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Hurley Ready to Grab
Second Chance
OMNI AMELIA ISLAND PLANTATION (2)
Nicklaus, Palmer, Gary Player and Tom Watson
dot the area.
At Hammock Beach Resort (hammock
beach.com; 386-447-4600), the Ocean Course
has six holes overlooking the Atlantic,
including the memorable par-4 18th that
stretches along the waterfront. That hole is
also the culmination of a closing stretch of
four holes known as the “Bear Claw” because
of their daunting nature. The Jack Nicklaus
Signature design blends generous fairways
with strategic, challenging putting surfaces.
The Conservatory Course, laid out by Watson,
is a links-style layout. Golfers can select from
12 sets of tees, allowing players to choose a
comfortable yardage.
Golf packages at the resort are available
for as little as $199 per golfer per night,
which includes occupancy in a villa and one
round of golf per day. Also in the area,
with the LPGA headquarters in nearby
Daytona Beach, you’ll find a pair of tracks
at LPGA International (lpgainternational.com;
386-274-5742), the Jones and the Hills, which
provide both a thorough test of golf and an
ideal place to hone your skills at a top-notch
golf academy and school.
CLAY COUNTY
Both the well-manicured and semiprivate Eagle
Harbor Golf Club (eagleharboronline.com; 904269-9300) and Magnolia Point Golf & Country
Club (magnoliapointgolfclub.com; 904-2699276), a layout that seemingly communes with
nature, offer a combination of enjoyable but
challenging rounds and stay-and-play packages
for cost-conscious golfers.
And always bear in mind: regardless of where
you go along Florida’s First Coast of Golf, there is
something for every type of golfer and traveler.
Author Michael Rand is a sportswriter from
Minneapolis, Minn., and a regular contributor to
Virginia Golfer.
may have finished 100th on the
[PGA T
our] money list,” he says
in a measured tone. “There are a
lot of guys who are good enough
to play, but there are only so
many spots in the field at each
PGA T event.
our
“And it’s harder now to get
there than it is to stay there (due
to a new system). It is harder to
get status now, but if you can get
your foot inside the door...”
Anderson continues the
thought: “A lot of good players
can play on the PGA Tour, but
lots of things have to happen. It’s
not easy to win. Is there a little
bit of luck involved? Yes. Some
things have to fall in place that you
can’t control. On the PGA Tour,
you can’t get away with missing shots like on the Web.com
T
our. As for Billy, it’s not like he
will because he’s so accurate all
the time.”
In new implemented changes
to the PGA T
our schedule, this
year has worked as a wrap-around
season. It ended in September
and began in October. A quickly
re-energized Hurley hurried to
the Frys.com Open, in which
he finished tied for ninth. He
cracked the top 50 at the Shriners
Hospitals for Children Open
the following week. His Official
World Golf Ranking improved
from 450th to 381st in two weeks.
“It was obviously a goal of the
year to get back on the [PGA]
T
our,” Hurley says, “and while it
was the focus of the year, it feels
great to accomplish a goal you
lay out.”
With that he exhaled, perhaps a
deep breath of frozen recognition
that he was back on tour. Or in
other words, Hurley locked in
and finally planted a firm one
on the illusory snake. Now all he
has to do is make sure it doesn’t
wiggle away.
Author Ken Klavon is a writer
from Somerset, N.J., and a regular
contributor to Virginia Golfer.
w w w. v s g a . o r g
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