off chill, eager golfers
prepare to play.
(Al Alexio)
Area golf fanatics shouldn’t have to travel far to get their fill of world-class golf this summer. Two separate events will bring to Rhode Island some of the world’s best golfers — along with a few golf legends.
In June, Carnegie Abbey on Narragansett Bay in Portsmouth will host Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf. The head-to-head match is between the two Ryder Cup captains for 2001: Europe’s Sam Torrance and Curtis Strange of the U.S.
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Billed as the “Battle by the Bay,” the match at the Scottish-style course will be a sneak preview of the Ryder Cup tournament at England’s historic Belfry course in September, when Strange and Torrance will lead teams of the 12 best golfers from the U.S. and Europe.
“This will be a fantastic prelude to the Ryder Cup at Belfry,” said Carnegie Abbey Club Manager Richard D. Hallam. “I think it’s great for the state of Rhode Island to be a part of it.”
The match will mark the first time Rhode Island has ever hosted the Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, which in its history has included head-to-head matches with the likes of Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer. The event has been in New England just once before, at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., nearly 40 years ago.
The match at Carnegie Abbey likely won’t lack the intensity of the biennial Ryder Cup battles, Hallam said.
“Torrance is coming over four days early just to practice,” Hallam said. “I think he wants to go back to Europe and tell his team ‘OK, I took care of round one.'”
The Ryder Cup is considered one of professional golf’s most prestigious competitions. Torrance has played in eight Ryder Cup matches, including the 1985 match at Belfry, in which he sank the winning putt. Strange has played in five Ryder Cup matches.
The Shell event is June 18-20, with the Strange-Torrance match set for June 19. The event will give a handful of area companies and individuals the chance to experience the ultra-exclusive Carnegie Abbey club, which opened last July. Plans include a black-tie charity auction, a boat race, fireworks display and a special golf clinic and tournament for sponsors.
There are a limited number of sponsorships available for the Shell event, Hallam said. Interested parties should call (401) 682-1121 for sponsorship information.
Then in July, the 2001 the CVS/Pharmacy Charity Classic – hosted by local PGA players Billy Andrade and Brad Faxon – will feature perhaps the strongest field of players in its three-year history.
The field is anchored by two golf legends: Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. Returning champion Davis Love III also will play, along with recent PGA tour winners Mark Calcavecchia, Scott McCarron and Faxon.
Other players committed to the 20-man field include Stuart Appleby, John Daly, Steve Elkington, Peter Jacobsen and Craig Stadler. Rhode Islanders Dana and Brett Quigley also will play.
Andrade and Faxon started the CVS tournament in 1999 to raise money for charities in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. The tournament has raised nearly $1 million since its inception.
The CVS Charity classic will be July 8-10 at the Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington. Tickets for the Sunday pro-am event are $20. All-day passes for Monday and Tuesday are $40 each and a ticket for all three days is $100. Tickets are available at CVS stores in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut, or by calling (866) 287-9441.
More tournament information is available at www.cvsgolf.com.
