Official Player Requirements
for 2023 Local Tournaments
Eligibility
- All golfers must have an active and established United States Golf Association (“USGA”) Handicap Index to compete in a local tournament and to advance to the Audi quattro® Cup 2023 United States Final (also referred to herein as the “United States Final”). Any player who wishes to compete must submit a handicap index when they register or prior to the tournament date, as required by the applicable local dealer. If a player cannot provide a verifiable handicap within the provided regulations (see below), they will not be eligible to participate in the US Final and the second place team from that local tournament may be eligible in their place (pending the same handicap and other eligibility rules).
- If a team wins their local qualifying tournament and attends the United States Final, each member of that team is ineligible to attend and compete in the Audi quattro Cup United States Final for the next two consecutive years. (e.g. participants at the 2023 United States Final are not eligible to qualify for a US Final again before 2026, even with a different partner). These players may still participate in their local quattro Cup tournament, but cannot qualify for the US Final.
- Participants must be either a member of the hosting golf club or invited by the Audi Dealer hosting and organizing the local tournament.
- All golfers must be registered with the Dealer hosting their local tournament prior to the start of their local tournament. Please reach out to the host of your local tournament for more information on registration.
- All golfers must be 21 years of age on or before February 1, 2023.
- The quattro Cup Tournament is an amateurs-only event. Professional golfers may not compete.
- Additionally, employees and contractors and others with a business relationship to Audi of America, Volkswagen Group of America, and authorized Audi dealerships, as well as their immediate family members, are not eligible to participate. (‘‘Immediate family’’ includes the individual’s spouse, parents, children, siblings and in-laws.)
- Golfers may only play in one local tournament per year.
Player and Partner Guidelines
- Teams are made up of two people. Players who do not sign up with a partner will be assigned a partner by the local dealer organizing the local tournament, if available.
- Men and women are not segregated — teams can be men, women or co-ed.
- Distance measuring devices are permitted as long as their only function is measuring distance. Devices that provide extra information (e.g. club selection, shot type, wind, etc.) are not permitted.
The Tournament
To be eligible to play in the Audi quattro Cup 2023 United States Final, players must participate in a local tournament that is in compliance with all rules as stated in this document and in accordance with applicable USGA regulations, available at www.USGA.org. If any of the rules stated in this document, governing game mode or the determination or application of a handicap conflict with the USGA Handicap Manual, the USGA Handicap Manual shall take precedence to the extent necessary to avoid such conflict.
- Tournaments cannot be carried out on a par-3 course.
- Tournaments must be carried out within the host dealer’s area.
- Tournaments must be completed by July 10, 2023.
- All local tournaments must have at least 48 golfers and cannot exceed 120 golfers.
Game Mode
The method of play for all 2023 Audi quattro Cup local tournaments is Select Drive Alternate Shot (Greensome Stableford, please refer to USGA Handicap Manual -- Section 9: Handicap Competitions for general rules - www.usga.org/Handicapping/handicap-manual.html#!rule-14387 ).
- Both players hit a tee shot.
- The best shot is selected and the partner whose ball was not selected will hit the next shot with the ball that is in play.
- The team alternates shots until the ball is holed.
- No ‘‘gimme’’ putts.
- No ‘‘Mulligans.’’
- Each ball is to be played as it lies and the ball that is selected may not be switched during play of the hole.
- Players are requested to please limit time looking for lost balls to two minutes per ball.
Players should mark their scorecards with the gross score for each individual hole. Handicap is applied at the end of the tournament by the tournament committee. Each team is to keep score of the other team, and both teams must sign the official scorecard before it’s turned in. The golf staff will convert the net scores to Stableford points. The winner is the team that scores the highest number of Stableford points.
The scoring in Stableford competitions is made by points awarded in relation to a fixed score (net par) at each hole as shown below:
More than one over fixed score or no score return: 0
One over fixed: 1
Fixed score: 2
One under: 3
Two under: 4
Three under: 5
In the event of a tie, the better net score of handicap holes 1-18 in that order will decide the winner.
The selection of holes takes place in accordance with the course’s handicap holes with the most difficult hole followed by second most difficult hole, third most difficult hole, etc. If there is a tie, the winner will be decided by a skill-based method to be determined by the local dealer but which may include a playoff on a single hole, or a chipping and putting contest.
The Rules Committee shall be comprised of the following: director of local golf club, head golf professional of local golf club, and a representative from Audi.
Handicap
Eligibility
If a player’s handicap index is listed as “NH” on the most recent revision date prior to the tournament, this handicap is considered invalid, and the player will not be eligible to officially compete in the local tournament or subsequently advance to the United States Final.
- Single handicap index limit: 36.0
- Team handicap index limit: 56.0
- Maximum handicap index difference between both players: 20.0 points
Allowance
- The player with the lower course handicap is allowed 60% of their course handicap.
- The player with the higher course handicap is allowed 40% of their course handicap.
Example:
- Player A has a course handicap of 18
- Player B has a course handicap of 10
The team’s handicap will be calculated from:
- 40% of player A’s handicap = 7.2
- 60% of player B’s handicap = 6
Team handicap = 13.2
If the team handicap is 13.2, using proper rounding (0-4 round down, 5-9 round up), the team will get one stroke removed from the 13 most difficult holes.
Once the team handicap is determined (X), one stroke will be removed from the X most difficult holes, which will yield the net score for that hole. The net score will then be converted into Stableford points.
Handicap Calculation Example
Player | Course Handicap* | % | Adjusted HDCP | Team HDCP** |
Player A | 18 | 40 % | 7.2 | |
Player B | 10 | 60 % | 6 | 13 |
13.2 | 13.2 |
*The calculation to obtain course handicap is as follows: (Handicap Index) x (Slope Rating) / 113. This calculation can be done automatically by using the USGA’s Course HandicapTM Calculator at https://www.usga.org/course-handicap-calculator.html .
**Rounded down from 13.2 using the proper rounding procedure (0-4 round down, 5-9 round up)
Handicap Allowance Example
*A dot indicates that a stroke will be removed from a team’s score on that particular hole (e.g. If a team makes a bogey on a hole where they have a dot, their score would be reduced by one and the team would be awarded the corresponding number of Stableford points for a par).
**Example: If Team C made a 5 on Hole 2, they would have one stroke removed from their score which would result in a net 4. They would then score 2 points on that hole, which is the number of points awarded for a par.
Shortened Tournaments Due To Weather
Shortened Tournament Policy
In order for a tournament to be deemed official, all competing teams must complete at least 9 holes of play. If teams complete more than 9 holes but less than 18 holes, the dealership tournament committee will determine whether the event will be shortened to a 9-hole tournament or to the number of holes that all teams completed. If all teams fail to complete at least 9 holes, the tournament must be rescheduled to be considered official.
Shortened Tournament Tiebreaker
In the event of a tie, the better net score of the final 6 holes completed will decide the winner. If there is still a tie, the better net score of the final 4 holes will decide the winner. If there is still a tie, the number of holes considered should decrease by one hole until a winner is determined. If there is still a tie, the winner will be decided by a skill-based method to be determined by the local dealer but which may include a playoff on a single hole, or a chipping and putting contest.
Team Handicaps for the United States Final
If a tournament is shortened, the winning team will receive Stableford points equivalent to net-par on the incomplete holes. The total points will then be used to calculate the team’s handicap for the United States Final.