Tour News

R&A, USGA: Amateurs, you may now win money (and donate it to charity)

Published

9 years ago

Oct 27, 2015

Good news for amateur golfers: As of Jan. 1, you can compete in tournaments and take home prize money…as long as you give it to an approved charity, that is.

In what might be called the “Hideki Matsuyama Rule,” the USGA and R&A have added Rule 3-1b to the books, which “enables an amateur golfer to participate in an event where prize money or its equivalent is donated to a recognized charity, provided the approval of the governing body is first obtained in advance by the organizer.”

If you’ll recall, in 2011, following the tsunami in Japan, Hideki Matsuyama wanted to collect the winnings he was entitled to by virtue of his play (but wasn’t allowed to do so by virtue of his status).

“At the time we were not able to accommodate that request, but that prompted our review,” David Rickman, the R&A’s executive director of rules and equipment standards said of the incident.

Thus, four years later, with a revision to the Rules of Amateur Status, we have Rule 3-1b.

Of course, alert as ever for the possibility of corruption or the tainting of amateur golf, Rickman added: “What we have in mind here is, we’re looking for the governing bodies to have control of this process to direct these to charitable causes that have absolutely no connection to the amateur golfers concerned.”

“The rule requires governing-body approval in advance for this to take place. If the money was going to an independent and recognized charitable source, then obviously that approach would be given positive consideration.”

No word on if Sammy Schmitz would be able to win prize money and donate it to his GoFundMe…

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Published

2 days ago

Apr 23, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.

As usual, general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums — including some pretty spicy custom putters and headcovers — await your viewing.

Be sure to check back for more photos from the Big Easy, as we’ll continue to update this page with additional galleries throughout the week.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying about our photos from the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in the forums.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage

Published

1 week ago

Apr 16, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site this week at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage. Plenty of golfers who competed in the Masters last week will be making the quick turnaround in the Lowcountry of South Carolina as the Heritage is again one of the Tour’s Signature Events.

We have general albums for you to check out, as well as plenty of WITBs — including Justin Thomas and Justin Rose.

We’ll continue to update as more photos flow in from SC.

Check out links to all our photos, below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Valero Texas Open

Published

3 weeks ago

Apr 1, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site this week at the Valero Texas Open.

The event has been around since 1922, making it one of the oldest on the PGA Tour calendar. Over the years, it’s been held at a variety of courses across the Lone Star State, but it’s found its home at TPC San Antonio in recent years. Some of the biggest names in golf have taken home the title here, including Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Lee Trevino, and Ben Crenshaw.

GolfWRX has its usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs and special pull-out albums. As always, we’ll continue to update the links below as more photos come in from TPC San Antonio.