The Wisconsin PGA is pleased to roll out its 2021 tournament schedule. This year’s slate of events will once again feature a wide range of offerings, with over 40 different tournaments set to take place. Professionals and amateurs will see that the schedule has plenty of high level stroke play competitions, pro-pros filled with camaraderie, and the always fun pro-amateur events. The schedule will kick off in mid-March with the WPGA Las Vegas Pro-Am and wrap up in mid-October with the Fall Pro-Pro Scramble.

Wisconsin State Open Series

Leading the way again are the annual showcases of the top golfers with ties to Wisconsin. Year in and year out the Wisconsin State Open Series brings together professionals and amateurs, in search of some of the most coveted golf titles in the state. The series will again offer a female, open and men’s senior championship.

It will get underway on June 15-16 as the 25th Women’s Open visits one of the great traditional layouts in the state, the Links Course at the GC’s of Lawsonia. Defending champion Emily Lauterbach will look to continue the recent University of Wisconsin success, as the championship has featured a string of six straight wins by a UW golfer.

Approximately two months later the 101st edition of the Suter Ward Group at Morgan Stanley Wisconsin State Open will return to the Meadow Valleys Course at Blackwolf Run. After a successful debut in 2019, the championship will again expand its field size to 204 players. Helping make this happen will be co-host Pine Hills CC. It will be the first time the event has featured two courses at different locations. With a large contrast in the designs and yardage, the champion will have to excel in all facets of the game to win.

The series will then wrap up with the 37th playing of the Wisconsin State Senior Open on September 7-8. The event will return to Madison for the second year in a row, as it makes a stop at Blackhawk CC. With having played host to the Wisconsin Senior Amateur Match Play Championship in 2020, the amateurs in the field will have had a competitive preview of the old school layout. They will be attempting to reclaim the top of the leaderboard after the 2020 event featured professionals in the top four spots.

WPGA Stroke Play Championships

Taking second billing on the schedule of events will be the WPGA Professional Championships. The three stroke play events will again award titles among the assistants, seniors and members in the Section. For the sixth straight year the assistants and seniors in the Section will have their championships overlap and take place at the same site. The assistants will again complete their 36 holes in one day, while the seniors will split up their two rounds between two days. Morningstar GC is back on the schedule in 2021 as the club had to defer hosting in 2020 after a last-minute change of dates was needed. This year’s championships will take place on July 19 and 20. As for the member championship it will head to the north side of Milwaukee as it visits the University Club of Milwaukee on September 13-14. It will be the fourth time the club has hosted the event since 1929.

A Match Play for Everyone

The WPGA will again offer four different match play championships for the professionals in the Section. After weather got in the way in 2020, the member match play will return to a very similar setup as 2019. Players will play a qualifying round and the first three rounds of matches at Geneva National Resort & Club in early May. After those two days conclude the remaining eight players will have a timeframe to complete that round. The semifinals and finals will then take place on a predetermined date at a Section staff arranged site in the middle of the summer. As for the other three events, the senior, assistant and four-ball events will again feature year-long formats. Players will schedule and play matches on their own, at a mutually agreed upon site and scheduled date.

What Changes are in Store for 2021 – Formats, Dates, Policies?

  • As previously mentioned the Suter Ward Group at Morgan Stanley Wisconsin State Open will feature two host courses, and a 204-player field.
  • The WSGA / WPGA Summer Showdown has been discontinued.
  • New Event – Senior / Junior Better Ball added on Sunday, June 27 at Meadowbrook CC.
  • New Event – The WPGA Stableford Classic will take place on Tuesday, July 13 at Edelweiss Chalet CC. The event will have one entry fee and pay out two divisions (regular & senior). It will also award Player of the Year points.
  • The Wisconsin State Senior Open will be open to all amateurs with a handicap index of 8.0 or less.
  • Revised policy for any event that is started but cannot be finished.
  • Revised Player of the Year point system.

Plenty of Pro-Ams to Enjoy

The WPGA four-player pro-am series is back with another great selection of venues and formats. The series will again provide playing opportunities for professionals to tee it up with their amateur members and customers. It will feature nine events in total, with sites ranging across the state.

The series will kick off in late April with a visit to Chenequa CC in the Lake Country west of Milwaukee. Shortly after the series will venture north with visits in back to back weeks to Trappers Turn GC and Oneida G&CC. Over the course of the summer months the series will then make stops at The Club at Strawberry Creek, Maple Bluff CC, Blackhawk CC and the Meadow Valleys course at Blackwolf Run. Last but not least will be trip to Door County and Horseshoe Bay GC, just as the colors are turning in late September.

These eight “regular season” pro-ams will lead into the Oliphant Golf Management Pro-Am Championship for the sixth straight year. Throughout the season the top finishing teams will earn an invite to the Links Course at The GC’s of Lawsonia on October 4.

In addition to the four-player pro-am series the schedule will again feature two pro-ladies tournaments. This year the spring site will visit Hawks Landing GC on Tuesday, June 1, and the summer site will take place at The Legend at Merrill Hills on Monday, August 30.

The Legend Challenge – Two Person Scratch Pro-Am also makes a return to the calendar after being cancelled in 2020. This year’s event will visit The Legend at Bristlecone on Tuesday, May 25.

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Registration for the majority of WPGA events will start on March 9, while the State Open Series will open on April 1. The WPGA Professional Championships will open according to the dates set by the PGA of America, and will continue to funnel through PGA.org.

To see the complete 2021 schedule please visit – https://wisconsin.pga.com/schedule/