You’ve probably never heard of the event, but on Monday, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will compete in the unofficial first “major” of the golf season.
At the Seminole Pro-Member at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida, Woods and McIlroy will be paired with millionaire businesspeople, celebrities, and some of the biggest movers and shakers in the golf industry. The tournament will feature dozens of PGA Tour players.
At the 7.45 am ET tee time, Woods is teamed with PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh, and he will be playing alongside tech billionaire Mike Walrath and his companion, Justin Thomas. At 8:32 a.m., McIlroy will play alongside his father, Gerry, and Padraig Harrington and PGA Tour chairman Ed Herlihy.
Played at one of the most elite golf courses in America, the Seminole Pro-Member is one of the sport’s most exclusive competitions. The event is considered “the first major of the year” by PGA Tour winner Davis Love, who has won 21 times. Seminole members have the opportunity to compete against some of the world’s top players.
Like Augusta National, Seminole has rigorous membership requirements, but unlike the home of The Masters, the course is even more mysterious because televised competitions aren’t often conducted there. It is a 6,836-yard par-72 layout off the gold tees.
Opened in 1929, the course was created by the esteemed Donald Ross. It borders the shore and is dotted with bunkers, which makes wind a factor. The professional players teeing it up face a major championship-style test due to the greens’ reputation as some of the quickest in the world.
Ninety pairs compete in the better-ball format of the tournament, and there are leaderboards for net and gross titles. In 2023, Jim Davis and Brendan Todd easily won the net title with a score of 60, three shots ahead of the McIlroys. Thomas and Walrwath won the gross title with an amazing total of 63.
Visit The Mirror US to get the most recent news, politics, sports, and entertainment from the United States.
One of the most exclusive golf courses in the United States is Seminole Golf Club.
With names like Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, Tony Finau, Collin Morikawa, and Cameron Young scheduled to compete on Monday, the event has a bigger field than most PGA Tour events during the season. A number of players scheduled to participate still need to complete their final rounds on Monday morning, so there will likely be some last-minute alterations made after the Cognizant Classic final round was postponed due to inclement weather.
Among the players are several well-known figures, such as two-time NBA champion Shane Battier and seven-time Super Bowl victor Tom Brady, who are teamed with Finau and Kevin Streelman, respectively. However, on Monday, there won’t be any LIV Golf participants in the field.
Jimmy Dunne, an investment banker, serves as both an independent director on the PGA Tour Policy Board and the president of Seminole Golf Club. Despite being a key negotiator of the framework agreement between the circuit and LIV Golf’s sponsors, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, he has decided to limit participation to PGA circuit players. Dunne is paired with Ryan Fox, a star from New Zealand.
Anthony Kim discusses his ‘tough’ LIV Golf debut and offers his aspirations for a return.
Ian Poulter criticizes the Ryder Cup’s handling and is candid about Team Europe’s comeback.
Prior to the event in 2023, Dunne said Golfweek, “We are doing what we have always done.” “First priority is given to PGA Tour players.” The PGA Tour has consistently provided sponsorship for this event. We work hard to give Tour participants a memorable and distinctive day.
After pulling out of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 16 owing to a flu episode, this will be Woods’ first competitive round of golf. The 48-year-old will most likely compete at The Players in March, but he hasn’t committed to playing at TPC Sawgrass, so he will miss the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill next weekend.
