We at amateurgolf.com continue with our preview of the upcoming amateur golf season, this time checking out the Mid-Atlantic region, from Delaware down to South Carolina. We'll look first at the major tournaments, then list the complete calendar from each state.

We start, obviously, with the crown jewel of amateur golf, the U.S. Amateur (info, results) which will be held this year at historic Pinehurst No. 2 from Aug. 18-24. The oldest USGA event in the nation, this event was first played in 1895 and has the history that comes along with such a long-running event. Click here for a bit of that history.

We were at last year's event at The Olympic Club in San Francisco providing video coverage and can't speak highly enough about the atmosphere of this tourney.

Pinehurst also has its usual roster of majors with a pair of North and South Championships. The North and South Amateur (info, results) will be held June 30-July 6 and was won last year by Phillip Mollica, while future Curtis Cupper Alison Walshe won the North and South Women's Amateur (info, results). The women's event will be held July 14-20. Both of these events are by invitation only, though Carolinians have a chance to qualify. Both will feature medalist play over two days on the Nos. 2 and 8 courses, with match play on No. 2

The Mid-Atlantic (MAGA) Amateur Championship (info, results) is the premier event run by one of the oldest golf organizations in the country. Michael Muehr will be the defending champion of this event, held Oct. 2-5.

The Eastern Amateur (info, results) is another historic event, played at the Elizabeth Manor Country Club, contested July 10-13 this year. University of Michigan golfer Bill Rankin won last year's event. The Women's Eastern Amateur (info, results) will be held at the Dupont Country Club's Montchamin Course on June 10-12 with Natalie Sheary as the defending champion after carding the only under-par round last year.

An event with less history, but no lack for strong fields is The Players Amateur (info, results) which was founded in 2000 by former Walker Cuppers Duke Delcher and Tom McKnight (and since passed on to the Heritage Classic Foundation). Last year's event saw then-high schooler Rickie Fowler (profile) sew up his spot as youngest-ever Walker Cupper with a four-stroke victory. Fowler is now at Oklahoma State, and should be a player to watch when the tournament kicks off July 10-13.

Last year's Azalea Invitational (info, results) saw a fun battle between two Walker Cuppers, Billy Horschel (profile) and Webb Simpson (profile) with Simpson pulling out the victory in the second playoff hole. This year's event will be held March 27-30.

Modeled as a southern version of the Porter Cup (info, results) Dick Horne came home from that event in 1973 and with the help of Porter chairman Dick Harvey started the Rice Planters Amateur (info, results) that same year. It has grown into a premier event, held at the Snee Farms Country Club this year July 2-5.

The Palmetto Amateur (info, results) will be held June 11-14 at the Palmetto Golf Club, with Luke Hopkins defending his title after winning last year's event with a final-round 65.

The final men's major is the Cardinal Amateur (info, results) which brings in a good mix of college and mid-ams to a 78 golfer, invitation-only field. It will be held this year August 8-10, with Zack Sucher as the reigning champ.

Pinehurst is again the host of a pair of junior events, the North and South Junior (info, results) open to boys and girls ages 15-17 and played June 24-26, as well as the Donald Ross Junior (info, results) which will be held Dec. 26-29.

The largest of the Mid-Atlantic's junior majors may be the Trusted Choice Big I Junior Classic (info, results), in which over 4,000 golfers compete for a spot in the 167-golfer field through qualifying events in 44 states. It will be held this year Aug. 3-7 at the Country Club of North Carolina.

Also on the junior major calendar is the Scott Robertson Memorial Golf Tournament (info, results) which is held at the Roanoke Country Club in honor of local golfer Scott Robertson, a promising player who died at age 14 after contracting infectious mononucleosis. It will be contested May 18-20.

The Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational (info, results) honors the late Robert H. Chapman, the only man to serve as the president of both the Carolinas and South Carolinas Golf Associations. It will be held Sep. 20-21 at the Country Club of Spartanburg.

A full schedule of all the Mid-Atlantic amateur events, broken down by state, follows:

South Carolina

Delaware

Maryland

North Carolina

Virginia

West Virginia