2019 PGA Web.com Tour Event Tees Off At The Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Course By Brian Weis

2019 PGA Web.com Tour Event Tees Off At The Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Course

By Brian Weis

andals Emerald Bay hosted the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic - the first PGA Web.com Tour event of the year - from January 10-16, across its 500 acres on the unspoiled island of Great Exuma. Golfers and guests of the Luxury Included® resort traveled from near and far to participate in this exciting golf event at one of the most renowned courses in the world, the Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Course. Designed by golf legend Greg Norman, the Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Course is recognized as the longest and one of the most scenic 18-hole, par 72 ocean-side golf courses in the Caribbean. It's no wonder Sandals Emerald Bay was recently voted the Bahamas Best Golf Hotel by World Golf Awards for a third consecutive year!

The festivities kicked off on Thursday, January 16 with a Nelson's Rangers golf clinic for local children, where Web.com players Rico Hoey and Paul Imondi helped the children perfect their swings. A Caribbean 'Junkanoo' Pro-Am Draw Party featuring a Web.com Tour Player Panel wrapped up the day. On Friday, January 17, Web.com players Ryan Brehm and Michael Johnson joined up with the Sandals Foundation - the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International - to make a meaningful contribution to the local community through a Reading Road Trip excursion, in partnership with Scholastic. Attendees visited Roker's Point Primary School, where they read with the children and played frisbee and basketball. Many attendees participated in the Sandals Foundation's "Pack For a Purpose" program by bringing along up to 5 pounds of school supplies.

The official Pro-Am kicked off with a Breakfast of Champions on Saturday, January 12. Greg Norman played the 18-hole course he designed alongside Web.com players and golf enthusiasts. All players enjoyed the fantastic weather and challenging fairways. The back nine holes showcase the breathtaking waters along the Exuma Sound, and the front nine wind through mangroves and seaside dunes. Sandals Emerald Bay hosted a Pro-Am Awards and Cocktail Party at the Drunken Duck, a charming re-creation of the cherished British pub. Web.com player Harry Higgs' team took home the gold.

The Pro-Am was only the start of the week's exciting events. The professional Web.com Tour competition kicked off on Sunday, January 13, with Greg Norman's ceremonial tee shot. On Wednesday, January 16, Marty Dou was named winner of the Web.com Tour. Spectators with the Presidential Pro-Am Players Package were provided with a Golf Channel All-Access Pass, which included a behind-the-scenes production tour during live TV coverage of the Web.com Tour. Sandals Emerald Bay guests and tournament attendees also had the opportunity to meet and greet with Greg Norman in the "Shark Shack" golf lounge, named after the Hall of Fame Member and Course Designer himself.

Sandals Emerald Bay is excited to announce it will host the 2020 PGA Web.com Tour for a fourth year from January 9-15, 2020. Golf lovers can book their stays for the 2020 tournament as part of Sandals® Resorts' signature LIV+ Events program, which affords guests incredible inclusions across passion points including music, culture, sports and volunteerism.

With the success of the Greg Norman designed golf course at Sandals Emerald Bay, Sandals is also working with Greg Norman and his Greg Norman Golf Course Design team on a new project - the Sandals Cap Estate Golf and Country Club in St. Lucia. The 18-hole Sandals Cap Estate golf course will be converted by Greg Norman and the Greg Norman Golf Course Design team into a new, international standard championship golf course.

Sandals Emerald Bay is reputed to be one of the finest resorts in the Bahamas, affording guests a sophisticated yet casual getaway to revel in. With unlimited golf - including green fees for butler level guests - as one of the resort's many inclusions, Sandals Emerald Bay is a true golfer's paradise. Beyond the green, guests will enjoy all the indulgences that come with a Luxury Included® vacation, including a private mile-long beach, three swimming pools, unlimited land and water sports, unmatched luxury accommodations, and 5-Star Global Gourmet dining at eleven specialty restaurants. Guests can also choose to add on bucket list excursions via Island Routes, such as swimming with the famous Exuma pigs.

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Revised: 03/16/2019 - Article Viewed 71,682 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.