'08 National Championship returning to Georgia
By Bob Denney, The PGA of America
Great Waters and Reynolds Landing, two venues that are part of the Southeast's premier golf course community at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga., have been named the site of the 41st PGA Professional National Championship, the showcase event for PGA Professionals, which will be contested June 19-22, 2008.
Making its first appearance in Georgia since 1979, the PGA Professional National Championship brings together a field of 312 contestants representing The PGA of America's 41 nationwide sections.
In 2008, the National Championship field will compete on both Reynolds Landing's 7,051-yard, par-72 layout, and the 7,048-yard, par-72 Great Waters, which also will be host for the final two rounds of the Championship. The PGA Professional National Championship, which carries a $550,000 total purse this year, is broadcast live, all four rounds, by the Golf Channel.
"It is with a great deal of pleasure that our Association's National Championship will showcase its finest playing professionals at Reynolds Plantation," says PGA President Brian Whitcomb. "The PGA Professional National Championship has a tradition of providing both spectacular and challenging venues which have produced outstanding Champions for four decades. Through its world-class facilities, we are delighted that Reynolds Plantation has partnered with our Association to bring the attention of the country to this Championship."
Located 75 miles east of Atlanta and 70 miles west of Augusta, Ga., Reynolds Plantation is a 10,000-plus-acre property that offers five championship golf courses among a variety of recreational pursuits for its residents. Last fall, the Oconee Course at Reynolds Plantation played host to the 22nd PGA Cup, a Ryder Cup-style competition won by the U.S. Team of PGA Professionals over Great Britain & Ireland.
"Reynolds Plantation is very excited and honored to be hosting the 2008 PGA Professional National Championship. We believe that this is a perfect partnership," says PGA Vice President of Golf Operations Bob Mauragas. "As a PGA Professional, my staff and I look forward to the challenge of making this the best PGA Professional National Championship ever."
Designed by Bob Cupp and opened for play in 1986, Reynolds Landing (formerly Port Armor) was the first golf course built on Lake Oconee, the second largest lake in Georgia. It features a variety of holes that wind through naturally wooded areas and rolling hills, with three holes that wrap along the lake shoreline. It is one of the premium tests of golf on Lake Oconee.
Great Waters is one of Jack Nicklaus' signature courses, which opened in 1992, and offers players some of the most dramatic golf scenery in the Southeast. Nine holes line the shores of Lake Oconee, offering both exciting challenges and spectacular views.
Named the "Best of the Best" Golf Community by the Robb Report, Reynolds Plantation features 81 holes of championship golf from designers Nicklaus, Cupp, Tom Fazio and Rees Jones, with a fifth course, designed by Golf Digest "Architect of the Year" Jim Engh, opened for member play late in 2007. In addition to its championship golf, Reynolds Plantation features award-winning dining, swimming pools, tennis courts, pedestrian walking trails, three full-service marinas and a new lakefront Lake Club and tennis complex. Many visitors' introduction to the community is a gracious one courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation, a 251-room lakefront resort and spa.
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