Simi Valley-native Cheyanne Stewart in second at +2 and University of Colorado at Boulder freshman Carolyn Fuller one stroke back in third at +3. Kshatriya won the First Flight Gross Division at +16, while 2022 Overall Net Champion Shannon Mason won the First Flight Net Division at +3, including a final-round net -3 (69). In the Second Flight, Lisa O’Donnell of Tucson swept Gross and Net honors. Menne’s win in the Championship Flight of the Gross Division featured late drama, as she and Schutte headed to 44 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
the final hole just two strokes apart despite very different rounds. Menne’s clean scorecard featured just one birdie, while Schutte’s rollercoaster round included five bogeys and four birdies. “I definitely had a rougher go at it today than the last couple days — I just could not get a putt to drop,” Menne said after the final round. “It’s great to have a little momentum and get some tournament rounds in before going back into season because the competition is tight, and we play really good golf courses. I would say this 100 percent prepares me just to be in that position of being in contention.” Standing on the 18th tee, with a two-shot lead in the final round, Menne hit her tee shot behind a bush in the native area right of the fairway, and had to punch out into the fairway for her second shot. Her third shot advanced up the fairway, but her fourth sailed over the green 20 feet past the flag. Needing to get it close to slam the door shut on Schutte, Menne proceeded to make her chip for par, leaving Schutte no opportunity to make up the twoshot deficit. “I was glad that I was able to pull through,” a visibly relieved Menne said just before accepting her Kachina trophy. “I love to chip, so I’m glad my chipping saved me today.”
CHIRRAVURI GETS HOT IN MATCH PLAY TO WIN 99TH ARIZONA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Six days of golf and 144 players all culminated in a dramatic, Championship Match finish in which Chandler’s Mahanth Chirravuri drained a decisive, 25-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole to withstand a comeback attempt from Arizona State University star Kiko Coelho and become the 99th Arizona Amateur Champion. The Championship started with two days of qualifying stroke play. Round one was headlined by Phoenix’s Adam Miller, who navigated Desert Highlands Golf Club with ease, posting seven birdies with no bogeys. At -7 (65), he was two strokes ahead of Jonathan Curran and Sam Engel, both of Scottsdale, after round one. Looming in a seven-way tie for seventh place headed into round two, Cave Creek’s Tyler Spielman fired the best round of stroke play (-7, 65) to leapfrog the leaderboard, earning Stroke Play Medalist honors and the top seed in Match Play. “I was striking the ball a little better than yesterday and got to go out there early with not a lot of wind, so it was a really good day,” Spielman, 17, a senior at Brophy Prep verbally committed to play golf at Auburn University, said. “Just to know that I’m striping it well – it was just a really good finish
for some momentum going into tomorrow.” In Match Play, Chirravuri and Coelho faced uphill battles en route to the Championship Match. Chirravuri bested U.S. Senior Open and Amateur qualifier Brad Wayment (5 & 3) in the Round of 32 and two-seeded Jonathan Curran in the Round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Chirravuri needed a 19th hole to take down Scottsdale’s Brian Blanchard; Blanchard’s approach from the middle of the fairway came up short of the green, and his pitch onto the green missed the cup. The highest-ranked amateur in the field (183rd in the WAGR), Chirravuri then made a 10-foot birdie putt for the win. In the semifinals, Chirravuri started slow against Paradise Valley’s Max Schwarz. He dropped the first two holes, but rebounded by winning three straight. The match remained tied until the 121-yard, par 3 12th hole, when Chirravuri’s tee shot went left into a greenside swale; he played his chip into the top of the greenside edge, and watched as the ball took two bounces and rolled into the cup for birdie. Schwarz, who had hit it to eight feet, missed his birdie putt to lose the hole, and never recovered. Coelho’s path to the Championship Match included a 3 & 1 win over Davis Johnson in the Round of 32 and a
short, 14-hole victory over Brasen Briones in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Coelho needed all 18 holes to earn a 1-up victory over the Stroke Play Medalist and set up a meeting with 97th Arizona Amateur Champion, Kris Marshall. Coelho and Marshall traded birdies and won holes through the first 13 holes of their match, before the ASU rising junior birdied the picturesque par-4 14th hole to go one up. Coelho would then convert a 15-foot birdie putt from just off the green on the 210-yard par-3 16th to take a two-hole lead, and hit one of the tournament’s best shots on the par-5 17th to close it out. Laying 278 yards out in the fairway, Coelho sent a three wood to 20 feet for eagle. Marshall found himself out of contention after a few unfortunate bounces, and would concede the match before Coelho could attempt his eagle putt. “I hit my drive in the fairway, and just hit a really good three-wood, a high cut to about 20 feet, and that was enough,” said Coelho, a native of Lisbon, Portugal, and a returning standout on a Sun Devil golf team who is expected to contend for a national title this coming season. “I just want to go get some rest, stay hydrated, eat good, and come out here tomorrow morning and same strategy: keep the ball in play in front of me, just make some puts and hopefully get the win.” Coelho fell behind early and trailed for most of the ChamTori Totlis/Compete Confidence
pionship match, falling behind on the second hole and trailing by two on the 12th tee. But he battled back with a putting display for the ages, one-putting holes 12 through 17, the last of which was for birdie to tie the match. Chirravuri did his best to withstand Coelho’s backnine putting display by countering with some outstanding iron play. Approaches to the back-to-back par-3 15th and 16th holes ended up five and eight feet from the cup, respectively. He would convert the first birdie, but not the second, moving to the 17th tee up one. Coelho hit his second shot greenside left, navigating a chip to five feet for birdie. Chirravuri could not get up and down from behind the green in two, losing the hole and heading to 18 with the match tied. With a chance to force a playoff by winning the 18th hole, the pressure was on Chirravuri to perform; he lived up to the moment, dazzling a crowd of spectators with a 25-foot eagle putt. “I played really well all week,” Chirravuri, 19, a Pepperdine transfer after spending his freshman year at the University of Southern California, said. “I think I won 18 three times, and you need to win 18 if you’re going to win this tournament. I played great coming in, Kiko played awesome, as well. He made so many putts that kept the match going.” AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 45
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Chan Kim (PGA TOUR)
2008 JGAA alumnus Chan Kim earns PGA TOUR card Back-To-Back Korn Ferry Tour Wins Propel Chandler-Hamilton Grad to Golf’s Biggest Stage WORDS BY JEFF LOCKE 48 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
o his estimation, Chan Kim had about five years’ worth of exemptions to play on the Japan Golf Tour when he completed (solo second) the final stage of Q-School last fall. But Kim, a Valley resident and 2008 Junior Golf Association of Arizona (JGAA) alumnus, had been competing on the Japan Tour since 2015 and wanted to play closer to home —earning a PGA TOUR card via the Korn Ferry Tour seemed like the best route to reach that goal. With back-to-back victories at the Magnit Championship (70-66-68-64, -20) and Albertsons Boise Open (66-62-64, -28), Kim secured a PGA TOUR card and the chance to contend professionally on golf’s most competitive stage — without being 5,000-plus miles from home. “Congratulations to Chan Kim on a career-changing stretch as he earns his first PGA TOUR card,” said JGAA Executive Director Scott McNevin. “It’s inspiring for our current players and makes my job so special to see our alumni doing big things in the golf world.” Turning pro in 2010, the 33-year-old has faced a long road to earn the coveted PGA TOUR card. After a rocky professional start with stints on the Korn Ferry Tour and several smaller circuits, Kim, a Hamilton High School graduate, earned his first win at the 2017 Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour. He also fought a back injury that stifled his momentum but returned with a vengeance, with strong showings on the Japan Golf Tour earning him a spot at the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Finals and the Final Stage of Q-School. But prior to his career-changing wins, Kim was struggling, having missed three straight cuts. In danger of losing his Korn Ferry Tour status entirely, Kim made the trek to Las Vegas to work with Nick Helwing, an instructor at the Butch Harmon School of Golf. A couple of tweaks to his swing made all the difference. Kim’s wins catapulted him from outside the top 50 to No. 2 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points list. The Korn Ferry Tour Championship at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh,
JUNIOR GOLF
2023 Junior America’s Cup Team (L to R): Brasen Briones, Henry Dall, Victor Cervantes and Carlos Astiazaran
In. concludes the Korn Ferry Tour season; the season-long points winner earns fully exempt TOUR status and spots in the U.S. Open and THE PLAYERS Championship. As a standout student-athlete at Arizona State University, Kim also racked up two AGA Championship wins – both at the Arizona Stroke Play Championship in 2008 and 2010. He also represented the AGA at the 43rd Pacific Coast Amateur, winning the individual championship. Boys’ and Girls’ Arizona Teams Represent State Well at the 2023 Junior America’s Cups The JGAA recently sent four qualifying juniors to represent the boys’ and girls’ teams at the Junior America’s Cup and Girls’ Junior America’s Cup, where each team was pitted against 18 teams representing their respective state, region, province or country. Both Arizona teams put forward stellar performances, as the girls finished in fourth place, while the boys finished in fifth place. Comprised of Scottsdale’s Claire Chang and Lena Durette, San Tan Valley’s Alexis Vakasiuola and Anthem’s Taylor Wilczek, the girls’ team was poised throughout their steady, three-day performance. A +13 (229) in round one put them in a tie for fifth, before finishing with a round two +10 (226) and round three +13 (229) to finish in fourth place for the tournament. Similar to a collegiate event, the team champion is deter-
Motionlab
mined by counting the team’s three best, individual 54-hole scores. Team Arizona finished fifth place as a team. Carding 74-73-76, Chang led the Arizona girls and finished T9 (+7), while Wilczek posted a +6 for a top-20 finish. Vakasiuola (T31) rounded out the three, tallied scores with a +22 outing. Days after wrapping up the Girls’ Junior America’s Cup, Carlos Astiazaran and Brasen Briones of Tucson, Chandler’s Victor Cervantes and Scottsdale’s Henry Dall teed up at the 51st Annual Junior America’s Cup at Red Hawk Golf and Resort in Sparks, Nev. The four juniors rebounded from a slow start to finish fifth overall out of 18 teams representing their respective state, region, province or country. After signing for two-under scorecards after each of the first two rounds, Team Arizona found themselves looking up
2023 Girls’ Junior America’s Cup Team (L to R): Claire Chang, Taylor Wilczek, Alexis Vakasiuola and Lena Durette
at the leaderboard. Led by a final round, 67 (-4) from Dall, Team Arizona climbed the leaderboard on the final day; his score was complemented by Astiazaran’s final-day 69 (-2) and an even par round from Briones. Dall fired the team’s best individual score (73-68-67, -5) to finish in T10; Astiazaran (7171-69, -2) and Briones (71-71-69, -2) both finished in T21. “It was amazing to see the fight and tenaciousness from this team,” JGAA Executive Director Scott McNevin said. “They battled hard until the very end and represented the Grand Canyon State well.” Several alumni from the Junior America’s Cup have gone on to successful, professional careers – including Patrick Cantlay, Fred Couples, Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 49
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2022 Girls Golf Day (LPGA*USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix)
Girls Golf Day Celebrates 10 Years Pep Rally, Tournament Highlight Empowering Opportunities October 6-7 at Mesa’s Dobson Ranch WORDS BY CORI MATHESON 52 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
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he LPGA*USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix has been impacting girls throughout the entire Phoenix area for 34 years. The program started in Phoenix in 1989 and continues to empower, evolve and grow. The engagement of this program will continue with a special celebration and an annual LPGA*USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix Girls Golf Day event. The 10th annual Girls Golf Day will be celebrated October 6 and 7 in Mesa at Dobson Ranch Golf Course, and promises to deliver another energizing day for over 300 Girls Golf
members (ages 3 to 18), their families, and the golf community. The festivities will kick off with the Girls Golf Day Pep Rally on Friday night, October 6. This commemorative evening will include a professionally guided practice session with VISION54, LPGA Professionals, and POPS/Jr. Youth Golf Program. Brand partners and special guests expected to attend include PING, Daphne’s Headcovers, VimHue, Glove-it, Noggin Boss, Navika and more. Professional golfer, influencer and Girls Golf of Phoe-
Anawin Pikulthong
JUNIOR GOLF
LUXURY GOLF COURSE HOMES UPSCALE GOLF COURSE LIVING 2021 Girls Golf Day (LPGA*USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix)
nix alumna Cheyenne Woods will also be in attendance for the Pep Rally. “I am thrilled to join everyone to celebrate the 10th annual Girls Golf Day,” Woods said. “I have been able to attend three of these special days and it always reminds me why I love Girls Golf! It is going to be a wonderful event!” The Girls Golf Day Pep Rally brings together the Girls Golf family and sets the stage to highlight the Girls Golf family. With games, raffle prizes, golf practice/ instruction, guests, and a special 10-year celebration, the Pep Rally activities will offer attendees the chance to engage and connect while celebrating Girls Golf Day. It will be a great way to engage girls of all skill levels and get them excited about golf. Activities will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and are open to members and non-members with an easy online RSVP. The Girls Golf Day Pep Rally sets the stage for an empowering tournament and competitive play to take place the following day. LPGA*USGA Girls Golf of Phoenix tournament players are expected to play in skill-based divisions that play 1, 3, 6, 9 or
18 holes. Girls Golf Day always serves to bring out the best with a full, energizing, and fun field of Arizona golfers. City of Mesa Mayor John Giles has taken notice and honored the event, proclaiming October 7 Girls Golf Day in its honor. Girls Golf Day is one way that Girls Golf of Phoenix continues to enhance the lives of local girls by making an impact that spreads across the Valley. Girls Golf of Phoenix makes a difference in the lives of young residents through programming that empowers girls through Joseph Lloyd providing fun, safe, and competitive golf activities. The Girls Golf national organization has positively impacted the lives of more than one million girls across the country and set the standard for a mix of growth, movement, and engagement for our nation’s young women. This is an opportunity to get involved — join the celebration with Girls Golf of Phoenix at the 10th Annual Girls Golf Day!
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RULES OF GOLF
Match Play vs. Stroke Play WORDS BY LOGAN RASMUSSEN 58 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
RULES OF GOLF
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Ryder Cup
opefully, you had the chance to sit down and watch a few holes of the 44th Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup is special for several reasons: the history, the extra anticipation built by being a biennial event and the world’s best players representing their respective countries, to name a few. But one aspect adds to the event’s brilliance: the Match Play format. Unlike the four-day stroke play events PGA TOUR pros typically compete in, the Ryder Cup presents a unique opportunity for the TOUR’s finest to duke it out one-on-one. For those unfamiliar or who need a refresher, Stroke Play and Match Play are the two most prominent formats in competitve golf. In Stroke Play, the player is competing against the golf course, keeping their own score for each hole; the player who has the fewest strokes at the end of the round wins. But in Match Play, Player A is competing only against Player B. Each hole is a separate competition where players can win, lose or tie; the player who wins the most holes, wins the match. Although the PGA TOUR uses the Match Play format sparingly, other golf organizations use it frequently. The Arizona Golf Association has three events in 2023 with Match Play on the agenda, including its premier event — the 99th Arizona Amateur. Like the Arizona Amateur, the NCAA Golf Championships — hosted at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale the last three years -and all of the USGA’s Amateur Championships start with two days of qualifying Stroke Play, followed by Match Play. Stroke Play and Match Play have some obvious differences; the rules of each format are no exception. Let’s look at a few of the major highlights and some real-world examples of these differences, starting with the teeing area. The teeing area is defined by the set of tee markers chosen by the committee on any given hole; play needs to begin within that defined teeing area. But what happens if you accidentally take your first stroke outside of the defined teeing area? The consequences depend on the format being played. In Stroke Play, this is a big no-no, and the offender will be assessed a two-stroke penalty. The situation also must be corrected by teeing up a ball within the defined teeing area where the player would
then be hitting their third shot. However, in Match Play there is no penalty for teeing up outside the teeing area! But there’s a catch: The opponent has the option to cancel the stroke if they choose to do so, even if you hit the best drive of your life! Concessions are also a crucial and unique part of Match Play. At any point during play of a hole, a player may concede their opponents’ next stroke. A concession is when Player A tells Player B that their ball is holed, without Player B having to hit it. For example, if Player B hit their approach to two feet for birdie and Player A misses their birdie putt, Player A can tell Player B that they do not have to hole out. Once a concession is offered, it cannot be declined or withdrawn. Interestingly enough, the most famous concession in golf history actually occurred during the 1969 Ryder Cup match between Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin. Widely regarded as one of the greatest acts of sportsmanship ever seen in golf, Nicklaus picked up Jacklin’s ball marker from three feet out, which ended the Ryder Cup in a 16-16 tie. I’ll leave you with one, final tidbit of golf history. If you take a deep dive into the Rules of Golf archives, you may come across the term “stymie.” Now an obsolete rule, a stymie is where a player’s ball lay between their opponents’ ball and the hole, blocking them from making their putt. This used to be allowed and was often used strategically, as it forced players to putt around or chip over their opponents’ ball. Nowadays, the stymied ball would be marked with a ball marker and removed until the opponent made their stroke before being replaced on the spot. But what if Player A didn’t allow Player B enough time to get up and mark their ball, and Player A knocked Player B’s ball at rest in with their stroke? Again, it comes down to Stroke Play vs. Match Play. If this occurs in Stroke Play, it is another no-no and Player A would incur a twostroke penalty. But in Match Play, no penalty is incurred at the time of the stroke. However, in both formats, the error needs to be fixed by replaying the stroke from where Player B’s ball was at rest before Player A knocked the ball in. Now that you’re up to speed on Stroke Play vs. Match Play, take a closer look the next chance you get to watch either format on television. The differences are subtle, but fun to follow nonetheless.
AZGOLF.ORG | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | 59
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Nestled among picturesque SaddleBrooke TWO, the recently revamped MountainView Golf Course boasts elevated tees and challenging holes that appeal to golfers of all levels. Immerse yourself in the pristine beauty of the carefully designed fairways and immaculately manicured greens, meticulously crafted to elevate your golfing adventure to new heights. With state-ofthe-art amenities, a warm and welcoming clubhouse, new Golf Shop, Snack Shop, and breathtaking views at every turn; the MountainView Golf Course sets the stage for an unparalleled golfing oasis. Schedule your time to tee off at this invigorating and truly remarkable golfing haven! Learn more:
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olf in the 2020s is certainly interesting, and becoming more so with every turn of the clock. There are several happenings and issues on the table to keep us paying attention, and a few will impact all of us in the near future.
Out of Bounds: Salient Issues WORDS BY ED GOWAN
62 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
PROFESSIONAL GOLF TOURS The confluence of professional golf tours includes: PGA TOUR, LIV, DP World Tour, Canadian Tour, Asian Tour, Japan Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, Challenge Tour (Europe), South American Tour, PGA TOUR of Australasia, Korean Tour, PGA TOUR of China, Sunshine Tour (South Africa) for the men; the LPGA, LPGA of Japan, Ladies European Tour for the women; followed by the PGA TOUR Champions for seniors and developmental tours in several more areas. Consolidation of the Tours is on the horizon, and there is no way for the non-insiders to have a glimmer of the possible outcomes. The secrecy of the initial negotiations that unveiled the tentative “agreement to agree” among the PGA TOUR, DP World Tour and LIV surprised everyone, even those like me that thought there would be some accommodation at some point in the future. The timing was particularly distressing to the PGA TOUR members in the U.S. who remained loyal to the TOUR, refused the large amount of money to join LIV
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and are now realizing those who left may be permitted access in some form in the near future. I can only think the end result will be that the players themselves will all benefit. Those of us who care about golf should see more players with more opportunities, and expanded events worldwide. CLUBS AND BALLS Of more immediate concern for average golfers is the proposed ball and club rule changes. Most knowledgeable club people admit the issue is not necessarily the ball, but it’s the only option for change at this point in history. The problem began with the position that metal clubs would never be light enough to replace wooden heads… OOPS. But, the cost of retooling across the industry would be so expensive that the only possible club modification would be overall size. Reducing driver heads back to 320cc would make a huge difference. Add limiting flexion in all heads to five percent or less would bring many great courses back into elite status. Take another 10 percent out of the ball (which would probably happen anyway to accommodate the club changes), and we would be back to 300-yard drives being “long.” In any case, these changes would have little or no negative effect on the average player.
WATCH THE WATER Next on the near horizon is water: Access to quality water has become a serious concern in many areas, and with only 20 percent or less of the general public playing golf, irrigating courses becomes a political football. The perception that golf is the sport of the wealthy is becoming rampant once again – for at least the third time in the last 50 years. This is a generational attitude that must be addressed regGarmin ularly. The truth, as we are all aware, is that the majority of golfers are middle class in the Western world and becoming so worldwide. Golf remains the only “greenspace” activity that pays for itself. The amount of water actually used is far less than the amount used in irrigation, as a significant portion returns to the aquifers below. In cities, golf courses are homes to wildlife, create a cooling effect in summer for several square miles of up to 10 degrees, and certainly add significantly to the economic impact in an area – especially true in Arizona at $4-plus billion per year. Once again it falls to the golf industry and all golfers individually to protect our sport, especially at the voting booth. The Arizona Alliance for Golf (AAG) is leading this effort. So much for major concerns. What are yours?
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64 | ARIZONA GOLF INSIDER | OCTOBER 2023
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