Champions Golf Club
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(February 2024) |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
  Location in theUnited States  Location inTexas | |
| Coordinates | 29°58′59″N95°31′52″W/ 29.983°N 95.531°W |
| Established | 1957, 67 years ago |
| Type | Private |
| Total holes | 36 |
| Events hosted | 1967 Ryder Cup 1969 U.S. Open Tour Championship(5) Houston Open(5) 1993U.S. Amateur 2020U.S. Women's Open |
| Website | www |
| Cypress Creek | |
| Designed by | Ralph Plummer (1959) Chet Williams (2018 renovation) |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 7,301 yd (6,676 m) |
| Course rating | 75.1[1] |
| Slope rating | 135[1] |
| Jackrabbit | |
| Designed by | George Fazioand Tom Fazio(renovation) |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 7,021 yd (6,420 m) |
| Course rating | 74.2[2] |
| Slope rating | 135[2] |
Champions Golf Clubis a 36-hole private golf club located inHouston,Texas.Established in 1957 by multiplemajor championsJack Burke Jr.andJimmy Demaret,who were both raised in the city, Champions carries a long history for Houston golf. Burke (1923-2024) won theMastersandPGA Championshipin 1956 and Demaret(1910–1983)was the first to win threeMasters(1940,1947,1950).
The Cypress Creek course was designed by Ralph Plummer and opened for play 65 years ago in 1959. It was the site of the1967 Ryder Cup,1969 U.S. Open,five PGATour Championships,and theU.S. Amateurin 1993. It also hosted theHouston Champions Internationalon thePGA Tourfive times, which is now theHouston Open.
In 2018, the Cypress Creek course temporarily closed for a renovation in advance of hosting the 2020 US Women's Open. The renovation was completed by architect Chet Williams, known for his work across Texas including the design of Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, TX.
The second course is the Jackrabbit course, which is used in qualifying rounds for the variousUSGAChampionships the club has hosted, while Cypress Creek is the primary tournament venue. In 2020, golfers for the U. S. Women's Open played the first or second round at Jackrabbit with the other rounds at Cypress Creek because of the December tournament date caused by a global pandemic. The Jackrabbit course opened in 1964 and was designed byGeorge Fazio,later renovated by nephewTom Fazio.
The competitive course record at Cypress Creek is held byChad Campbell,who shot a 10-under-par 61 in the third round en route to winning the Tour Championship in2003,[3][4]the last held at Champions.
Tournaments[edit]
- 1966Houston Champions International-Arnold Palmer
- 1967 Houston Champions International -Frank Beard
- 1967 Ryder Cup- U.S. team defeated Great Britain 23½ to 8½
- 1968 Houston Champions International -Roberto De Vicenzo
- 1969 U.S. Open-Orville Moody
- 1970 Houston Champions International -Gibby Gilbert
- 1971 Houston Champions International -Hubert Green
- 1973Southern Amateur-Ben Crenshaw
- 1980 Southern Amateur -Bob Tway
- 1990Nabisco Championship-Jodie Mudd
- 1993U.S. Amateur-John Harris
- 1997Tour Championship-David Duval
- 1998U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur- Virginia Derby Grimes
- 1999 Tour Championship -Tiger Woods
- 2001 Tour Championship -Mike Weir
- 2003 Tour Championship -Chad Campbell
- 2017U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur- Kelsey Chugg
- 2020 U.S. Women's Open-Kim A-lim
The club also hosts the Champions Cup Invitational, one of the premiere two-man best-ball amateur events, since 1961.
Notable History[edit]
Ben Hogan[edit]
Ben Hoganwas a frequent visitor to Champions and played in several tournaments hosted at the club. He played the last tournament of his career on the Cypress Creek course in 1971 after making a quintuple-bogey on Hole #4, a challenging par 3. Hogan hit his tee shot into the vegetation on the bank of the Cypress Creek and injured his knee searching for his ball. After deeming it unplayable, he returned to the tee box and hit two more shots into the Creek. He played his seventh shot onto the green and two putt for a score of 9.[5]
Phil Mickelson[edit]
Phil Mickelsonvisited Champions Golf Club in 1999 for putting lessons fromJackie Burke.Mickelson quipped thatBilly Ray Brownwarned him about missing short putts in front of Jackie, because Burke was notorious for punching unsuspecting students saying "It's got to hurt when you miss those!"[6]
References[edit]
- ^ab"Course Rating and Slope Database™ - Champions GC - Cypress Creek".USGA.RetrievedMarch 27,2017.
- ^ab"Course Rating and Slope Database™ - Champions GC - Jackrabbit".USGA.RetrievedMarch 27,2017.
- ^"Mmm, mmm, good! Campbell takes over tournament with 61".Spokesman-Review.(Spokane, Washington). wire reports. November 9, 2003. p. C2.
- ^"Campbell wins Tour Championship going away".Eugene Register-Guard.(Oregon). wire reports. November 10, 2003. p. E2.
- ^Pelham, Bill (2019).Burke and Demaret.PageTurner, Press and Media. p. 30.ISBN9781643762821.
- ^Pelham, Bill (2019).Burke and Demaret.PageTurner, Press and Media. p. 196.ISBN9781643762821.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Oob Golf– scorecards – Champions Golf Club
- Official Facebook Page
