If you’re a fan of the game, you know about the U.S.
Amateur. Long before the four “majors” of the game
were defined, this was one of the most difficult
trophies to get your name etched on. As a matter of
fact, Bobby Jones won his first U.S. Open (in 1923)
before winning his first U.S. Amateur the following
year. For the sake of this article, I’m going to
assume you’re familiar with the
U.S. Amateur, and add that if
you want to know why it’s important, simply Google
the
past champions list. Most
notable? Tiger Woods three-straight wins, following
three-straight U.S. Juniors. And Arnold Palmer, as
the story goes, really knew he had a career in pro
golf after winning in 1954.
SUNNEHANNA AMATEUR:
Sunnehanna Country Club – Johnstown,
PA
June 14-17, 2017
The Sunnehanna Amateur was inaugurated in
July of 1954 -- it was the first country club
sponsored 72-hole stroke play competition for
amateurs in the United States. The tournament is
played each June on a classic A.W. Tillinghast design.
"When the Sunnehanna Amateur was
started in 1954 there were no major national medal
play tournaments,” says tournament director John
Yerger. “That's why Bill Campbell recommended Jack
Nicklaus play at Sunnehanna.”
The 72-hole medal play format instituted at
the Sunnehanna became a model copied by other
events that would establish themselves as legs on
the summer amateur circuit. At the Sunnehanna,
however, the members wanted players to remember
more than just the golf. According to Yerger:
“While the golf was important one of the most
important principles was that the hospitality of the
members would be remembered longer than the
scores – that remains the case today.”
Sunnehanna contestants have included Chick
Evans, Arnold Palmer, Julius Boros, Art Wall, Jack
Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Rickie
Fowler.
THE PORTER CUP:
Niagara Falls Country Club - Lewiston, NY
July 19-22, 2017
Long before Google, Facebook, and email, or
cell phones, a good promoter could build an event by
traveling the country and finding the best golfers
where they hang out – at other events. That’s
exactly what we used to do at AmateurGolf.com
when we launched our first California tournament 16
years ago, and it’s what Porter Cup tournament
director Dick Harvey did in the early 60s.
Harvey brought the nation’s best amateurs to a
relatively short course on the Canadian border best
known for its namesake Niagara Falls. Players still
enjoy
getting soaked on the “Maid of the Mist” while
experiencing the majesty of the falls (it’s a must-
experience when visiting the area). And like the
Sunnehanna, the members go out of their way to
make their experience memorable. And while
galleries are rare in the amateur game, the final
round crowd around the par-3 18th green at Niagara
Falls Country Club can number into
the thousands.
Assistant Tournament Director Cassie Stein is in
charge of all of the player recruiting. The Porter Cup,
and Niagara Falls Country Club run in the family for
Stein, a former Golfweek writer who works for Global
Golf Post.
“My grandparents were members of Niagara Falls
CC,” she says. “My parents were as well, and they still
enjoy housing players every year. We all enjoy
spending time with the players and getting to know
them before they turn pro.”
Indeed, Niagara Falls CC members embrace the
tournament like no other we've seen. They serve on
committees, and run so many
events that the week is nicknamed “The Party Cup.”
And if watching golf gives them the itch to play, the
course is open for member play during tournament
week in the late
afternoon. Sunset views of the Toronto skyline
across the river from the back deck are worth
sticking around for.
THE SOUTHERN AMATEUR:
Country Club of North Carolina –
Pinehurst, NC
July 19-22, 2017
It’s a shame that two of the most historic events
in amateur golf go up against each other on the
calendar in 2017, but that’s the nature of the beast
when so many tournaments are sandwiched in a
three month window. This year the Porter Cup and
Southern Amateur are both being played July 19-22,
but that won’t stop both of them from drawing top
fields.
The Southern Amateur is run by the Southern
Golf Association, which also runs the Southern
Junior. The tournament was founded in 1902 and
played as a match play event until 1964, when the
format changed to medal play. It has been contested
at some of the top courses of the southern states,
including East Lake (Atlanta), Pinehurst, Champions
(Houston) and Atlanta Athletic Club. Country Club of
Birmingham has hosted the most Southern
Amateurs, (7) while this year’s host club, the
Country Club of North Carolina, is right behind it at
6, but will tie that number by hosting this year.
A 13-year-old Bobby Jones played his first
Southern Amateur at East Lake in 1915 as a member
of a four-man team representing Atlanta Athletic
Club. In the second round that year Jones (the
youngest player in the field) went up against
Commodore Heard of Houston, the oldest. “I don’t
know how old he was then,” says Jones in his book
‘Down the Fairway.’ “But to me he seemed a lot older
than I should like him now to think I thought he was,
if you get what I mean.” Jones would go on to put his
name on the Southern Amateur trophy three times –
1917, 1920, and 1922.