By Fred Altvater
As we turn our focus to 2022, we are excited about the new possibilities and once the temperatures climb above freezing and the snow melts, we can’t wait for the upcoming golf season.
Ohio always hosts several professional golf tournaments, The Memorial, The Senior PLAYERS at Firestone, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship and the Dana Open. In 2022, the LPGA will also play the inaugural Kroger Queen City Classic at the newly renovated, Kenwood Golf Club in Cincinnati. The Queen City was a regular stop on the LPGA Tour in years past and we are excited to see them return to southeastern Ohio.
We always enjoy traveling around the Buckeye state and playing new courses. Ohio is home to some of the best courses in the country, plus the public golf opportunities around the state are boundless.
Will Tiger Woods be able to return to PGA Tour action? We saw Tiger last month at the PNC Parent/Child event in Florida. Tiger confesses that he has not seen the return of sufficient club head speed to create the distance necessary to compete on the PGA TOUR, but it was certainly a joy to see him back on a golf course, a mere eight months after his horrific car crash.
We especially enjoyed the budding competition between Nelly Korda and Jin Young Ko on the LPGA Tour last year and we want more. Now that COVID is waning and Jin Young Ko is expected to play a full schedule in the United States, we should see these two bright stars going head-to-head on a more regular basis. We can only hope.
What will Phil do Next? Will he jump into a TV booth, play more on the PGA TOUR Champions, or will he win again on the PGA Tour? Phil surprised everyone with his win last season at the PGA Championship at Kiawah. With a new five-year exemption into the majors and seemingly ageless body, would another Masters title be entirely out of the question?
We can’t wait to watch Ohio Native Austin Greaser, who finished runner-up at the 2021 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont, compete at The Masters. 2020 Ohio Amateur Champion and University of North Carolina golf team member, Greaser nearly won the U.S. Amateur last year, but his second-place finish assures him an invitation to golf’s greatest event, The Masters, in April.
Speaking of Ohio golfers that are on a roll. We can’t wait to see if one the hottest golfers on the planet right now, Jason Kokrak can add a major title to his resume in 2022. With three wins in the past 13 months, plus the QBE Shootout title, won with partner, Kevin Na in December, Kokrak seems to be poised to take the next step in his golf career.
Last, but certainly not least, we will report on a full schedule of amateur events around Ohio from The Ohio Golf Association, Northern Ohio Golf Association, Miami Valley Golf Association and the Cincinnati Golf Association. Ohio Golfers are lucky indeed to have these four experienced USGA Allied Partners to conduct tournaments, maintain handicaps and keep golf running smoothly.
