European Tour players, Ryder Cup winners, and leading club professionals from the USA, Sweden, England, South Africa, and Canada will flock to Bermuda’s Grey Goose World Par-3 Championship at the end of March at The Turtle Hill Golf Club at The Fairmont Southampton.
Among the famed players competing is Northern Irish 1989 Ryder Cup Winner & 1989 PGA European Tour Order of Merit Winner, 7 time European Tour winner, & 4-time Australasian Tour winner, Ronan Rafferty. Other notable European players descending on Turtle Hill include: 5 time European Tour winner, 4 time European Senior Tour winner Barry Lane from England; Welsh 2 time European Tour Winner and European Senior Tour Winner, Mark Mouland; 8 time European Tour Winner, 2 time European Senior Tour Winner, Gordon Brand Jr. from Scotland; and British Gary Wolstenholme, MBE, 3 time European Senior Tour winner & British Walker Cup Player.
USA’s PGA Metropolitan section is being represented by Mark Brown and Rob Labritz, while Canada’s Ian Leggatt will also be participating. The competition is also stiff with local players, after an exciting qualifying round during the Barcardi National Par 3 Championships in January, won by Daniel Augustus and runner-up Dwayne Pearman. Bermuda’s champion, Michael Sims, is also competing in the championships.
Bermuda’s golfing community is invited to watch the Championships by Turtle Hill Golf Club Director, Anthony Mocklow, who said: “This is a phenomenal event that has grown exponentially over the past four years, and GREY GOOSE has truly elevated the prestige of the World Par 3 Championship. We are thrilled to host so many talented golfers and hope that this annual Champinship continues to drive focus on golf tourism in Bermuda. The professional golf landscape is shifting, with par-3 tournaments becoming more popular, and the World Par 3 Championships in Bermuda has been at the forefront of this movement.”
The PGA Champions Tour has just launched an official competition using a par-3 course in Missouri, a landmark event supported by prominent golf legend, Jack Nicklaus. Par-3 golf is less time-consuming, less expensive, and less intimidating for beginners, but still offers a challenge for golfing enthusiasts. During the 2013 annual tournament on Turtle Hill, veteran Ryder Cup Captain Tony Jacklin commented that The Fairmont Southampton’s Turtle Hill Golf Club had views that were better than the famed PebbleBeach golf course, with grounds that matched Augusta National in Georgia.
The highlight of the social scene during the Grey Goose World Par 3 Championship will be the Golf Live Dinner with The Golf Channel’s lead analyst Charlie Rymer on Saturday, March 29, 2014.
During the evening there will be video highlights and a fireside chat with some of golf’s greats, including some of the aforementioned players, and Win McMurray, an anchor on the Golf Channel. Rymer’s knowledge of golf and quick wit will make for an entertaining evening. Tickets are available at http://www.bdatix.bm/ for $125 with part proceeds benefitting the Bermuda Sea Turtle Project, the official charity partner of the Turtle Hill Golf Club.