Western Amateur Leaving Point O'Woods
Point O'Woods no longer the sole Western locale
The prestigious
Western Amateur, known as one of the top amateur events in the the country will no longer be played exclusively at its home for the past 38 years, the Point O’Woods Golf and Country Club, located in Benton Harbor, Mich.
With the tournaments contract running out after the 2008 tournament, the Western Golf Association is looking to rotate the tournament’s location over several courses, including the Trent Jones-designed Point O’Woods.
Citing declining attendance of the event in recent years, Point O’Woods president Mike Piraino said the decision would end up being beneficial to both parties.
Point O’Woods first hosted the Western in 1963, then became the exclusive host in 1971. Before that, the tournament took place at courses throughout the Midwest, while venturing as far west as Del Monte and Los Angeles Country Club and as far east as Pinehurst.
The Western Amateur was first played in 1899 at the Glen View Golf Club in Illinois, and has been come to be called “The Masters of Amateur Golf” and may be the toughest amateur tournament to win with a 72-hole stroke play championship and a cut down to 16 for match play.
The tournament awards 100 exemptions for prominent college layers and has been won by such notables as Tiger Woods (in 1994 for his first major amateur victory) Phil Mickelson (1991), Hall Sutton (1979, 1980) and Curtis Strange (1974).
The 2007 event saw 2006 Western Junior champ Jhared Hack edge Alex Prugh 1-up.
ABOUT THE Western Amateur
Invitational event, and the most important
tournament in American amateur golf outside of the
U.S. Amateur. With a grueling schedule, it's quite
possibly the
hardest amateur tournament to win.
156 invited players come from across the
globe to play one of the toughest formats in
amateur golf. The tournament starts with 18
holes of stroke play on Tuesday and
Wednesday after which the field is cut to the
low 44 scores and ties. Thursday it's a long
day of 36 holes of stroke play to determine
the “Sweet Sixteen” who compete at Match
Play on Friday and Saturday (two matches
each day if you're going to the finals) to
decide the champion.
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