Ace Group Classic now at the TPC Treviso Bay Naples

The ACE Group Classic issued a press release Monday saying it would announce changes for 2009 today.
The site of the press conference, the Tournament Players Club Treviso Bay, will be one of them. The letterhead on the release also reads “The ACE Group Classic hosted by Peter Jacobsen.’’
Jacobsen, a 54-year-old Champions Tour player who lives in Bonita Springs, has been involved for years in managing golf events. His company, Peter Jacobsen Sports, also has an office in Southwest Florida.
“Golf’s very important to me in my life,’’ Jacobsen said after playing in the Immokalee Foundation’s charity tournament at Bay Colony Golf Club on Monday. “I love to play golf. I don’t care if it’s in a pro-am or it’s in competition. I just enjoy the game. I think my recent health struggles have made me appreciate it even more.
“So for me to be involved in golf down here, whether it’s for the Immokalee Foundation or whether it’s with a Champions Tour event like the ACE Group Classic, is very special.’’
Jacobsen has had a hip replacement, laser spine surgery, and a knee replacement in recent years.
Jacobsen, a former U.S. Senior Open and Senior Players Championship winner, also is one of game’s biggest entertainers.
ACE Group Classic tournament director Jason Camp couldn’t confirm either of the changes for the event, which is Feb. 16-22.
“We’ve got a lot of things exciting things that we can’t wait to get out in the community and the general public,’’ Camp said. “We’ve got a plan in place, and we look forward to announcing everything (today).’’
The new TPC course is not scheduled to open until Dec. 2, and there is not a clubhouse. Last week, the tournament announced it was leaving Quail West Golf & Country Club, its site in 2007 and 2008, because of the financial uncertainty surrounding Quail West developer Ginn Cos. There were two years remaining on its contract.
Even though he is a member of Quail West, 2008 ACE Champion Scott Hoch didn’t learn about the change of venue until a call from the Daily News.
“I’m disappointed it is moving away from Quail West,” Hoch said Monday morning. “But I am sure they made the best decision possible for the tournament.”
“I’m glad Peter stepped up,’’ said Fuzzy Zoeller, a Champions Tour player and Naples National Golf Club member. “All of the players enjoy playing. They always have a great tournament, a good following down here.’’
The first nine of the TPC Treviso Bay course, which was designed by Arthur Hills and Champions Tour player Hal Sutton, opened in April. The clubhouse is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2010.
“We’ve played many tournaments over my 32 years ... that don’t either have a clubhouse or they don’t let us in the clubhouse,’’ Jacobsen said. “Actually, building a temporary facility almost works better, because you’re actually building the facility that you want.’’
“I imagine it will be an inconvenience but we have played in regular tour events where there wasn’t a clubhouse,” Hoch said.
“Hey, what the heck, as long as there’s a tournament, who cares?’’ said Champions Tour player and part-time Tiburon resident Wayne Levi.
As for playing a new course instead of Quail West, Hoch once again said he was disappointed but said this makes it a level playing field.
“It’s going to be new to everyone,” Hoch said. “Besides the tournament, I had only ever played 18 holes at Quail West, so there wasn’t really an advantage for me just because I own a home there.”
Hoch made an 8-foot birdie on both the final hole of regulation and the first hole of a four-way playoff to win the 2008 ACE in its second year at Quail West.
Staff writer Tom Hanson contributed to this article.
Posted earlier:
ACE Group Classic tournament director Jason Camp and Champions Tour professional Peter Jacobsen will be announcing important changes for the 2009 ACE Group Classic on Tuesday at a press conference at TPC Treviso Bay.
The new TPC course is not scheduled to open until Dec. 2, and there is not a clubhouse. Last week, the tournament announced it was leaving Quail West Golf & Country Club, its site in 2007 and 2008, because of the financial uncertainty surrounding Quail West developer Ginn Cos. There were two years remaining on its contract.
Jacobsen confirmed Monday that the 2009 event will be played at Treviso Bay.
"We've got a lot of things exciting things that we can't wait to get out in the community and the general public,'' Camp said. "We've got a plan in place, and we look forward to announcing everything tomorrow.''
Even though he is a member of Quail West, 2008 ACE Champion Scott Hoch didn’t learn about the change of venue until a call from the Daily News.
“I’m disappointed it is moving away from Quail West,” Hoch said Monday morning. “But I am sure they made the best decision possible for the tournament.”
The TPC Treviso Bay course, which was designed by Arthur Hills and Champions Tour player Hal Sutton, isn’t set to be completed until the first week in December. The players however will not have the luxury of a clubhouse, which hasn’t been built.
“I imagine it will be an inconvenience but we have played in regular tour events where there wasn’t a clubhouse,” Hoch said.
As for playing a new course instead of Quail West, Hoch once again said he was disappointed but said this makes it a level playing field.
“It’s going to be new to everyone,” Hoch said. “Besides the tournament, I had only ever played 18 holes at Quail West, so there wasn’t really an advantage for me just because I own a home there.”
Hoch made an 8-foot birdie on both the final hole of regulation and the first hole of a four-way playoff to win the 2008 ACE in its second year at Quail West.(source:naples news 11-17-2008)

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Shark Shootout Dec.10-14 in Naples-Pairings Announced

Merrill Lynch Shootout host Greg Norman announced the pairings for the 20th edition of his tournament set to play at the Tiburon Golf Club at the Ritz Carlton in Naples December 10th to 14th.A snapshot of the 11 teams looking to dethrone Austin and Calcavecchia:

Greg Norman & Camilo Villegas – Norman, a World Golf Hall of Fame member, will match up well with one of the best young players in the game. The twosome will probably be doing some homework as they prepare to represent the International Team in next year’s Presidents Cup competition, where Norman is the captain. Villegas, won back-to-back titles during the FedEx Cup playoffs, including THE TOUR Championship, which vaulted him up the International points list to the No.2 spot.

Stewart Cink & Fred Couples – This twosome represented the U.S. on several Presidents Cup teams at the same time and will perhaps do so again next year. Couples will serve as captain and Cink, who was victorious at this year’s Travelers Championship, is a regular among the top 20 in the world rankings.

J.B. Holmes & Boo Weekley – When you are not watching Holmes launch drives beyond comprehension you can be entertained by the impeccable ball striking and down-home humor of Weekley. As evidenced by their success at the Ryder Cup and two individual titles during the 2008 season, this team has incredible talent and could be in contention coming down the stretch Sunday.

Paul Azinger & Rocco Mediate – Both enjoyed moments during the 2008 season that will long be remembered as incredible performances in golf lore. Because of their accomplishments they probably will be smiling all week regardless of the competition’s outcome. Azinger was captain of the victorious United States Ryder Cup and Mediate lived a dream as he battled Tiger Woods for the U.S. Open title.

Graeme McDowell & Ian Poulter – The always colorfully dressed Poulter was runner-up at the British Open earlier this year and had the best record among the Europeans in the Ryder Cup in September. He is joined by fellow Ryder Cup teammate McDowell, who won twice on the European Tour and finished 5th on the Order of Merit this year. This rookie team both ranked in the top 35 in the world could be tough to handle.

Scott Hoch & Kenny Perry – Have combined for five titles this year alone and 23 throughout the years. Hoch won twice on the Champions Tour and Perry three times on the PGA TOUR. Perry was also instrumental in front of his home crowd to help the U.S. to victory at the Ryder Cup in Louisville.

Chris DiMarco & Fred Funk – Here we have a Florida Gator and a Maryland Terrapin, who seem to never find the water. This team represents two of the most consistent ball-strikers in golf. While DiMarco has battled through injury this year, Funk split time on both Tours this year. He won twice on the Champions Tour and finished second in the season-long points race by 12 points to Jay Haas.

Jerry Kelly & Steve Stricker – This snowbird team could cause loads of trouble for the field. Both live in Madison, Wisconsin and are among the toughest competitors on TOUR. Plus, Kelly knows how to win at Tiburón, having done so with Rod Pampling only two years ago.

Brad Faxon & Scott McCarron – This is one of the more dominant teams at the Merrill Lynch Shootout in the past eight years. They won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001 and finished second in 2003. This year will mark the fifth time this duo has teamed up at the Shootout. As individuals, both McCarron and Faxon are tied with Couples and Steve Elkington for the most Shootout victories with three.

Zach Johnson & Scott Verplank – Johnson’s 2007 Masters victory ignited more great performances from this sturdy competitor. He won in Atlanta and again a few weeks ago. The two compliment each other well as Verplank, a five-time winner continues another consistent year. Note: these two won the 2006 Wendy’s 3 Tour Challenge.Nick Price & Jeff Sluman – This partnership of major champions is worth watching. While both spend more of their time on the Champions Tour these days, they combine for a solid threat. Hall of Fame member Price has over 40 victories worldwide while Sluman has been one of the game’s most consistent competitors.

The Merrill Lynch Shootout will once again feature a modified alternate shot format during the first round, a better ball Saturday and a final-round scramble. Golf Channel will televise Friday's coverage and NBC will broadcast the weekend activities.Entering its 20th year, the Merrill Lynch Shootout was created by Norman to raise awareness and charitable offerings for the CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation.

Tickets for Southwest Florida’s only PGA TOUR sanctioned event are on sale now. Orders can be placed three ways - calling 888-66-SHARK, visiting Alf’s Golf Shop in Naples or at http://www.mlsshootout.com

(source: NBC2 News, 11-2008)

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Hal Sutton finished with Treviso Bay, Ready for Tour

Three weeks ago, Hal Sutton decided to get out his golf clubs. After four years away from the game, the 50-year-old circled the Champions Tour’s event near Houston for his return.
A golf course hundreds of miles to the southeast may have played a small role in his decision. Sutton was the PGA Tour’s consultant with architect Arthur Hills on the Tournament Players Club Treviso Bay, which opened nine holes in Naples during the spring. The remainder of the course is near completion, and ground was broken on the clubhouse in May.
The mind-set it took for Sutton in the design process — thinking about how a tour player would approach each hole — helped him keep some of the mental approach.
“It did keep my mind fresh, knowing how I felt everybody wanted to picture a hole in their mind, and then see it with green grass on it,” Sutton said Thursday in a press conference for the Administaff Small Business Classic, where he will make his Champions Tour debut today.
Treviso Bay general manager Bill Delayo wasn’t surprised to hear Sutton talk highly of the course.
“He’s been dedicated and passionate about it from Day 1,” he said. “That’s great, when you have a tour player that wants to have that much influence. I think it really is reflected in the final product.”
Having Sutton’s name out there is a boost for Treviso Bay.
“We’re thrilled to have Hal out on tour doing what he loves to do best,” Delayo said. “The more success he can have, it’s only going to be more beneficial to Treviso Bay’s brand.”
Sutton and Hills had serious discussions on the layout of many holes, including what length the final hole should play at. Eventually, the pair of nines were switched, giving players a par-5 as the finishing hole.
“Treviso Bay was a fun project with (VK Development’s) Sanjay (Kuttemperoor) and his family,” Sutton said. “They wanted a tremendous product, and hopefully they think they have it, now that we’re finished with it.”
Sutton hopes that final product will be the home to a professional tour event, a hope shared by VK Development.
“We built that golf course with Tour players in mind, trying to keep it fair as we possibly could keep it for the average player,” Sutton said. “I think it will be very challenging when and if we ever get there. I think we probably will one day.”
Just over six months ago when he played Treviso Bay’s first round on the nine holes, Sutton was noncommittal on playing the Champions Tour. Sutton’s last PGA Tour victory was at The Woodlands, the same course the Champions Tour is at this week, so he thought making his debut there made sense.
“I wanted to play these last two events,” said Sutton, who will also play next week in San Antonio. “They were close to home. Kind of stick my toe in the water, if you will, see what needs to be done in the offseason and really go at this full steam ahead next year.”
When Sutton picked up his clubs again last month, it didn’t take him much time to run out of steam.
“When you haven’t played that much, to go out and spend two or three hours on the practice tee was exhausting,” said Sutton, who won 14 tour events, including two Players Championships and the 1983 PGA. “So this has been a slow, gradual process.”(Source: Naples News, 10-16-2008)

David William Auston specializes in luxury golf real estate in Naples, Florida. David@DavidNaples.com