The United States Golf Association is going to us the US Open, their highest-profile event, as a platform to showcase their other national championship winners in a four-hole exhibition ahead of this year's Open at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island.
The Celebration of Champions event will be a four-hole public exhibition honoring the winners of all 2017 USGA championships. The event will pair the 2017 champions of USGA national championship events as two-player mixed teams. It will be played on Tuesday, June 12.
“Our championships are open to all players who have the dream and desire to compete at the highest level,” said USGA CEO Mike Davis. “We believe hosting the inaugural Celebration of Champions – with our longtime partner Rolex – at the 118th US Open is a fitting way to celebrate each champion’s incredible achievement and acknowledge their place in golf history.”
Frankly speaking, the other USGA national championships do not get nearly the same public attention as the US Open, so utilizing the championship as an opportunity to remind people of the USGA's work and the variety of highly talented golfers the organizations crowns as champions in a variety of events for all types of golfers is welcomed.
Fox Sports 1 will broadcast the foursomes event, pairings amateurs and professionals together as they play Shinnecock Hills' holes 10-13. The 4:45 p.m. EDT shotgun start event will be open to all fans.
The event’s participants include:
- Frankie Capan -- U.S. Amateur Four-Ball
- Alice Chen -- U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball
- Kelsey Chugg -- U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur
- Noah Goodwin -- U.S. Junior Amateur
- Sean Knapp -- U.S. Senior Amateur
- Judith Kyrinis -- U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur
- Matt Parziale -- U.S. Mid-Amateur
- Kenny Perry -- U.S. Senior Open
- Doc Redman -- U.S. Amateur
- Sophia Schubert -- U.S. Women’s Amateur
- Taylor Totland -- U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball
- Ben Wong -- U.S. Amateur Four-Ball
Reigning US Open champion Brooks Koepka will not participate in the event, but he will appear at the event to welcome the players.
