Golf Tournament Formats... "This Is How Diverse They Are"

72-Hole Stroke Play in General Tournament
Attack-Oriented 'Modified Stableford'
'2-Person Teams' and Match Play in Team Competition

Golf tournaments have various formats.

The most common is the 72-hole stroke play. The player with the fewest strokes wins. The 151st Open, the "oldest major," which concluded on the 23rd (local time) at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, Wirral, England, also used this format. It reduces upsets. Since it consists of four rounds, golfers who demonstrate consistent performance lift the winner's trophy. The Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour also holds 54-hole stroke play tournaments over three rounds.

There is also a method that encourages aggressive play. This is the "modified Stableford" tournament. A representative example is the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour HonorsK·Solago CC Han Jang-sang Invitational held last week at Solago Country Club Sol Course in Taean-gun, Chungnam. Albatrosses earn 8 points, eagles 5 points, birdies 2 points, pars 0 points, bogeys -1 point, and double bogeys or worse all receive -3 points. Scoring an eagle can significantly improve a player's ranking. The PGA Tour Barracuda Championship, held during the same period as The Open, was also conducted using the "modified Stableford" format.

Im Hyang (second from the left) and Lee Jeong-eun 5 are performing a "collaborative play" as a "team of two" in the DGLBI. [Midland (USA) = AFP·Yonhap News]

There are tournaments where the chemistry between "partners" is crucial. These are events where players compete in pairs. The Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational (DGLBI) on the LPGA Tour, which concluded on the 22nd at Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan, USA, is an example. The 1st and 3rd rounds were played as foursomes (two players alternate shots with one ball), and the 2nd and 4th rounds were played as fourballs (each player plays their own ball, and the better score counts).

In match play, the score is not important. Winning the hole is what matters. Examples include the World Golf Championships (WGC) Dell Technologies Match Play, LPGA Tour Bank of Hope Match Play, Korean Tour Descente Korea Match Play Championship, and KLPGA Tour Doosan Match Play Championship. It is an exciting format where higher-ranked players can be upset by lower-ranked players. Recently, group stages have been introduced to minimize upsets.

Team competitions representing countries are also notable. These include the Ryder Cup between the USA and Europe, the Presidents Cup between the USA and a world team excluding Europe, the Solheim Cup between USA and European women, and the LPGA Tour event Hanwha LifePlus International Crown. These tournaments determine the winning team through foursomes, fourballs, and one-on-one match play. Like the FIFA World Cup in soccer and the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in baseball, they also appeal by stirring "patriotism."