TPC Sawgrass reopens - November 13, 2006
Following Renovation:
TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course Reopens Nov. 13 Nearly 30 years after its conception, the PGA TOUR’s flagship TPC Sawgrass marks the final stages of an eight-month, multi-million dollar golf course renovation program with the reopening of THE PLAYERS Stadium Course today, Nov. 13 in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Working with Jacksonville-based MacCurrach Golf Construction, Pete Dye, the course’s original architect, guided improvements to the Stadium Course, highlighted by the installation of a state-of-the-art SubAir subsurface drainage and irrigation system to ensure prime conditions regardless of the weather. Other improvements include extensive fairway renovations, requiring the removal of 24,000 tons of topsoil and the equivalent of seven miles of dump trucks full of sand; the re-building of all greens to United States Golf Association standards; lake bank stabilization and restoration; and significant changes to enhance spectator safety and viewing, including the addition of a continuous, elevated walkway along holes 16 through 18. Aesthetic and competitive enhancements to the Stadium Course, combined with the construction of a new 77,000-square-foot Mediterranean Revival-style clubhouse, scheduled to be completed in late April 2007, is expected to significantly enhance the overall experience of players and fans. Newly enhanced practice facilities, the addition of the new TOUR Academy and the recent launch of a caddie program will enable golfers to experience the course in the same way THE PLAYERS competitors do. The TPC Sawgrass will host the strongest field in professional golf from May 7-13 at THE PLAYERS. Craig Kanada:
Wins Nationwide Tour Championship at The Houstonian Craig Kanada of The Woodlands carded rounds of 73-64-72-66 for a 13-under-par 275 total and a one-shot victory over Matt Kuchar and Andrew Buckle. It was Kanada's second victory of the season and he finished in dramatic fashion, holing a chip shot to save par on the par-3 17th and chipping in for a birdie-3 on the last hole. The $135,000 winner's check was his largest ever. It moved him up to No. 11 on the final money list to earn him a PGA TOUR players card for the upcoming 2007 season.
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