News
2023 PGA Championship: Tree management through memorialization
One place that 156 competitors at the 2023 PGA Championship won’t want to spend much time is among the trees at Oak Hill Country Club. For the perspicacious patrons and volunteers, however, not just shade and repose will be found beneath those canopies. A large part of the Oak Hill story is told on the stalwart trunks that frame the grounds.
Tree management programs have been in the news for the past three decades, since courses and clubs took steps to allow sun, wind, and moisture to more efficiently and naturally impact the turf and plantings that define golf course architecture. The Oak Hill Country Club, near Rochester in Pittsford, New York, is sensitive to the work of its superintendents and grounds crew, and initiated a restorative program five years ago to return the course to its Donald Ross roots. Part of that restoration involved the assessment and culling of certain trees around the two courses and lawns. Members and fans wondered aloud how the removal of certain pines, elms and, yes, even oaks, would impact the club.
Trees at Oak Hill hold more than just their own history and legacy across the property. Many are designated with plaques, commemorating members and important staff, with a special space reserved for winners of major tournaments. The Hill of Fame alongside and above the 13th fairway is known as an august space, but there are many other, arboreal plantings that tell brief but important stories.
I sought the expertise of two gentlemen with vast knowledge of this commemorative program. Mr. Griffen Owen is the current member in charge of the continuation and cataloguing of the program, with an official title of Tree and Memorial Curator for the History and Archives committee. Mr. Fred Beltz is the Club Historian. My debt to each is vast, and their words help to create the following account.
The tree-naming program has existed since the decade of the 1920s. It was then that Dr. John Williams proposed the matter of landscaping the grounds to club president Clarence Wheeler. Armed with approval, the two embarked on a donation program, and raised enough seed money to purchase, well, seeds and saplings. Dr. Williams traveled near and far to collect enough live timber to dress up the club property in leafy luster. Three spaces alongside holes on the fabled East course were selected as nurseries, and these locales allowed the club to plant 20,000 seedlings to begin the tree program.
Not long after, Dr. Williams connected people with the oaks, pines, and other species. A ceremony held on Memorial (nee Decoration) Day would read the names and feats of the honorees, and the location of their memorial plaque. Two of the most poignant stories are told in a club article by the historian. Of Major Michael J. Crino, MD.; 1st Lieutenant Richard Arnold; 1st Lieutenant Herbert Hastings; Private Edward R. Crone Jr.; 2nd Lieutenant George Healy; 2nd Lieutenant Joseph Myler, Jr.; 1st Lieutenant Robert E. Stevenson; and 1st Lieutenant Willard B. Eddy; Mr. Beltz writes:
“I cannot fully express the pride I feel for these men that I never met but who, at one time or another, shared a love for the 355 acres we all call “home.” How fitting that a memorial to them will forever be part of the grounds of Oak Hill Country Club.”
From Saipan to Italy, from Germany to North Africa, in stateside training and overseas missions, these OakHillians made the ultimate sacrifice, to defend the freedom and liberties that they and their generations valued, above all else. The most known, and perhaps most moving, is the story of Private Crone. Mr. Beltz continues
“Private Edward R. Crone Jr. was part of the 106th Infantry and took part in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was captured in the Ardennes. Along with other prisoners, he was sent to Dresden, Germany, in cattle cars, where they lived in a meat-packing plant. Living on starvation rations, the prisoners took part in forced labor, clearing the city of rubble and bodies after the Allied firebombing. Suffering from malnutrition, he died less than a month before the war’s end. Edward Crone is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery. Fellow POW Kurt Vonnegut used Crone as the role model for the character of Billy Pilgrim in his novel “Slaughterhouse Five.” After visiting the gravesite, Vonnegut wrote, “There’s a wonderful Victorian cemetery [in Rochester]. And that’s where Billy Pilgrim is buried . . . Visiting Crone’s grave closed out the war for me.”
The tree memorialization program currently lists 375 plaques on the East and West, the clubhouse proper, and the Hill of Fame. Along the 8th hole, parallel to Chapin Way, multiple plaques adorn trees to commemorate winners of the John R. Williams Four-Ball Invitational. On the Hill of Fame, names like Whitworth, Nicklaus, Sorenstam, Trevino, Rawls, Strange, and Middlecoff are remembered for their professional, major championship victories, both at Oak Hill and beyond. Jay Haas earned space for his senior professional win, while Charles Coe and Hank Kuehne garnered memorialization for US Amateur titles. The 1995 European side is also remembered on the Hill of Fame, for its stirring victory over the host USA contingent.
On May 21st of this year, another named plaque may be added to the arborescent archive above the 13th green. It will certainly find a place on the adjacent Wall of Fame, outside the majestic clubhouse. It’s to be expected that the fortunate soul will feel something akin to Shaun Micheel’s reflection on his place nearby on the clubhouse Wall of Fame
“Oak Hill is a very special club and they have an incredible amount of pride in the championships that they’ve hosted and their respective champions. The membership always goes out of their way to welcome me when I’m on property and I’m grateful for that. But, I am truly honored to have a permanent place at Oak Hill.”
May of 2023 will certainly see the addition of another champion to the Wall of Fame. As the club moves through the 21st century, Oak Hill will continue to serve as a beacon of tree management, a venue for tournaments of the highest caliber, and a pantheon for the game’s greatest contributors.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship
GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.
While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.
Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Michael Block – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Patrick Reed – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cam Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Josh Speight – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Takumi Kanaya – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kyle Mendoza – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Adrian Meronk – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jordan Smith – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jeremy Wells – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jared Jones – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Somers – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Larkin Gross – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tracy Phillips – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jon Rahm – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Keita Nakajima – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Kazuma Kobori – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- David Puig – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Ryan Van Velzen – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brad Marek – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Chris Gotterup – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rich Beem WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Phil Mickelson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Matt Dobyns – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Lucas Herbert – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Jason Dufner – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- John Daly – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Taylor Gooch – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dean Burmester – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
- Dustin Johnson – WITB – 2024 PGA Championship
Pullout Albums
- Ping putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Bettinardi covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Cameron putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
- Max Homa – Titleist 2 wood – 2024 PGA Championship
- Scotty Cameron experimental putter shaft by UST – 2024 PGA Championship
- Joaquin Niemann – new Ping putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Brooks Koepka’s new Cameron putter – 2024 PGA Championship
- Rickie Fowler’s Cobra bag and Aerojet driver – 2024 PGA Championship
- Super Stroke grip – 2024 PGA Championship
- Tiger Woods – 2024 PGA Championship
- Michael Block’s new TaylorMade “Proto” 7-iron, from address – 2024 PGA Championship
- Odyssey putter covers – 2024 PGA Championship
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News
Morning 9: Is it Rory’s time? | Stricker WDs | Why Valhalla is a great major venue
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News
Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls
This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)
This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.
LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms
There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.
This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.
Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.
Take a look back at hole No. 1… @rosezhang is living life on the edge ? pic.twitter.com/o6z6SK7TRA
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte
Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.
Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.
HOLE-OUT EAGLE FOR RORY!!!
He now leads by SIX! pic.twitter.com/UE49lwfwNC
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week
It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.
The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.
Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.
Leader by SIX!
@ChrisGotterup | @MyrtleBeachC pic.twitter.com/TVdA6ZPYc4— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie
Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.
In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again. Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.
Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.
At the @RegionsTrad, all champions receive a green bike.
Doug Barron decided to take a victory lap ? pic.twitter.com/bEzENMjZwv
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 13, 2024
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J
Mar 1, 2023 at 2:19 am
LOL what if the tree falls down like it did to the Eisenhower one at Augusta? lol