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USA Today
16-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
A PGA Tour tournament director called this Massachusetts course 'unbelievable.' Which one?
A PGA Tour tournament director called this Massachusetts course 'unbelievable.' Which one? Nathan Grube, tournament director of the Travelers Championship, called it one of the top five golf courses he has played. Andy Bessette, Travelers executive vice president and chief administrative officer, declared it was the most fun golf course he has played. So which golf course were they talking about? No, it wasn't TPC River Highlands, site of the Travelers Championship June 19-22 in Cromwell, Connecticut. They enjoy that course as well, but believe it or not, they were referring to Worcester Country Club. Bessette and Grube played in Golf Fights Cancer's Good Guy Invitational at Worcester CC last September. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan founded Golf Fights Cancer with Holy Cross graduate Brian Oates, the executive director of sales at Kraft Sports and Entertainment. Bessette and Grube have played in the event for about 15 years at various sites. Last fall was the first time they played at Worcester CC, and they raved about the course when asked about it at the Travelers media day at TPC River Highlands on April 29. 'Oh my gosh,' Grube said of the course, which ranked No. 13 in the state on Golfweek's Best private club rankings. 'That golf course is unbelievable. I've played a lot of golf courses in my life, but it became one of my top five favorite courses within probably the first seven or eight holes. The sightlines, the playability, the history. When you walk around that property, it's just like it wraps its arms around you.' 'That was phenomenal,' Bessette said. 'It was the most fun course I've played. Nathan and I both agreed.' 'We had the best time I've ever had on a golf course,' Bessette said. 'That's a great golf course. The people were fun, too. Worcester Country Club, I would join that country club in two seconds and drive an hour occasionally to go play it. That's a great golf course.' Bessette also appreciated the history of Worcester CC, home of the 1925 U.S. Open, the inaugural Ryder Cup in 1927 and the 1960 U.S. Women's Open. Worcester CC head pro Andy Lane was thrilled to hear that Grube and Bessette had praised the course. 'It's really exciting to hear feedback like that,' Lane said. 'I'm fortunate to spend every day at this golf course and see how much our membership and our guests know how special our golf course is, especially on the centennial year for our 1925 U.S. Open and two years away from our centennial of the first Ryder Cup. It's a special time here at Worcester Country Club. The golf course has never been better." Lane credited superintendent Adam Moore and his staff with keeping Worcester CC in great shape. 'They're always on top of their game,' Lane said. 'They love every inch of this golf course, and it shows.' Bessette said his son travels to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester for his Type 1 diabetes care. 'Phenomenal facility,' Bessette said. 'It's a center of excellence.' He urges golf fans from the Worcester area to make the drive to watch the Travelers. When reminded about the upcoming 100th anniversary of 1925 U.S. Open at Worcester CC, Grube joked, 'If I went right now, I'd probably shoot a 100 on the 100th anniversary.' That's because he's busy preparing for the Travelers Championship. As one of the PGA Tour's eight signature events, the Travelers will host most of the tour's top players. The entire field will consist of 72 players, half the number of a regular event, but there will be no cut. So there's no danger of a top player going home after two days. Scottie Scheffler, No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings for 103 consecutive weeks, will defend his championship. The only other golfer to be ranked No. 1 for 100 or more consecutive weeks is Tiger Woods, who did it twice, for 281 and 264 consecutive weeks. Bessette pointed out that unlike other sports, golf offers the opportunity to watch many of the top players perform at the same place on the same day. Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Ludwig Aberg and Justin Thomas are among those scheduled to play at the Travelers. The Travelers has been the only PGA Tour event in New England since 2020 when TPC of Boston hosted its 17th and final PGA Tour event. Dustin Johnson won the Northern Trust that year at TPC Boston with no fans on hand due to the pandemic. Grube said the Travelers offers more than the chance to watch many of the top golfers play. 'I would put our fan experience against any other professional sport in the country,' he said, 'and I would welcome people to come experience it.' The Travelers offers convenient parking, sunscreen stations, free water and several free venues, including a treehouse constructed in a grove of trees between the 14th tee and the 15th green. Tree House Brewing Company of Charlton will host a beer garden there. This is the 19th year that the Travelers has been the title sponsor, the longest reign of any title sponsor since the PGA Tour began holding events in Connecticut in 1952. 'The PGA Tour had killed the tournament,' Bessette said, 'and we brought it back to life.' Travelers inherited the tournament debt and worked hard to draw the tour's best golfers. Last year the tournament raised more than $3.2 million for more than 100 charities, including some in Massachusetts. Since Travelers became the title sponsor in 2007, the tournament has raised more than $31 million for charity. The Travelers is the only PGA Tour event to be voted as the players' favorite event for two years in a row. 'It's a week in which the players and our families and our caddies get treated as good as we do all year,' Scheffler said. The Travelers provides a welcomed relief to golfers the week after they have to grind it out through the difficult conditions of playing in the U.S. Open. Scheffler defeated Tom Kim in a playoff at TPC River Highlands last year after they each shot 22-under for 72 holes. That was 16 strokes lower than the 6-under that Bryson DeChambeau shot to win the U.S. Open the week before. 'It's a fun, relaxing week for us as players,' Scheffler said. 'That's why I think we get excited to go play and go make some birdies and have some fun.' Grounds tickets cost $109 for Thursday or Friday, and $115 for Saturday or Sunday. General admission tickets include access to four free venues. Admission is free for children ages 15 and under. There's also no charge for members of the military, veterans, health care workers and first responders, but registration is required. For tickets, visit Scheffler's caddie, Ted Scott, carried Bubba Watson's bag when he won the Travelers in 2010, 2015 and 2018. So when Scheffler plays TPC River Highlands, Scott keeps telling him what Watson did on each hole during those victories. 'After a few holes, that can get pretty annoying listening to Teddy talk about when Bubba won,' Scheffler said. Scheffler joked that he told Scott he would hit him with his club if he kept talking about Watson. Last Christmas, Scheffler suffered what he called a 'silly injury,' a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand from a broken wine glass while making ravioli. The injury required surgery and caused him to miss the first four tournaments of the season. He wasn't as sharp as he would have liked for a while, but the week after the Travelers media day he shot 31-under par to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in McKinney, Texas, to set a 72-hole scoring record and win by eight shots. —Contact Bill Doyle at bcdoyle15@
CBS News
21-04-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Here are the notable runners in the 2025 Boston Marathon
It's finally time for the Boston Marathon. Here are the celebrities, influencers, professional athletes, and notable participants running in 2025. The former Boston Bruins defenseman from Slovakia will be running his third Boston Marathon. The 6'9" athlete has previously run to raise money for the Hoyt Foundation. He finished the 2024 marathon in 3:30:52. He will be wearing the bib number 3333. Matt James became the first Black Bachelor to ever helm the TV franchise back in 2020 on season 25. Since then, he has garnered almost a million followers on Instagram, where he posts food reviews and recommendations. He is also an avid runner, having run the New York City Marathon in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. This is his first time running the Boston Marathon. He will be wearing bib number 32541. Alice Cook is a former Olympic figure skater and WBZ-TV sports reporter. She was the first female full-time sports reporter in Boston. This will be her third time running the Boston Marathon and the second time since she was diagnosed with ALS in 2023. Her bib number is 29737. Dave McGillivray is the Boston Marathon race director and has run the course more than 50 times. He has completed the World Marathon Challenge, which involves running seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. He finished with a time of 5:30:51 in 2024. Helen Obiri won the Boston Marathon in 2023 and 2024 . She will be aiming for her third straight marathon win, which has not been accomplished by a woman since Fatuma Roba in 1999. Sisay Lemma, 34, is the defending men's champion of the Boston Marathon, having won in 2024. The men's field is expected to be fast - 22 runners have times below 2:09. Scott Stallings is a professional golfer from Worcester. He has three wins on the PGA Tour. He has raised $20,228 for Golf Fights Cancer. His bib number is 29668. Troy Hoyt is the nephew of Rick Hoyt and granson of Dick Hoyt, who ran the marathon together 32 times. Troy runs for his family's foundation, Team Hoyt. He has run the Boston Marathon since 2021. He finished in 4:18:18 in 2024. Des Linden, who won the Boston Marathon in 2018, is back. She is the last American runner to win Boston. This will be her 12th time running. Henry Richard is the brother of Martin Richard, the youngest victim of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Henry has run the marathon since 2022. He has also run the Chicago Marathon and the New York City Marathon. He finished the 2024 Boston Marathon with a time of 5:17:11. He has raised $3,300 for the Finish Strong Foundation. His bib number is 31232. Amby Burfoot won the Boston Marathon in 1968. He has written several books about running and was the editor-in-chief of the magazine Runner's World. He wears bib number 1968 in honor of his win. He finished the 2024 Boston Marathon in 4:59:58. Shane Sager is a Boston-based musician and harmonica player for Sting. He ran the 2024 Boston Marathon for Massachusetts General Hospital, raising over $24,500. He finished with a time of 4:08:08. He will run to raise money for Mass General again this year. His bib number is 27425.
USA Today
20-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Still sidelined from surgery, Scott Stallings has a starting time in the Boston Marathon
Still sidelined from surgery, Scott Stallings has a starting time in the Boston Marathon Scott Stallings has a starting time again. Not for a PGA Tour event but rather for the 129th Boston Marathon on Monday, which begins at 9 a.m ET. 'A marathon! You have to be kidding me!!!' Stallings began in his online post explaining the reason he opted to run the race. 'Seems like the perfect way to celebrate my 40th birthday (in March) and raise some money for a great cause in the process.' Stallings, a 14-year Tour member with three victories to his credit, hasn't teed it up in an event in over a year due to a torn labrum and multiple surgeries to his shoulder and elbow. He just began hitting balls again off a mat and hopes to return to the Tour (via a medical extension) for the FedEx Cup Fall. 'I don't know another time in my career where I'd have this chance to train properly and do this,' Stallings said. He's never run a marathon before, mind you, but is beginning with one of the majors in marathons along with 30,000 other participants. It's the equivalent of a marathoner making his tournament debut at the Masters. Stallings didn't qualify for the race, which requires the stiffest time standard — proof of completing a marathon in no more than 2 hours 55 minutes for males ages 18-34 — but rather received a spot on the marathon team of Golf Fights Cancer, a non-profit that taps into the passion and generosity of golfers to raise much needed funds for cancer related organizations and families living with the disease. Founded by Boston natives Brian Oates and Jay Monahan, commissioner of the PGA Tour, Golf Fights Cancer first launched at the Boston Marathon in 2004, with Oates and Monahan representing the organization. Travelers Championship tournament director Nathan Grube and Brian Oliver, the Tour's executive vice president of corporate partnerships, have previously had Tour ties and run Boston with the Golf Fights Cancer team but this is a first for a player. 'The idea of running in Boston is something I've always thought about,' said Stallings, a native of Worcester, 'but never actually made a pass at trying. Excuses wrapped up in anyway I could to justify not trying to make it happen.' While rehabbing from surgeries, Stallings read the books "Do Hard Things" and 'Endure' last fall, which inspired his decision to run his first marathon. 'Both discuss aspects of training and embracing new challenges and breaking barriers,' Stallings wrote. 'Throughout the books I was constantly putting myself in the place of the person in the story and immediately came to Boston.' After he finished 'Endure,' during an October family vacation to Kiawah Island, Sout Carolina, Stallings decided to challenge himself by doing an early morning half marathon the next day. When he got back his wife, Jennifer, asked him how the run turned out. He told her he was going to sign up for the Boston Marathon. Stallings's wife rolled over; it was too early for a discussion. 'She said, 'I think you've lost your mind,'' Stallings recounted. 'I wanted to do something difficult.' Stallings occasionally 'ran angry' after bad rounds and averaged walking 100-miles a week during Tour events, but he was a novice runner, having never participated in a race and deemed himself the equivalent of a 30 handicap before he joined a running club. When Monahan caught wind of Stallings's personal goal, he reached out to help. 'Jay said, 'Since I became commissioner, my dream always has been to have a Tour player run,' ' Stallings recalled. Monahan and Korn Ferry Tour president Alex Baldwin took care of the rest so Stallings could become part of the 17-person Golf Fights Cancer marathon team, which has gone from raising $8,640 in 2009 to $825,000 in 2024. 'If my husband can do this,' Baldwin told him, 'I'm confident you can too.' Added Monahan: 'We're going to love and support you as much as possible and it's a huge opportunity to showcase something we love and believe in.' 'Jay said, 'Just don't be a headline,'' Stallings said with a laugh. As far as his golf recovery, Stallings hopes to graduate to hitting balls off grass sometime soon and get back to work in the fall. 'No crazy setbacks, no soreness in my elbow,' said Stallings. 'So far, everything's on track.' As is his marathon plans for Boston, which he calls 'one of the greatest cities if not the greatest city in the world.' Family and friends will be on hand to cheer him on. His wife has created a bunch of signs to display across the race route, including one that says, "I told you that this was a bad idea!" Asked to name his target time, Stallings says he's trying not to be too competitive with himself and enjoy the moment. 'I'll be happy if I finish somewhere between the ambulance and the street sweeper,' he said. To support Stallings and the Golf Fights Cancer team, donate at or
