Curry-hosted PGA Tour event may be played at Lake Merced

Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City has become a strong candidate for a new Stephen Curry-hosted PGA Tour event in September 2019.

Club President Jeff Pero sent an email to club members Sunday night, a copy of which was obtained by The Chronicle. The email outlines the club’s talks with the tour, including a potential two-year agreement as tournament venue.

The final details still must be resolved, as noted in the email. Pero also wrote that Lake Merced’s board of directors “does not intend to commit the club to host the tournament without the support of members.”

The club will hold a Nov. 18 meeting at which officials from the PGA Tour and Octagon, the sports-management company that would run the event, will deliver presentations. Lake Merced members are then expected to vote on the proposal.

Lake Merced has been in the mix for Curry’s event the past few months, but the tour’s desire for significant course improvements became a formidable obstacle. Then, last month, tour officials turned their attention to Corica Park in Alameda.

They became concerned the refurbished South Course, which re-opened in June, wasn’t ready to host a PGA Tour event, according to one source close to the talks. Lake Merced officials also showed flexibility on possible course upgrades, another source said, after the tour’s interest in Corica Park became public.

Those upgrades were outlined in Sunday night’s email — including lengthening Lake Merced to more than 7,300 yards, lengthening the driving range to 290 yards, improving the practice area and renovating four greens.

Lake Merced already is set to host an LPGA event in April. The PGA Tour event hosted by Curry is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 19-22, as the second tournament in the 2019-20 season.

Curry, who received a sponsor exemption into the Web.com Tour event in Hayward the past two years, does not plan to play in this PGA Tour event.