USGA picks new Landmand course for fourball qualifier

The new Landmand course in Homer, Nebraska, will hold its first external event when a qualifying competition for the USGA Amateur Fourball will be played at the venue October 7. The event will take place little more than a month after Landmand’s official opening, September 3, and immediately after the course closed to public play for the 2022 season.

The Amateur Fourball has been played for each year since 2015. It replaced the US Amateur Public Links competition, which was first played in 1922. Qualifiers from the Landmand event will go forward to the 2023 finals, to be played at Kiawah Island in South Carolina May 20-24, 2023. Two teams will qualify at Landmand, with two others gaining alternate status.

“While we did not build the course with any particular thought of being a tournament venue, it is still a great compliment for the USGA to choose to play their event at Landmand so soon after its opening,” Landmand owner Will Andersen said. “The nature of the golf course means that players who want to do well will have to display a wider range of skills than you might normally see in an event of this nature.”

Course architect Rob Collins said he is interested to see how the golfers play.

“If you’re a ‘get the yardage and fire at the pin’ sort of golfer, you probably won’t do so well at Landmand,” he said. “In tournament play, we don’t often see guys deliberately aiming away from the hole and planning to use a big slope to get it close. But that’s the way to score well here. As Landmand asks a question on each shot throughout the round, the most successful teams will be the ones who are able to strategize among themselves and attack when opportunities are presented, while guarding against both players carding a big number on the same hole.”