Scott Harvey
VERO BEACH, Fla. — Scott Harvey has continued
to play spectacularly since
winning the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2014 at Saucon
Valley, where he defeated Missouri native and
2015
Crump Cup medalist Brad Nurski 6-and-5 at the
property's Old Course.
Harvey, of Greensboro, N.C., has two nice wins
wrapped up in 2015, including a
trip to Lima, Peru where he won the South
American Amateur by two over a
strong field that included former Tulsa University
golfer Andre Tourinho,
University of South Florida stud Claudio Correa,
and recently turned-pro
Englishman Ashley Chesters, who competed for
GB&I at the Walker Cup.
Harvey joined Mike McCoy as one of two mid-
amateur United States team
members at the Walker Cup, where Harvey
compiled a 1-2 record, securing his
victory in the Saturday Singles 2-and-1 over
Grant Forrest.
RELATED:
Pairings/Starting Times
Beginning Saturday at John's Island Club in Vero
Beach, Fla., 255 other mid-amateurs will be
ready to claim their own title,
including a few who will be in
position to reclaim victory.
Other than the defending champion, here are
AmateurGolf.com's 4 picks to take
this year's crown.
Brad Nurski - St. Joseph, Mo.
Last year's runner-up is a safe pick to heavily
compete at John's Island, especially
considering he bested a hopeful bunch earlier
this month at Pine Valley during
stroke play qualifying for the Crump Cup. Let's
just say, if you can conquer Pine
Valley Golf Club, you can compete just about
anywhere. This will be the ninth
USGA championship for Nurski, with his eighth
coming in August at Olympia Fields
for the U.S. Amateur, where he reached the
round of 32.
Randal Lewis - Alma, Mich.
Lewis might be 58, but he is only four years
removed from his victory at the 2011
U.S. Mid-Amateur. During the currently ongoing
U.S. Senior Amateur, Lewis
medalled by two shots and made it through to
the
quarterfinals before losing to Chip Lutz. When he
defeated Kenny Cook 3-and-
2 at Shadow Hawk Golf Club, he
became the oldest U.S. Mid-Amateur victor.
Remarkably, Lewis has a 21-8 career
record in match play at the event. Look for the
Golf Association of Michigan
Player of the Decade (1990s) to certainly
continue that trend in South Florida.
Mike McCoy - West Des Moines,
Iowa
A preview for a Mid-Amateur tournament
wouldn't be complete without a mention
(or two) of one of the best mid-amateur over
the last decade. McCoy, the 2013
champion, is fresh off a Walker Cup appearance,
where he became the third
oldest competitor in history. Since turning 50, he
has
turned in low-amateur performances
at the most recent two U.S. Senior Opens,
including 2015 at Del Paso where his
18-hole total of 282 tied a record for an amateur
player.
John Sawin - San Francisco, Calif.
Sawin is competing in his fourth USGA
championship, and 2015 may be the year
he breaks through. He captured the prestigious
Walter J. Travis Invitational back
in May, and in 2014, he left his job in financial
services to play a full season of
amateur golf. During that time, he qualified for
both the U.S. Amateur and U.S.
Mid-Amateur in the same week and won the
Pennsylvania State Amateur at
Oakmont Country Club. The four-time club
champion at Merion Golf Club also
reached the quarterfinals at this year's Crump
Cup.
ABOUT THE U.S. Mid-Amateur
The U.S. Mid-Amateur originated in 1981 for the
amateur golfer of at least 25 years of age, the
purpose of which to provide a formal national
championship for the post-college player. 264
players
begin the championship with two rounds of sroke
play
qualifying held at two courses, after which the low
64
(with a playoff if necessary to get the exact number)
advance to single elimination match play.
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