A new PGA Tour event in the Bay Area hosted by NBA superstar Steph Curry is now expected to debut next fall at Lake Merced Golf Club.
According to a San Francisco Chronicle report, the club’s membership voted “overwhelmingly” to approve an estimated $3.6 million in renovations that are viewed as a “prerequisite to holding the tournament.” The planned changes will reportedly be overseen by Rees Jones and could stretch the Daly City, Calfornia, course beyond 7300 yards.
Lake Merced has hosted an LPGA event four of the past five years, with Lydia Ko winning three times. It is slated to host the LPGA’s MediHeal Championship from May 2-5 next year. The Curry-hosted event is expected to take place in September as part of the fall portion of the 2019-20 season and likely close to the Safeway Open, which is annually played in Napa.
Curry is an active golfer and has played each of the last two years on a sponsor exemption in the Web.com Tour’s Ellie Mae Classic. But he’s expected to leave the clubs at home as tournament host, instead focusing on “actively recruiting” Tour players for the event while his charitable foundation will reportedly be involved in the tournament’s operation.
An earlier report from the Chronicle had noted that the renovated South Course at Alameda’s Corica Park was in the mix to potentially host the event after receiving multiple site visits from Tour agronomists in October.
Source: Internet
