The Turning Stone Resort Championship, which will forever be sentimental to Myrtle Beach resident Dustin Johnson because it is the first PGA Tour title he won, will not be part of the PGA Tour schedule in 2011.
The event was held for the past four years at Atunyote Golf Club, and was part of the Fall Series when Johnson won it as a rookie in 2008. He played in it again last year and tied for 29th, but Johnson didn't play in the event outside Rochester, N.Y., this season because the event got moved to the same week as the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club, which had a purse of $8.5 million. Turning Stone's purse was $4 million.
Turning Stone had expressed interest in having an unencumbered date during the PGA Tour regular season, but a mutually agreeable date between tournament and tour organizers did not become available.
"We had hoped to secure an unshared date on the PGA Tour schedule that would highlight the peak golf season in central New York State, but unfortunately it did not work out," said Ray Halbritter, Oneida Nation Representative and CEO of Nation Enterprises, in a press release.
Halbritter said that Turning Stone, an acclaimed golf destination owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation, is exploring new options to host professional golf events. He also said that if opportunities arise in the future with the PGA Tour “that are consistent with the Oneida Nation’s goals for our Turning Stone Resort Championship, we would be pleased to consider them.”
Johnson can probably still play in an event on the course if he's feeling nostalgic. Turning Stone hopes to host more significant golf events, such as the annual Notah Begay III Foundation Challenge, which features PGA and LPGA tour members competing in a best-ball team format. This past August, the team of Hunter Mahan and Cristie Kerr won, with Rickie Fowler and Annika Sorenstam finishing second.
