U.S. Men's & Women's Public Links Coming Up at Bandon Dunes


Play will begin Monday, June 27th for both the U.S. Men's and Women's Amateur Public Links championships at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. A total of 312 players will make the trek to the remote corner of southwest Oregon to play two courses at the world-class facility.

The two championships will rotate between the Bandon Trails and Old Macdonald courses. Bandon Trails was designed by Coore-Crenshaw and "Old Mac" is a co-design by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina.

In selecting the courses, Bill McCarthy, the USGA's Championship Director of the Men's Public Links, said during a media session in April, "We wanted challenging courses in which they will need to pull every club out of their bags during the round. We chose these two courses (Trails and Old Macdonald) because they are so different from each other, and the champions will need a variety of skills to win.''

McCarthy added that he's hoping the two courses will present varied challenges depending on the time of the day. "We will be playing in the morning and afternoon, so the winds will be different."

The two national public links events in 2011 will be the third and fourth USGA national championships at the resort. They were preceded by the 2006 Curtis Cup Matches played on Pacific Dunes (won by the U.S.) and the '07 U.S. Mid-Amateur, contested at Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails.

Of the event, which involves 500 staff members and 200 caddies - along with galleries and parents and friends of the contestants - the resort's general manager Hank Hickox said, "This is the biggest thing to happen to us ever."

Mike Keiser, the owner and developer of Bandon Dunes, has long been a proponent of amateur golf and the USGA. "To take this on, closing the course in high season, is a huge commitment on Mike Keiser's part, and we're extremely grateful," noted Christie Austin, chairman of the Amateur Public Links Championship Committee and member of the USGA Executive Committee, in April.

Defending WAPL champion Emily Tubert has entered the championship, but reigning APL champion Lion Kim has announced his intentions to turn professional upon college graduation and will not travel to Oregon to defend his title.

For further information, including pairings and starting times for both the men and women, visit http://www.usga.org/ChampEventSite.aspx?id=17179869204.