Latest news with #CongressionalCountryClub
Washington Post
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Doctors told him walking would be a struggle. Just watch him golf.
Ford Martin drew a breath and settled his nerves while surveying the fairway from the No. 1 tee box at Woodmont Country Club Monday morning. With his drive representing the first stroke at this week's U.S. Adaptive Open, cheers erupted from the family and friends following Martin around the property in Rockville, Maryland, minutes from where he grew up playing golf at Congressional Country Club.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
They keep a precious memory alive -- Ken Venturi's epic U.S. Open victory
They keep a precious memory alive -- Ken Venturi's epic U.S. Open victory originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Without fail, the next few days will bring a litany of complaints from professional golfers who will tell us the rough is too high and unfairly lush. Advertisement Unless they are focused on the greens, which have too much speed, or the par-3 eighth hole, which at 289 to 301 yards is too long. It is the week of a U.S. Open at Oakmont and the grousing and growling of the setup will lead to countless descriptions from players about 'hard' and 'grueling' and perhaps 'excruciating' conditions. All the time, of course, left unsaid is the fact said players are blessed to be playing for obscene gobs of money – a purse of $21.4m a year ago, $4.3m to the winner. It's all so much noise, of course, which is why it was a delight to discover a brilliant antidote: There's a special group that annually salutes a U.S. Open champion who faced 'hard' and 'grueling' and 'excruciating' challenges like nothing this year's field at Oakmont will encounter. Advertisement Bravo their desire is to keep the memory of Ken Venturi's 1964 win at Congressional CC in Bethesda, Md., very much alive. 'If you forget your past, what are you?' asked Ed Love, a longtime member at Congressional. 'History is important.' As they have done each June 20th since 2015, a group of members at vaunted Congressional Country Club (looming majestically in the background) have shown their reverence for Ken Venturi's spirited 1964 U.S. Open victory. The founding members of the Venturi Society (from left) Bob Murphy, Ed Love, Paris Fisher and Bubby Rogers, standing with Venturi's son, Matt, who holds the trophy, deserve applause for keeping alive the memory of an iconic national McCabe History when it is rich and layered in human drama needs to be handled properly, which is where Love and his friends from Congressional CC enter the picture. In advance of a U.S. Open at Congressional in 2011, Venturi was invited to speak and oh, the stories he weaved. There were the priceless highlights – from a third-round front-nine scorecard of 3-3-4-3-3-4-3-3-4 for 30 to tie what was then a U.S. Open record for nine holes, to discovering he had so many fans rooting for his success. Advertisement 'Maybe I had Arnie's outcasts,' Venturi had laughed to reporters 61 years ago, alluding to Palmer, who played right ahead of him for those final 36 holes on Saturday. 'For a long time all I thought I had was Venturi's Vultures.' But the focal point to Venturi's 1964 triumph will forever be the excessive heat in the area – reported to be over 100 degrees for the final day of competition – and how a physician who was on hand feared for Venturi's health. He played on, of course, and it is the stuff of legends how Venturi, then 33, managed to come from six off Tommy Jacobs' lead through 36 holes and shoot 66-70 – 136 over the closing 36 holes in extreme heat Saturday, June 20, 1964 to finish at 2-under and win by four. Advertisement It's also the stuff of legends how the physician, Dr. John Everett, walked the afternoon's fourth round to make sure Venturi took his salt tablets to combat dehydration. 'Ken Venturi frankly put Congressional on the map,' said Love, who along with clubmates Bob Murphy, Paris Fisher, Bubby Rogers and others, were overwhelmed with Venturi's conversations that night in 2011. In ensuing years, they frequently reminisced about Venturi's impact on the club until in 2015 when they decided to give birth to the Venturi Society. This wasn't going to be 'a beer-fest thing,' chuckled Love. 'We wanted it to be a little more sophisticated.' They hit their mark. Advertisement The Venturi Society holds the 1964 U.S. Open champion in deep reverence and their tribute, which is held each June 20th, speaks to that respect. The men wear tuxedos, the women fashionable attire, and the group walks down the 18th fairway where they stop and have a champagne toast in memory of the great champion whose determination in dire circumstances shined through and whose dignity graced the game until his death at 82 in 2013. Four days after Ken Venturi's '64 U.S. Open victory, he received this congratulatory letter from Bobby Jones, the legend behind the Masters. Calling Venturi's tournament "magnificent in every respect," Jones went on to recall how Venturi had rebounded from the heartache of the 1956 Masters by winning in California several months later. Advertisement We suspect Jones was referring to Venturi's second California State Amateur triumph. This letter is on display inside the clubhouse at Congressional. Beyond the walk and the champagne, the group annually adds other small tributes to the day. Venturi hit a 6-iron into the front right bunker on his 72nd hole, then splashed his third to 10 feet and made the putt to win in style. As part of their commemoration, the group uses that same 6-iron from 1964 to hit shots into the 18th and then roll the 10-footer that Venturi famously made. Matt Venturi, Ken's son, has come three or four times and watching him take swings with his father's 6-iron leaves Venturi Society members with warmth in their hearts. Advertisement It is a small affair, nothing elegant, but the Venturi Society speaks to the passion that so many of us have for the game and its history. 'Congressional is a big, big club,' said Love. 'Part of the reason we have the (Venturi) Society is to try and make the club a littler smaller.' 'It's a nice experience for all of us.' It's also a beautiful reminder that great golfers did great things decades ago, even if there are a few generations of fans who date the game's starting point to when ShotLink came on line or when Social Media discovered golf. To pay homage to Venturi is so deserving because his connections to game are plentiful – a brilliant amateur, a 14-time PGA Tour winner, and a 35-year fixture at CBS starting in 1968. Advertisement Few have treated the game with more respect than Venturi and his epic performance at Congressional 61 years ago is worth recalling. 'Venturi could not eat. His face was ashen, his eyes glazed and he walked to locker without saying a word to anybody,' is how Sports Illustrated's Alfred Wright reported on seeing Venturi in thost 50 minutes between Rounds 3 and 4. Venturi had miraculously shot 4-under 66 to get to 2-under, two behind Jacobs, who had shot a morning 70. But he had labored noticeably, especially late. Venturi nearly collapsed on the 15th hole and had to use cold compresses and ice packs. Advertisement At 17 he hiccupped over a 17-inch putt and made bogey. At 18 he missed a short birdie putt. In what would be the last time the U.S. Open was played with a 36-hole finale, pairings remained the same for the afternoon – Jacobs with Palmer, who was six off the lead, and Venturi, the closest pursuer, out with a young man by the name of Raymond Floyd. But between the third and fourth rounds, Floyd found Ken Venturi's wife, Conni, told her, 'He's sick.' Dr. Everett, a club member, urged Venturi not to continue. To do so, he said, 'might be fatal.' Venturi, whose career had gone sideways in 1961-63, shook his head. According to a USGA story written by Dave Shedloski, Venturi said, 'I'm already dying. I have no place else to go.' Advertisement On the first tee for the final round, Venturi was accompanied by Dr. Everett, who was in full supply of salt tablets; a marshal who lent an umbrella when the player needed the shade; and Joe Dey, the executive director of the USGA. Though Venturi wobbled at the 14th and said to Dey on the next hole, 'if you won't slap a two-stroke penalty on me, Joe, I'm going to slow down,' he incredibly remained in command of his golf. No so for Jacobs (76 – 282) and Palmer (74 – 286), both of whom wilted in the heat and the pressure. But Venturi? It was the heat, he insisted, not the pressure. 'I was not shaking from nerves. It was just the loss of my salt, I suppose, he said. Advertisement Then he added: 'I've tasted the bitterness of defeat, and now I'm going to taste the sweetness of success.' As for Ed Love, Bob Murphy, Paris Fisher, Bubby Rogers, and Matt Venturi and so many others who cherish the memory of Ken Venturi, there is an annual reminder to toast the sweetness and courage of a champion golfer. Well played, gentlemen. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Epoch Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Senior PGA Will Be Played at Washington-Area Club Long-Connected to Political Power
Commentary BETHESDA, MD.—Congressional Country Club's stately clubhouse occupies the highest portion of the terrain as it looks out over the property. Proximity to power is the calling card for the 380-acre Congressional CC, just 12 miles northwest of the White House and Capitol Hill. Interestingly, when the 1921 U.S. Open was played at Columbia CC in Chevy Chase, Maryland, the sitting president—Warren Harding—was the first chief executive to be on hand and present the winner with the championship trophy. Three years later, Congressional was officially opened by President Calvin Coolidge, an event worthy of a front-page story in The Washington Post. Founding members included former Presidents William Taft and Woodrow Wilson. In the years to follow, former President Herbert Hoover would be on property. Following World War II, former President Dwight Eisenhower and his Cabinet were frequent visitors. In years to come, former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama would play there, too. Originally, the club had a relatively straightforward 18-hole course designed by gifted architect Devereux Emmet. There were also swimming pools, tennis courts, a bowling alley, comprehensive banquet and dining halls, 20 overnight rooms, and a presidential suite. The nation's elite were clearly front and center. Related Stories 5/20/2025 5/12/2025 The genesis of the club came from two Indiana businessmen who founded it as a venue for politicians and cognoscenti to meet, unconstrained by red tape and formality. In the early years, golf was a secondary consideration, and during World War II, the club was commandeered as a training ground for highly secret activities. The Office of Strategic Services—later called the CIA—used the property for a number of military training operations. In 1964, 40 years after its opening, the club played host to the sport's most important event, the U.S. Open. Congressional's layout was the longest, and the main storyline coming out of that event was the searing heat and humidity that nearly caused Ken Venturi to be hospitalized. Venturi had to play two 18-hole rounds in one day, and a doctor was summoned to accompany him on his way to securing the title. Afterward, the U.S. Golf Association (USGA) changed the long-time format of 36 holes played on the final day to one round played per day over four days. The 18th hole at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., on Sept. 7, 2021. The course was the site of the 2022 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. Gary Kellner/PGA of America In the years to follow, Congressional saw various golf course architects plant their fingerprints on the property. Prior to hosting the 1964 U.S. Open, the club engaged the services of the most sought-after architect—Robert Trent Jones Sr. Jones added nine new holes in 1957 and remodeled the original Emmet design. Additional changes were carried out by Jones's son Rees in 1989. George and Tom Fazio were also hired in 1977 and added a fourth nine. Hosting golf events of stature became part of the club's agenda. In 1976, the PGA Championship was played there, and the winner was Dave Stockton. From 1980 to 1986, the club was the venue for the Kemper Open. In 2005, the PGA Tour returned with the Booz Allen Classic. Congressional never rated highly as a golf course to many aficionados in the architectural community, but the close proximity to the corridors of power in Washington mattered more. When the Kemper was played, PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman originally hailed from the nation's capital and provided the needed impetus for the PGA Tour to grow rapidly during his tenure from 1974 to 1994. His successor also had a clear Washington connection. After practicing law in Virginia Beach for three years, Tim Finchem served in the White House during the Carter administration as deputy adviser to the president in the Office of Economic Affairs in 1978 and 1979. Finchem, prior to ascension to the commissioner's position on the PGA Tour, cofounded the National Marketing and Strategies Group in Washington. Finchem would serve as commissioner of the PGA Tour from 1994 to 2016. The USGA also saw the value in keeping Congressional on its short list of preferred venues when staging the 1995 U.S. Senior Open. Two years later, the national championship of American golf—the U.S. Open—was played and won by Ernie Els. Clinton was on hand for a portion of that event, which returned in 2011 and was won by 22-year-old Rory McIlroy with a record-setting performance. The 11th hole at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., on Sept. 6, 2021. Gary Kellner/PGA of America Through the years, the facility has used various course configurations, including having a par-three hole as the final hole (1997 U.S. Open). Two holes from the adjacent course were also used for the 1976 PGA Championship. In 2009, the 'Open Doctor,' Rees Jones, was called back to reverse the direction of the 18th—now the 218-yard 10th, with the rest of the routing shifted accordingly, making the long and testing 523-yard par-four 17th the new finishing hole. The closer provides a demanding ending with a peninsula green that's well-protected by water on the left and rear sides. For this week's Senior PGA, the Blue Course will again be used and will play to a par-72 at 7,152 yards. The course was updated by architect Andrew Green, who was hired in February 2019. Green tried to bring to the forefront design elements that would modernize the golf but pay homage to architectural elements from the 1920s. Fairways were widened from 25 to 45 yards. Ninety-eight bunkers existed previously on the Blue Course, averaging 954 square feet for a total of 93,450; now, there are 138 bunkers at an average size of 739 square feet for a total of 102,000. The beauty has been enhanced, and the scale of the property is now more easily seen and appreciated. The logo of Senior PGA Championship 2025. Courtesy of PGA of America Green's involvement has now given proper due to the golf side. For years, the main focal point was the 135,000-square-foot Spanish Revival building that dominates the landscape due to its imposing scale and its location on the highest point of the property, a position overlooking the start and finish of each course. The connection to the Washington area remains active, as the PGA of America has partnered to host a series of championships in the coming years. The Senior PGA will return in 2033. In addition, the club is scheduled to host the 2027 KPMG Women's Championship, the 2029 PGA Professional Championship, the 2030 PGA Championship, and, most importantly, the 2037 Ryder Cup. One of the special touches found at Congressional is that the tee markers look like the U.S. Capitol dome. This week's Senior PGA Championship marks a coming-out moment for the club. Congressional CC is now a news item where power, people, and prestige are front and center, just as they were when the club came into being more than 100 years ago.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Percy in hunt as big names rise at Senior PGA C'ship
Multiple major winners Retief Goosen and Angel Cabrera share a four-way tie for the lead as a host of big names challenge for the Senior PGA Championship title. And Australian journeyman Cameron Percy is still just three shots from the lead going into the last round despite shooting a four-over 76 in windy conditions at the tough Congressional Country Club course on Saturday. Percy started the day tied for the lead, but opened with three bogeys and collected five more through his round. Goosen (68) and Cabrera (70) were tied in front with American Jason Caron (71) and England's Phillip Archer (71), with Lee Westwood (68) and Stewart Cink (68) one shot behind. Two shots off the pace were Robert Karlsson (73), Padraig Harrington (73), Thomas Bjorn (73) YE Yang (75) and Vijay Singh (75). Padraig Harrington knows his way around Congressional 🤩Paddy is just one back of the lead!📺 NBC — PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 24, 2025 Of the other Australians, Mark Hensby was tied 19th at even par after a 71, with Scott Hend (74) at two over, Brendan Jones (75) four over, Richard Green (74) five over and Andre Stolz (78) eight over along with Mick Smith (79). The 11 golfers on or close to the lead have combined to win 13 major championships. "The people up there are the people that have a lot of experience," Cabrera said. "Most of them have been in many majors, and you can see that." Goosen has two U.S. Open championships on his resume and Cabrera one of those to go along with the 2009 Masters. Harrington won the British Open in '07 and '08 and Cink in '09, while Singh has two PGA Championship victories and another in the Masters. That kind of sustained winning over the past few decades certainly helped prepare those guys for the conditions at Congressional, which has hosted three US Opens and one PGA Championship. "A tough golf course — all the guys that have really done it on hard golf courses really rise to the top and seem to grind it out more maybe a little bit more than certain players," said Goosen. "I certainly grinded it out."
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ernie Els Has Positive DNA at Congressional
Ernie Els has a memorable history with Congressional Country Club. Returning to a venue where you've won a major, you have a little giddyup in your step, but this return is on a course that has changed considerably, with the most glaring change being the elimination of hundreds of trees. The greens are substantially different as well. Advertisement Yet, for Els, the DNA of Congressional is sympatico with his own, so when he played his first round in some time over the venerable course, it was old hat. 'It was consistent,' Els said of his bogey-free 3-under 69 on Thursday at the Senior PGA Championship. 'It was a round I wanted to have. I would love to have had a couple better. At the end, there I had a couple of chances.' It was in 1997 that Els started his first round at Congressional in the U.S. Open. Ernie Els hits his tee shot on the 17th hole during the Galleri Classic at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.© Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Three years earlier, Els had won his first U.S. Open in a playoff at Oakmont Country Club, making each appearance in the national championship an opportunity to add to his resume. Advertisement The 1-over 71 was a tie for 18th, six shots off the lead of Scotland's Colin Montgomerie. Els would go on to record the next three rounds under par, including a 1-under 69 on Sunday that included a finish of five consecutive pars to beat Montgomerie by one shot. Now Els is just two back of Australian Cameron Percy at 5-under. 'This one feels more like a major. Last week they called it a major, but it's just a nice big Champions Tour event,' Els said of last week's Regions. 'But this one has got more of that feel. It's got a golf course with history, and it's got some prestige here. So, this one feels good. It feels big. It's a good feeling to have on this course.' Ernie Els Has Positive DNA at Congressional first appeared on Athlon Sports on May 22, 2025
