Bellerive Country Club in suburban Town and Country has been named by the Professional Golf Association as the location for not one, but two major events over the next several years.
Bellerive will host the Senior PGA Championship in 2013 followed by the 100th PGA Championship in 2018.
It will be the second time the club hosts the PGA Championship. Back in 1992, Nick Price of Zimbabwe captured his first major title. The club has also hosted the 1965 U.S. Open, and the 2004 U.S. Senior Open. The announcement Friday means Bellerive will be the third club in the nation to host the four rotating major golf championships.
PGA officials said at least two dozen clubs compete for any one tournament. Bellerive's selection, Gov. Jay Nixon said, builds on the 2009 All-Star Game and the men's and women's NCAA Final Four.
"This dual win today sends volumes of notice that the region is prepared to compete anywhere in the world to host the finest sporting events in the world," he said.
Nixon estimated the economic impact of the two tournaments at $100 million. The state, he said, plans to commit substantial tourism dollars to publicizing the city’s attractions to visitors and encouraging them to stay in the area longer.
