Amateurs come out on top at Tennessee Challenge Cup
The winning amateurs from the TGA (TGA photo)
FAIRFIELD GLADE, Tenn. — The Amateur Team captured 11 of today’s 16 singles matches to claim the John Deal Cup in a 20-12 point victory in the 48th Tennessee Challenge Cup Matches. The event, which was contested at Stonehenge Golf Club in Fairfield Glade, Tenn., was plagued with dense fog throughout most of the day which made playing conditions very difficult.
Yesterday morning’s Four-Ball Matches saw the Amateur Team get out to a commanding lead as they won six of the eight available points, but the Professional Team rallied during the afternoon Foursomes Matches as they captured five of the eight available points. The Professional Team’s comeback allowed them to enter today’s Singles Matches only two points behind the Amateur Team’s total of 9 points. Since the Professional Team won last year’s Challenge Cup Matches, the Amateur Team needed to obtain 16½ points in order to win.
The Amateur Team, which was captained by 2015 Tennessee Senior State Open champion and TGA Director Emeritus Doug Harris, had four of its 16 players go undefeated winning all three of their matches. These players included Todd Burgan, Neil Spitalny, Wes Williams and Philip Lee who also received the Bobby Nichols Most Valuable Player Award for his strong performance this weekend.
The Tennessee Challenge Cup Matches began in 1968 and annually pits the top 16 amateur golfers in the state against the top 16 Tennessee Section PGA professionals in a Ryder Cup-style format with one round of Four-Ball, Foursomes and Singles Matches. Each team is comprised of 10 amateurs/professionals and six senior amateurs/professionals who are aged 50 or older. The professionals lead the overall series 28 to 19.
View results for Tennessee Challenge Cup
ABOUT THE Tennessee Challenge Cup
Ryder-cup style team matches between the
Tennessee Golf Association and the Tennessee
PGA Section. The Amateur Team is selected from the
Tennessee Golf Association’s Amateur and Senior
Amateur Player of the Year Lists. The Professional
Team
is selected from the Tennessee Section PGA’s
Professional and Senior Professional Player of Year
lists.
Each team of 16 includes six seniors age 50 and
older.
View Complete Tournament Information