U.S. Putting Championship Announces Tournament Format

The U.S. Putting Tour today announced the format for its seven-day 2011 championship being held this September at The Crossings at Carlsbad in Carlsbad, California.

Participants in the 2011 USPT Championship can choose to play their first round on one of four days, starting on Monday, September 26. The first round consists of 72 holes of medal play putting, all of which takes place on The Crossings' primary putting green.

The top 18 golfers from each of the four Round 1 days will advance to the 36-hole Round 2 on Championship Friday. Following Round 2, the remaining field will be cut to the low 24 players, who will play another 36 holes in the afternoon of Championship Friday. Scores from Rounds 2 and 3 will be combined to determine the final results.

The first two days of the putting championship, Saturday, September 24 and Sunday, September 25, will be play-in days for golfers not already entered in or qualified for the championship. One of every five golfers entered in the play-in events will qualify for the championship.

In announcing the championship format, USPT president, Jim Hartley, indicated that the putting tournament gives every golfer a chance to win. "Every competitor has 72 holes of putting in the first round to earn the right to advance to Championship Friday," said Hartley. "And if they make it to the final day, they're in a position to get hot and walk away with the USPT Championship title."

Hartley added that the play-in putting events give every golfer an opportunity to qualify for the championship, including families and junior golfers. Golfers who are entered into the championship can use the play-in days as practice days for the primary tournament.

More details on the USPT Championship's weeklong format are available at the USPT website.