MAY 27, 2015

Desert Forest Golf Club to host 21st Annual Quail Cup

Prestigious professional-amateur invitational to be played May 28-30

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CAREFREE – It’s not often that you find golf tournaments where amateur players are able to go head-to-head with professional PGA TOUR stars and come out on top of their scorecards. That’s exactly what happened in 2000 when amateur Lou Beebe sank an 8-foot birdie putt on the first sudden death hole to defeat Phil Mickelson and his amateur playing partner Rob Mangini in the popular Quail Cup. Beebe and his pro partner, Barry Conser had bragging rights for at least a year.

The 20th annual Quail Cup will be played at the magnificent Desert Forest Golf Club on May 28-30. 50 Pro-Amateur teams are expected to tee it up in the thrilling 36-hole tournament that began competitive play in the late 1980’s when four amateur golfers from the finest private country clubs across the United States converged on iconic Desert Forest and played as Club Team Matches. The format was changed in 1995 when top Arizona amateurs were given the task of teaming up with a professional to compete in a two round, better ball event played at scratch. The newly-formed Invitational drew rave reviews and has been met with unparalleled success.

Other former PGA TOUR players that have participated in Quail Cups include Jim Strickland, Todd Demsey, Tom Kalinowski and Jesse Mueller. “Our format is not only unique, but also promotes camaraderie amongst all the players, pros and amateurs alike. The Founders of the Quail Cup wanted to have the players experience three days of golf, a practice round and two official rounds on a great golf course along with food and beverages and nothing more,” said Brandon Rogers, Head Golf Professional at Desert Forest Golf Club. “The “no frills” style of competition is still in effect today and all the players would want it no other way.”

A practice round will be held on Thursday, May 28 for all competitors beginning after 10am while tournament play will get underway in a 1 p.m. shotgun start on Friday, May 29. Final round action is slated for Saturday, May 30. Tee times will begin with a 9 a.m. start.

Additionally, The Walking Golfer publication recently selected Desert Forest as one of the finest walking golf courses in the entire state of Arizona. The Red Lawrence-designed layout has consistently been ranked near or at the top of the favorable walking golf course list for many, many years. The Walking Golfer’s Society is “dedicated to providing information about the many benefits of walking when you golf, which is how the game was intended to be played.”

Celebrating 50 years of unparalleled success in 2012, Desert Forest Golf Club moves forward after an illustrious first half century collecting accolades from Golf Magazine, “50 Greatest Courses in the Last 50 Years,” and “Top 100 Courses in the U.S.”; Golf Digest, “Best 100 Courses in America for 17 Straight Years,” among many other notable awards. And, now an alliance with Troon Golf’s Agronomy department, one of the world’s leading golf marketing and management companies, enables Desert Forest Golf Club to enter its next 50 years with an enviable position and continue to stake its claim as an iconic treasure on the world’s golf landscape.

For more information on Desert Forest Golf Club and the 2015 Quail Cup Invitational to be played on May 28-30, call 480-488-4589 or visit www.desertforestgolfclub.com.