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World Am Entries Surge

What happens when you combine a new sponsor with world-wide name recognition, a great course lineup, and a slowly improving economy? A surge in interest in the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship. The tournament is still two months away, but entries and interest in amateur golf’s coolest event are on the upswing.

Nearly 2,600 players have registered for the tournament to date, a 13 percent increase over the same time last year.

“We are pleased with the entry numbers but certainly not surprised,” said Dave Macpherson, the World Am’s tournament director. “The addition of Sports Illustrated Golf Group as our title sponsor has been a breath of fresh air for new and old players alike, and the economy, while far from ideal, is getting better.”

In addition to a SIGG joining the World Am team, the tournament enjoyed spectacular weather in 2009 and a couple significant format changes were very well received. The decision to make tournament check-in a two day process and giving players the option of checking in at different PGA Tour Superstore locations was a huge hit. Players were able to register with no wait time, and the two-day check in at the Superstore locations will return in 2010.

On the course, tournament officials opted to cut flight sizes in half to approximately 48 players and groups played as threesomes to speed the pace of play. Again, the reaction to both changes was overwhelmingly positive.

The reduction in flight size doubled the number of people who qualified to play in the World Championship Playoff, and the move to threesomes improved speed of play without infringing on the event’s camaraderie.

“The changes we made last year were very well received, and we will carry them over to this year,” Macpherson said. “We are constantly evaluating and tweaking things to provide the best tournament experience possible for players, and we will continue to improve.”