Off To Bellerive

The PGA of America has announced that the prestigious Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, will play host to the 2013 Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, as well as the 2018 PGA Championship.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — The PGA of America has selected Bellerive Country Club of St. Louis, one of America’s most storied venues, to serve as the site of the 2013 Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid and the 2018 PGA Championship. The Championships coincide with the creation of a philanthropic outreach program of The PGA and local Gateway PGA guided by baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith and other leaders in the St. Louis business community.

In May 2013, Bellerive Country Club will host its first Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, the most historic and prestigious event in senior golf. Bellerive will become the third venue to host all four of the country’s rotating major championships – the Senior PGA Championship, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and the U.S. Senior Open. Then in August of 2018, Bellerive will host the Centennial PGA Championship.

“Bellerive Country Club is one of the country’s premier championship venues that blends experience in staging a major championship, rich tradition, a spectacular golf course and a wonderful region of knowledgeable sports fans to support championships featuring both the legendary and the current finest golfers in the world,” said PGA of America President Allen Wronowski. “We enjoyed a memorable PGA Championship at Bellerive in 1992, and we believe that two more special chapters in PGA of America history will be written over championships in 2013 and 2018.”

Gov. Jay Nixon heralded the economic impact the Championships will bring to Missourians and the teamwork by which the St. Louis region and the State of Missouri were selected to work with The PGA of America in expanding the Gateway PGA Outreach Program.

“We are thrilled that the State of Missouri will be hosting two of golf’s most prestigious major championships in the next few years, placing the Show-Me State once again in the international spotlight while providing a powerful economic boost for the region,” said Gov. Nixon. “The partnership between the Gateway PGA Outreach Program and these two Championship events will have a tremendous benefit for Missouri and the people of our state.”

Gateway PGA Foundation President Ozzie Smith heads a steering committee composed of Ed Glotzbach, vice chair, Information Services Group Inc.; Michael DeCola, president and CEO, Mississippi Lime Company; Benjamin Akande, dean, George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology, Webster University; and Don Ross, vice chair, Enterprise Holdings Inc.

“The formation of this philanthropic partnership with Bellerive, St. Louis and the State of Missouri is a dynamic alignment of the economic, human and charitable impact of golf with the priorities of the community,” said PGA of America Chief Executive Officer Joe Steranka. “Our championships will have a historical and economic impact on the area for the next eight years, but the legacy of the outreach program will impact families in St. Louis and throughout the state for many more years.”

Smith, who is in his first year as president of the Gateway PGA Outreach Program, welcomed the partnership with two of The PGA of America’s premier championships. The shared mission of The PGA and Gateway charitable foundations is “Improving Lives Through Golf.”

“It is wonderful to see the City of St. Louis, which has been a major piece of my heart for so long, connect with golf in such a significant way to bring hope to many who would otherwise not have that opportunity,” said Smith. “The Gateway PGA Outreach Program is about opening doors through the influence of golf in enhancing education, the economy and family health and wellness. I could not be more excited for St. Louis in the days and years ahead.”

Founded in 1897 as the former St. Louis Field Club in north St. Louis, the membership incorporated as Bellerive Country Club in 1910, taking its name after Louis St. Ange De Bellerive, the last French Commander in North America. That same year, Scotsman Robert Foulis designed a “new” Bellerive in Normandy, where the club remained for 50 years. After half a century, the membership then voted to move west, and Mr. Jones was enlisted to chart a new course. He chose a prime farm location, and the “Green Monster of Ladue Road” opened on Memorial Day, 1960.

In 1965, coinciding with the St. Louis Bicentennial, Bellerive Country Club became the youngest course to host a U.S. Open Championship. Bellerive also has hosted the inaugural U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship in 1981 and the 2008 BMW Championship.

“Bellerive has enjoyed a long and rich relationship with The PGA of America, and are truly honored to be chosen to host their 2013 Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid and the Centennial PGA Championship in 2018,” said Steven Schumm, president of the Board of Governors of Bellerive Country Club. “We are equally excited for the economic opportunity this provides the St. Louis region and the State of Missouri, along with the launch of a new PGA vision for broad-based community benefits through golf and PGA Professionals.” Bellerive, a par-71, 7,547-yard layout, underwent a year-long renovation guided by Rees Jones, son of the late original architect, and was reopened in October 2006.