USGA To Add Four-Ball Championships, Retire Public Links
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (February 11, 2013) - The USGA unveiled their biggest championship developments in the last 25 years on Monday, Feb. 11, when they 
announced the additions of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship and Women's Amateur Four-Ball Championship to their tournament roster. The new championships will replace the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship (APL) and the Women's Amateur U.S. Amateur Public Links Championships (WAPL) beginning in 2015.
The USGA credited the addition of the new Four-Ball events to their continued commitment to support and grow amateur golf in the country, as well as the increasing popularity of the four-ball format among State and Regional Golf Associations.
“We couldn't’t be more excited about the creation of national four-ball championships, given the popularity and enjoyment of this competitive format at the amateur level,” said USGA Vice President and Championship Committee Chairman Thomas J. O’Toole Jr. “Because the four-ball format lends itself to spirited team competition and aggressive risk-reward shotmaking, we are confident these championships will deliver exciting amateur golf to the national stage for both players and spectators alike.”
The USGA said the new championships will be open exclusively to amateur golfers and will not have an age restriction. The U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball will consist of 128 and 64 two-player teams respectively, each playing their own ball throughout the round. Each team’s score will be determined using their better-ball score for each hole. After 36 holes of stroke-play competition, the field will be reduced to the low 32 teams for the match-play portion of the championship. Entry will be limited to individuals with a USGA Handicap Index not to exceed 5.4 for men and 14.4 for women.
RELATED: Register for the 2013 MGA Public Links and Men's Net Four-Ball Championships
With the addition of the Four-Ball events, the USGA will retire both the APL and WAPL. The APL, which has been played since 1922, is the USGA's fourth-oldest championship and the winner is annually rewarded with an invitation to the Masters Tournament for the following year. The WAPL first began in 1977.
“While our fondness for these championships made this decision a difficult one, we will continue to proudly celebrate the legacy and important role that the APL and WAPL have had on the game by forever honoring them in the USGA Museum, as well as in other appropriate ways,” said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director of Rules, Competitions & Equipment Standards for the USGA.
The MGA annually conducts three sectional qualifiers for the APL in June. This year, they'll be hosted at Eisenhower Park (Red), Hominy Hills GC, and Hudson Hills GC.
To view the full MGA schedule as well as the USGA qualifiers the MGA will conduct in 2013, click here.
