Welcome to THE WCC INVITATIONAL July 16th, 17th, & 18th The Wooster Country Club Three-Day Member/Guest
Welcome Dear Participant, Welcome to The Wooster Country Club Three-Day Member Guest. It is tradition that our event is held on the same weekend of the “British” Open Championship. With that, we have chosen to adapt some of the traditions and themes from the world’s oldest major championship. This year, Royal Birkdale plays host to The Open Championship. As sure as we are that their links will be a fantastic setting for another exciting championship, we are equally confident that our course will prove worthy of championship golf. Everything you need to know about The WCC Invitational is included in this booklet. Our staff is committed to making this a memorable event for all of our participants. If there is anything that we may do for you please do not hesitate to ask. Sincerely, The Wooster Country Club Staff
Defending WCC Invitational “Champion Golfers of the Year” Dallas Robinson & Dustin Geitgey Royal Birkdale Established—1889 Open Championship Years & Champions 1954—Peter Thomson 1961—Arnold Palmer 1965— Peter Thomson 1971—Lee Trevino 1976—Johnny Miller 1983—Tom Watson 1991—Ian Baker-Finch 1998—Mark O’Meara 2008—Padraig Harrington 2017—Jordan Spieth 2026—TBD
Schedule of Events Thursday 11:00 AM - 12:45 PM Registration 11:00 AM - 12:45 PM Lunch 1:00 PM - 5:30 PM 18-hole Practice Round –Shotgun 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Dinner & the Putting Contest Qualifier Friday 7:00 AM - 8:15 AM Bloody Mary Bar & Breakfast 8:15 AM - 8:25 AM Opening Ceremonies 8:30 AM - 10:45 AM Round 1 Matches (shotgun) 11:00 AM - 1:15 PM Round 2 Matches (shotgun) 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM Lunch 2:00 PM - 4:15 PM Round 3 Matches (shotgun) 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Friday Night Scramble (optional)
Schedule of Events Saturday 7:00 AM - 8:20 AM Bloody Mary Bar & Breakfast 8:20 AM - 8:25 AM Announcements 8:30 AM - 10:45 AM Round 4 Matches (shotgun) 11:00 AM - 1:15 PM Round 5 Matches (shotgun) 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM Lunch 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM The Champion’s March (Shootout) 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Cocktails/Dinner/Awards 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM Putting Finals & Fun All Matches will be “Shotgun Starts”. Please be in your carts and ready to play 5 minutes before the scheduled start time. NOTE: The pool will be available to all members, guests, and family members of guests during all three days of the event.
Information for Participants The Field will consist of 54 Wooster Country Club Members and their guests. All Members and Guests must have a current, established handicap. (Maximum handicap being a 30.) The Matches Format The field of 48 teams is seeded (based on total team handicap index) into 8 flights of 6 teams each. Each team will play a 9-hole better ball match against the other five teams in their flight. Players will be allocated 90% of their 18-hole handicap. Scorecards for matches will be stroked off of the low player within each match. “9-hole handicaps” will be determined based off of how the shots would fall in an 18-hole match. Example: If player a has a course handicap of 17. He would be allocated 15 Shots (90%) over 18 holes. His “9-hole handicap” would be a 7 for matches played on the front nine and an 8 for matches played on the back nine.
Match Scoring Nineteen (19) points will be awarded for each match as follows: 2 Points for Winning a Hole 1 Point for Halving a Hole 1 Point for Winning a Match 1/2 Point for Halving a Match 0 Points for Losing a Hole or Match Teams are required to play the full nine (9) holes in each match. If a team does not show up to play a match, their opponent will be awarded 12 points. If only one member of a team is present, the match will be played 2 on 1. Flight winners are determined by the most points at the end of the five matches, with head-to-head matches breaking any ties. In the event the head-to-head match was halved, a sudden death playoff will be held on hole #10 to determine the flight champion. (Playoff format will follow that of the matches.) In the event that the hole is halved, a putt off will determine the flight champion. A coin toss will determine which team tees off first and/or putts first.
The Practice Round The Practice Round will be a 1 better ball of 2 format with players receiving 90% of their 18-hole handicap. The Practice Round will be divided into two “groups.” Teams “#1-#27” and the “#28—#54”. The Putting Contest The Couples Putting Contest Qualifier will be held on Thursday evening after The Practice Round. The Qualifier will be an “aces only” event played over the course of 6 holes. Teams may attempt to qualify as many times as they wish for $10 per attempt. The low 5 scores (ties for last spot resolved by putt off) proceed to the Couples Putting Contest Finals on Saturday night. The Putting Contest Finals will be a 1 better ball of 2 format. Winners receive a cash payout. *All qualifying teams must be Female and Male.*
Cash Games Points Game—The Top 10 teams in points after 5 matches will receive a cash payout. Flight Winners—The winning team of each flight will receive a cash payout Skins Game—ALL Skins won will be paid in golf shop credit. Practice Round—All winnings paid out in golf shop credit. Total Points pari-mutuel ($30 per wager) – Total Points for Matches #1-#5, Pari-Mutuel Wagering will be available Thursday evening and until 8:15 AM Friday for wagers. ALL pari-mutuel paid in cash. Match Rotations Match #1: 1 VS 6, 2 VS 5, 3 VS 4 Match #2: 1 VS 5, 2 VS 3, 4 VS 6 Match #3: 1 VS 4, 2 VS 6, 3 VS 5 Match #4: 1 VS 3, 2 VS 4, 5 VS 6 Match #5: 1 VS 2, 3 VS 6, 4 VS 5
Rules of Play 1. USGA Rules govern all play. Local rules as noted on the score card. Ground under repair shall be marked with white lines. 2. Match Results must be turned into the scorer’s table at the completion of each match. A member of each team must sign both cards. No scores can be changed once the card is signed. 3. If there is a rules question, play a second ball and the golf professional will render a decision after the completion of the match. 4. If Play is rained out Friday, the Saturday format will be an 18-hole, 1 best ball of 2 (90% handicap), tournament. The low score in each flight will advance to Champions March. A sudden death playoff will break ties. 5. If Play is rained out on Saturday, matches #1-#3 will comprise the entire championship. 6. In order to speed play, please pick up if you are out of the hole. 7. In the event of one team (both players) dropping out during play, the remaining holes of the match are to be divided in a 60/40 favor of the team still playing. 8. If a flight does not have 6 teams, each team will play a match against “par.” 9. The Rule of “Equity” will be used to cover all situations not in the Open Championship Rules of Play. 10. The TWO Wild Card Teams will be the team with the most points amongst all the flights that did not win their flight. A tie will be broken by a putt-off on the putting green. 11. Back for 2025, The GHOST Flight! After Match 3 scores are posted. The last place teams in each flight will be put in the “GHOST Flight” for Saturday. Whichever team wins the most points in Matches 4 and 5 will qualify for the Champions March. Ties resolved by a putt off on the practice putting green!
The Champions March Rules Format: Alternate Shot 1. All Flight Champions, Two Wild Card Teams and Ghost Flight winner are to meet at the 1st tee immediately following Match #5. 2. Holes 1, 7, 8, and 9 will be used for the Champions March. 3. Teams must decide who will tee off on holes 1 and 8 and who will tee off on holes 7 and 9. Tee shots will alternate regardless of who holes out. 4. Teams will be allocated 50% of their combined handicap and the scorecard will be stroked off of the low ball. 5. All teams will play hole #1. The FOUR teams with the highest score will be eliminated. In the event of any ties, a putt-off will be used to determine which team (s) advances. Players will not be permitted to watch a putt before they strike it. 6. The remaining 7 teams will play hole #7. The THREE teams with the highest score will again be eliminated. A putt-off will again be used to break any ties. 7. The remaining 4 teams will play hole #8. The TWO teams with the highest score will again be eliminated. A putt-off will again be used to break any ties. 8. The remaining 2 teams will play hole #9 for the Championship. In the event that the hole is tied, the teams will replay #9 once alternating the tee shot. If the hole is tied again, a “chip off” competition will be used to determine the Champion Golfers. (Both players on both teams to hit shots).
Jordan Spieth Flight (1) Team 1 H.I. Team 2 Team 3 Team 4 Team 5 Team 6 The Teams All Handicaps are lowest since April 1st Revisions Please use these team numbers when placing Pari-mutuel bets.
Padraig Harrington Flight (2) Team 7 H.I.Team 8 Team 9 Team 10 Team 11 Team 12 Please use these team numbers when placing Pari-mutuel bets.
Mark O’Meara Flight (3) Team 13 H.I.Team 14 Team 15 Team 16 Team 17 Team 18 Please use these team numbers when placing Pari-mutuel bets.
Ian Baker-Finch Flight (4) Team 19 H.I.Team 20 Team 21 Team 22 Team 23 Team 24 Please use these team numbers when placing Pari-mutuel bets.
Tom Watson Flight (5) Team 25 Team 26 Team 27 Team 28 Team 29 Team 30 Please use these team numbers when placing Pari-mutuel bets.
Johnny Miller Flight (6) Team 31 Team 32 Team 33 Team 34 Team 35 Team 36 Please use these team numbers when placing Pari-mutuel bets.
Lee Trevino Flight (7) Team 37 Team 38 Team 39 Team 40 Team 41 Team 42 Please use these team numbers when placing Pari-mutuel bets.
Peter Thomson (8) Team 43 Team 44 Team 45 Team 46 Team 47 Team 48 Please use these team numbers when placing Pari-mutuel bets.
Arnold Palmer (9) Team 49 Team 50 Team 51 Team 52 Team 53 Team 54 Please use these team numbers when placing Pari-mutuel bets.
Wooster Country Club Staff Shane Pearson General Manager Scott McLain Golf Course Superintendent John McLain Assistant Superintendent Bruce Wilkinson Executive Chef Bianca Chastain Front of House Manager Glenn Cunningham Head PGA Golf Professional Ty Trumpower Asst. PGA Golf Professional Corey Musselman Asst. Golf Professional 2026 WCC Invitational Committee Members Kelly Kranstuber Tommy Smith Larry Barnett Chris Pycraft B.J Thomas
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