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After a three-year hiatus, the Long Beach Golf Festival and its signature event, the Long Beach Open have returned this week. The event includes several golf tournaments, spread out since April, when the Senior Amateur Championships were played.
Men’s and women’s City Championships were played in June and July, with the Long Beach Junior Golf Championships played last week. This week, 150 local pros will compete in the Long Beach Open, starting Thursday at El Dorado Park Golf Course. A handful of amateur qualifiers will join them after the completion of a qualifying round, which was played on Monday.
The first Long Beach Open was played in 1923, with legendary Walter Hagen winning the first championship. Many PGA greats followed to compete and win the Long Beach Open.
In 2012, La Palma resident Hyun Seok Lim won the championship, after shooting 21-under par over the four rounds. He was seven-under on the final round to win by three strokes.
The top amateur that year, was 18-year-old Xander Schauffele. It was his second consecutive year as low amateur. This year, Schauffele has won two PGA Majors, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship.
The tournament begins on Thursday, with the first groups teeing off at 7 a.m., from the first and 10th tees. Friday’s rounds will begin at the same time, with amateur players teeing off in the early rounds. The field will be cut to the 50 low scoring pros and three amateurs, as well as any ties for those players.
Among the amateur players listed is Jack Cantlay, younger brother of PGA pro Patrick Cantlay. Jack played at Long Beach State in 2023, earning Big West Conference Freshman of the Year, and a Second-Team All-Conference award.
