2017 in golf explained
This article summarizes the highlights of professional and amateur golf in the year 2017.
Men's professional golf
See main article: 2017 FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Other leading PGA Tour events
For a complete list of PGA Tour results see 2017 PGA Tour.
Leading European Tour events
For a complete list of European Tour results see 2017 European Tour.
Team events
- 28 September – 1 October: Presidents Cup – The U.S. team won, 19–11, for the seventh straight time.[16]
Tour leaders
- PGA Tour - Justin Thomas (US$9,921,560)
- This total does not include FedEx Cup bonuses.
- European Tour – Tommy Fleetwood (5,420,530 points)
- Japan Golf Tour – Yūsaku Miyazato (¥182,831,982)
- Asian Tour – Gavin Green (US$585,813)
- Korean Tour – Kim Seung-hyuk (₩631,779,810)
- PGA Tour of Australasia – Brett Rumford (A$313,094)
- Sunshine Tour – George Coetzee (R 2,937,226) – 2017–18 season
- OneAsia Tour – Chang Yi-keun (US$270,303)
- PGA Tour Latinoamérica – José de Jesús Rodríguez (US$119,001)
Awards
Results from other tours
Other happenings
- 19 February: Dustin Johnson became the number one golfer in the world.[17]
- 14 March: The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, owners and operators of Muirfield, voted overwhelmingly to admit women to the club for the first time. The R&A responded by reinstating Muirfield as a venue for The Open Championship. The club had been removed from the rotation in 2016 after voting against admitting women.[18]
- 8 August: The PGA of America and the PGA Tour jointly announced that beginning in 2019, the PGA Championship would move from August to May, and The Players Championship would move from May to March.[19]
- 23 August: Augusta National Golf Club, operator of the Masters Tournament, announced that Billy Payne, who had served as club chairman since October 2006, would retire effective with the start of the club's next season on October 16. Payne's replacement is Fred Ridley, a past president of the USGA.[20]
Women's professional golf
For a complete list of LPGA Tour results, see 2017 LPGA Tour.
Additional LPGA Tour events
Ladies European Tour event
For a complete list of Ladies European Tour results see 2017 Ladies European Tour.
Legends Tour event
Team events
- 18–20 August: Solheim Cup – Team USA won the Cup with a 16½–11½ victory over Team Europe.[29]
Money list leaders
- LPGA Tour – Park Sung-hyun (US$2,335,883)
- LPGA of Japan Tour – Ai Suzuki (¥140,122,631)
- Ladies European Tour – Georgia Hall (€368,935)
- LPGA of Korea Tour – Lee Jeong-eun (₩1,149,052,534)
- Ladies Asian Golf Tour – Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras (US$13,216)
- ALPG Tour – Sarah Jane Smith (A$97,245, 2016/17 season)
- Symetra Tour – Benyapa Niphatsophon (US$124,492)
Awards
Other tour results
Other happenings
Senior men's professional golf
Charles Schwab Cup playoff events
Full results
Money list leaders
Awards
Amateur golf
Other happenings
Golf in multi-sport events
- 27–30 June: Island Games – Isle of Man took the men's team and individual golds while Åland took the women's individual and Gotland took the women's team.
- 22–26 August: Southeast Asian Games – Kosuke Hamamoto and Atthaya Thitikul, both of Thailand, took the individual gold medals in the men's and women's events, respectively. Singapore won the men's team gold medal and Thailand took the women's.
- 24–27 August: Summer Universiade – Raul Pereda de la Huerta of Mexico and Mariel Galdiano of the United States took the individual men's and women's gold medals, respectively. Japan and the United States took the team men's and women's gold medals, respectively.
Other headlines
- 11 December: The USGA and R&A jointly announced two significant changes to the Rules of Golf:[52]
- From 1 January 2018, video review protocols would be changed by means of a "Local Rule" to be followed by all major golf tours. All televised tournaments would dedicate at least one official to monitor the event's TV coverage to handle rules issues. Viewer feedback on potential rules violations would no longer be accepted, and the only acceptable source of video evidence of rules violations would be the event's broadcast partner(s).
- Also from 1 January 2018, another Local Rule removes the 2-stroke penalty for signing an incorrect scorecard in cases when the golfer was not notified of a rules violation at the time of signing. From 1 January 2019, the penalty for signing an incorrect scorecard will be completely removed from the Rules of Golf.
Deaths
- 4 January – Wayne Westner (born 1961), South African golfer who won twice on the European Tour.[53]
- 13 January – John Jacobs (born 1925), Ryder Cup player and captain, founder of European Tour, and World Golf Hall of Fame member.[54]
- 27 January – Betty Stanhope-Cole (born 1937), Canadian amateur golf and member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.[55]
- 2 March – Simon Hobday (born 1940), South African golfer who won the 1994 U.S. Senior Open.[56]
- 15 March – Jackie Pung (born 1921), American golfer who won the 1952 U.S. Women's Amateur and five times on the LPGA Tour.[57]
- 19 March – Ken Still (born 1935), American golfer who won three times on the PGA Tour.[58]
- 20 March – John Paul Cain (born 1936), American golfer who won twice on the Senior PGA Tour.[59]
- 10 April – Al Besselink (born 1923), American golfer who had five PGA Tour wins.[60]
- 1 June – Roberto De Vicenzo (born 1923), Argentine golfer who won the 1967 Open Championship and World Golf Hall of Fame member.[61]
- 3 June – Vincent Tshabalala (born 1942), South African golfer who won the 1976 French Open.[62]
- 22 June – Sandy Tatum (born 1920), American amateur golfer and former United States Golf Association president.[63]
- 7 September – Charles Owens (born 1932), American golfer who won two Senior PGA Tour events.[64]
- 9 September – Doug Sewell (born 1929), English professional golfer.[65]
- 7 December – Tommy Horton (born 1941), English golfer who won four times on the European Tour and 23 times on the European Seniors Tour.[66]
- 17 December – Al Kelley (born 1935), American golfer who won one Senior PGA Tour event.[67]
Table of results
This table summarizes all the results referred to above in date order.
Notes and References
- News: Sergio Garcia outlasts Justin Rose to claim Masters, first major . ESPN . Associated Press . 9 April 2017.
- News: Brooks Koepka wins U.S. Open, ties Rory McIlroy's scoring mark . ESPN . Associated Press . 18 June 2017.
- News: Jordan Spieth wins Open for 3rd major title, finishes 3 shots ahead of Matt Kuchar . ESPN . 23 July 2017.
- News: Justin Thomas closes with 3-under 68 to win PGA Championship . ESPN . Associated Press . 13 August 2017.
- News: Dustin Johnson wins WGC-Mexico Championship in his debut as No. 1 . 5 March 2017 . USA Today . Steve . DiMeglio.
- News: Dustin Johnson stays hot, holds on to edge Jon Rahm for Match Play triumph . 26 March 2017 . USA Today . Steve . DiMeglio.
- News: Hideki Matsuyama Ties a Course Record to Win the Bridgestone Invitational . 6 August 2017 . The New York Times . Karen . Crouse.
- News: Justin Rose wins WGC-HSBC with comeback over Dustin Johnson . ESPN . Associated Press . 29 October 2017.
- News: Dustin Johnson's comeback ends with playoff victory over Jordan Spieth . ESPN . Associated Press . 27 August 2017.
- News: Justin Thomas holds on in Boston to earn fifth win of the season . ESPN . Associated Press . 4 September 2017.
- News: Marc Leishman breaks tournament record, eyes FedEx Cup title . ESPN . Associated Press . 17 September 2017.
- News: Xander Schauffele is first rookie to win Tour Championship; Justin Thomas takes FedEx Cup . ESPN . Associated Press . 25 September 2017.
- News: Players Championship: Kim Si-woo holds off Ian Poulter to become youngest winner . 15 May 2017 . BBC Sport.
- News: PGA Championship: Alexander Noren shoots record 62 to win at Wentworth . 28 May 2017 . BBC Sport.
- News: Tommy Fleetwood wins European Tour's Race to Dubai . ESPN . PA Sport . 19 November 2017.
- News: Presidents Cup: United States win seventh successive title . 1 October 2017 . BBC Sport.
- News: Dustin Johnson wins Genesis Open to claim world No. 1 ranking . ESPN . Associated Press . 19 February 2017.
- News: Muirfield golf club overturns men-only policy . BBC . 14 March 2017 . 15 March 2017.
- News: PGA Championship will move to May beginning in 2019 at Bethpage Black . Kyle . Porter . . 8 August 2017 . 11 August 2017.
- News: Billy Payne retires as Augusta National chairman, replaced by Fred Ridley . Bob . Harig . ESPN . 23 August 2017 . 24 August 2017.
- News: Ryu wins ANA Inspiration in playoff after Thompson's penalty . USA Today . Associated Press . 3 April 2017.
- News: Danielle Kang edges defending champion Brooke Henderson to win KPMG Championship . ESPN . Associated Press . 2 July 2017.
- News: Sung Hyun Park wins U.S. Women's Open in front of President Trump . ESPN . Associated Press . 16 July 2017.
- News: IK Kim holds off Jodi Ewart Shadoff challenge to win women's British Open . ESPN . PA Sport . 6 August 2017.
- News: Evian Championship: Anna Nordqvist wins at first play-off hole . BBC Sport . 17 September 2017.
- News: Ariya Jutanugarn rallies for CME win after Lexi Thompson misses 2-foot putt . ESPN . Associated Press . 20 November 2017.
- News: Angel Yin wins Omega Dubai Ladies Classic in playoff . ESPN . Associated Press . 11 December 2017.
- News: Trish Johnson wins inaugural Senior LPGA Championship in wire-to-wire fashion . Golfweek . Associated Press . 12 July 2017.
- News: Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer help U.S. to Solheim Cup win in Iowa . ESPN . Associated Press . 20 August 2017.
- Web site: Ariya Jutanugarn beats Lexi in playoff, grabs No. 1 ranking from Lydia Ko . Golf.com . Associated Press . 11 June 2017.
- Web site: So Yeon Ryu Becomes No. 1 Player in Rolex Rankings . LPGA . 26 June 2017.
- Web site: Sung Hyun Park Becomes Top Player in Rolex Rankings . LPGA . 6 November 2017.
- Web site: Shanshan Feng Goes Back-to-back with Win in China. LPGA . 11 November 2017.
- News: Bernhard Langer's eighth PGA Tour Champions win ties Jack Nicklaus . ESPN . Associated Press . 22 May 2017.
- News: Bernhard Langer wins Senior PGA for record 9th senior major victory . ESPN . Associated Press . 29 May 2017.
- News: Kenny Perry wins U.S. Senior Open by 2 strokes over Kirk Triplett . ESPN . Associated Press . 2 July 2017.
- News: Scott McCarron makes up 6-shot deficit to win Senior Players major . ESPN . 16 July 2017 . Associated Press.
- News: Two-time Masters champion Langer claims Senior Open Championship . ESPN . 30 July 2017 . Associated Press.
- News: Eagle on last hole gives Bernhard Langer Richmond win . ESPN . Associated Press . 23 October 2017.
- News: Bernhard Langer wins PowerShares QQQ with 30-footer in playoff . ESPN . Associated Press . 29 October 2017.
- News: Kevin Sutherland wins Champions finale, season title . ESPN . Associated Press . 13 November 2017.
- News: Arizona State wins 8th NCAA women's golf title . ESPN . Associated Press . 24 May 2017.
- News: Oklahoma wins NCAA golf title, beating Oregon 3-1-1 . ESPN . Associated Press . 31 May 2017.
- News: Duke's Leona Maguire wins British Open Am, qualifies for U.S. Women's Open . The Charlotte Observer . Steve . Wiseman . 17 June 2017.
- News: Florida State's Harry Ellis overcomes 4-hole deficit to win British Amateur . Golfweek . Alistair . Tait . 24 June 2017.
- News: Schubert wins US Women's Amateur 6 and 5 over Valenzuela . USA Today . Associated Press . 13 August 2017.
- News: Clemson's Doc Redman makes big late rally to win US Amateur . USA Today . Associated Press . 20 August 2017.
- News: U.S. wins back Walker Cup behind 3 Southern Californians, NCAA champ . ESPN . Associated Press . 12 September 2017.
- News: China's Lin too good in Asia-Pacific golf . ESPN . Australian Associated Press . 29 October 2017.
- Web site: Luck takes over as world number one . World Amateur Golf Ranking.
- Web site: Niemann on top of the world . World Amateur Golf Ranking.
- Local Rule, New Video Review Protocols Introduced for 2018 . United States Golf Association . 11 December 2017 . 11 December 2017.
- Web site: Wayne Westner dies in hostage drama . sport24.co.za . 4 January 2017.
- News: John Jacobs: Former Ryder Cup captain and European Tour founder dies . 13 January 2017 . BBC Sport.
- News: Canadian golfing great Betty Stanhope-Cole, who 'hated to lose more than she liked to win,' dead at 79 . 30 January 2017 . Edmonton Journal . Curtis . Stock.
- News: Simon Hobday, former US Senior Open champion, passes away aged 76 . Sky Sports . 2 March 2017.
- News: Jackie Pung dies at 95: 'Hawaii's First Lady of Golf' an LPGA pioneer . Burnett . John . Hawaii Tribune-Herald . 22 March 2017 . 29 March 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170330083709/http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/sports/local-sports/jackie-pung-dies-95-hawaii-s-first-lady-golf-lpga-pioneer . 30 March 2017 . dead . dmy-all .
- News: Affable golfing icon Ken Still, Tacoma's first PGA Tour champion, dies at 82 . The News Tribune . Todd . Milles . 20 March 2017.
- News: John Paul Cain, Tech golf great, PGA Senior player, dies at 81 . Lubbock Avalanche-Journal . Don . Williams . 24 March 2017.
- Web site: Albert Cornelius Besselink . Forever Missed . 20 November 2022.
- News: Argentine golfing legend Roberto De Vicenzo dies at age 94 . ESPN . Bob . Harig . 1 June 2017.
- News: Former SA golfer Vincent Tshabalala dies . . 4 June 2017 . 9 June 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170930070731/http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/3c6148004162a9ec88d5ed75f42df90e/Former-SA-pro-golfer-Vincent-Tshabalala-dies-20170406 . 30 September 2017 . dead . dmy-all .
- News: Former USGA President Sandy Tatum dies at 96 . USAToday . Associated Press . 22 June 2017.
- News: Winter Haven native, golfing pioneer Charlie Owens dies at 85 . . 8 September 2017 . Roy . Fuoco.
- Web site: Tributes paid to the late Douglas Sewell . The Professional Golfers' Association . 13 September 2017.
- News: European Senior Tour legend Tommy Horton dies aged 76 . Keith . Jackson . Sky Sports. 8 December 2017.
- News: Deaths in Central Florida: 12/22 . Orlando Sentinel . 22 December 2017.