Roc City Rumble scheduled for July 20-24.

GOLF Channel will televise final round from Home Team Sports Park

Local pro Ryan Steenberg will compete

Smashing a golf ball 400 yards is certainly a sight to behold. And now the world’s best at that skill are coming to Rochester.

The World Long Drive Association’s fourth stop on its six-city 2019 tour will take place July 20-24 at Home Team Sports Park, 420 Ballantyne Road, Chili.

An official announcement for ROC City Rumble, with the finals carried live on Golf Channel, will be made Wednesday.

The event means a homecoming for Rochester pro Ryan Steenberg, who was runner-up in the world finals in 2016 in Oklahoma and is currently ranked No. 2 in the world.

“Rochester fans have consistently come out in droves to support professional golf championships in our backyard," Steenberg, 36, said. “It’s been a dream of mine to bring a World Long Drive event to my hometown. I’m not only looking forward to the inaugural ROC City Rumble, but also toward making Rochester an annual tour stop for WLD for years to come."

The World Long Drive Association formed in 1976 to bring together golf’s longest hitters. The spectacle of golf balls sent into orbit and fans cheering wildly has continued to grow in popularity, with the season culminating at the Volvik World Long Drive Championships each September.

The competition has spawned golfing folk heroes such as Evan “Big Cat’’ Williams, Art Sellinger, Sean Fister, Jamie Sadlowski and five-time world champ Jason Zuback.

"Everyone loves to see home runs," Steenberg said. “We're home run hitters, only with a golf ball."

The WLD Tour’s next event is June 3-5 in Atlantic City with the Rochester stop to follow.

In May, Steenberg won the open division at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in a tour stop that celebrated servicemen and -women and had divisions for the military. The former Ithaca College football player and strength and conditioning coach blasted a winning ball of 393 yards to beat rising star Kyle Berkshire, who hit 368.

A two-time tour winner, Steenberg’s longest blast in competition is 485 yards at the 2017 Mile High Showdown. With a win in Atlantic City, Steenberg could take over the top spot in the world rankings from Justin James, the 2017 world champion whose winning 435-yard drive is a finals record.

James is expected in Rochester, as is 2018 world champ Maurice Allen, currently ranked third, two-time world champ Tim Burke, ranked seventh, and Joe Miller, also a two-time world title holder, who is ranked 22nd.

On the women’s side, fans can expect to watch No. 1 Phillis Meti and No. 2 Sandra Carlborg, WLD’s five-time champion, whose winning drive in 2012 sailed 339 yards.

“Rochester has hosted a championship-caliber event for all of the major professional golf tours and we’re eager to add World Long Drive to that list,” said William Howard, owner of Home Team Sports Park. “It’s golf entertainment in a thrilling, nontraditional way that our community hasn’t previously seen.”

Competitors hit balls into a landing grid 50 yards wide and 450 yards long. Only drives that land in bounds count.

Admission to the event is free and there will be open men’s, women’s and masters (45 and over) divisions. Golf Channel will carry the final round live from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 24.

Rochester will also be an official qualifier for anyone interested in trying for the season-ending long drive championship in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

LROTH@Gannett.com

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