Melwood makes move to Maryland this year
After three years at classy, cozy Woodmore Country Club, the Melwood Prince George’s County Open needed room to stretch out.
After 52 years as a heavily trafficked public facility, the renovated University of Maryland Golf Course needed to strut its new stuff.
Both get their wish as the Nationwide Tour event moves to its new home in College Park on June 3-6.
“We were trying to grow our event,” tournament director Teo Sodeman said. “Logistically, here, with the parking lots and people used to going to sports events at the University of Maryland, it’s a little bit more conducive to larger crowds.”
With its classic lines and near-immaculate conditions, Woodmore was an immediate hit with players. But nestled in a gated community in relatively obscure Mitchellville, the Melwood struggled to draw fans, who were required to park offsite and take a bus.
At UMGC, the tournament moves to a location more familiar and accessible to Washington-area golf fans.
“The University of Maryland brand is very strong,” Sodeman said. “Everybody knows where it is. With [Maryland basketball coach] Gary Williams being our tournament host, he’s the man here. When he tells Terp fans to come join him, typically they come join him.”
The marriage between the event and its new venue made sense for both parties.
Nationwide Tour commissioner Bill Calfee is a former player at the University of Maryland. The developmental circuit, the last step for players on their way to the PGA Tour, also has stops at the Ohio State and University of Georgia golf courses, which have bought into golf as a unique exposure opportunity.
One of the selling points for University of Maryland President C.D. Mote, according to a tournament official, was that the Golf Channel is broadcasting the tournament to China and 31 other foreign countries.
Partnership with the Nationwide Tour also made sense for sports apparel giant Under Armour, especially when the move was made to the University of Maryland. Under Armour founder Kevin Plank played football at the school and is anxious to grow the firm’s golf brand. The company will be the presenting sponsor of the Melwood for the next two years.
“We haven’t been very active in the golf space, but we’re changing that,” said Leon Duncan, director of Under Armour’s golf and football operations. “Everyone knows about the strong ties we have here, our relationship. This just makes perfect sense.”
It also works for the golf course, long considered the top public venue inside the Beltway but with a reputation for mediocre conditions. The renovation, which was completed last summer, has improved and added much-needed definition to the greens.
Some still will find fault with the strategic elements of the course and the condition of the fairways. PGA Tour agronomists are working with UMGC to bring the course up to snuff.
“It’s going to be very, very good this year and great next year,” Sodeman said.
