U.S. Mid-Amateur headed to Nantucket in 2021

The U.S. Golf Association has announced that Sankaty Golf Club on Nantucket Island in Siaconset, Mass., will host the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2021. Nearby Miacomet Golf Club, also on Nantucket, will serve as the stroke-play companion course.

“The USGA is pleased to partner with Sankaty Head Golf Club and Miacomet Golf Course in bringing the U.S. Mid-Amateur for the first time to Massachusetts, a state that has a long-standing commitment to amateur golf,” said John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director, Championships. “The U.S. Mid-Amateur title is highly prized by the 264 players who vie for the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy each year and the championship’s prominence has ascended with a full exemption into the following year’s U.S. Open awarded to the champion.”

Sankaty Head Golf Club, located on the eastern edge of Nantucket Island, 30 miles south of Cape Cod, was designed by Emerson Armstrong and opened for play in 1923. The links-style course, which was restored by Jim Urbina along with current superintendent C.J. Penrose in 2017, offers views of historic Sankaty Head Lighthouse on the outward nine.

Sankaty Head, a name that is derived from a Native American word meaning highland, is also known for its caddie camp, which was founded in 1930 and is one of the last remaining in the United States. Each summer, a group of nearly 60 youths come from all over the world to learn the nuances of caddieing and prepare for life in college and beyond.

“Sankaty Head Golf Club in concert with our co-host, Miacomet Golf, is honored to be named the host for the 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship,” said Richard Durkes, championship chairman. “We look forward to having the best amateurs in the world compete on the island of Nantucket in one of the most prestigious amateur golf championships. We hope our links-like environment and course conditions will provide a memorable experience for all competitors.”

Miacomet Golf Course, designed by Howard Maurer, was expanded to an 18-hole public facility in 2003 and will serve as the stroke-play co-host. The links-style course is owned by the Nantucket Island Land Bank and features rolling terrain and tall fescue. Miacomet was originally a nine-hole course and those holes were renovated in 2008.

The 2021 event will be played Sept. 25-23. The 2019 U.S. Mid- Amateur will be contested Sept. 14-19 at Colorado Golf Club, in Parker, Colo., and CommonGround Golf Course, in Aurora, Colo. The 2020 championship will be played at Kinloch Golf Club, in Manakin-Sabot, Va., and Independence Golf Club, in Midlothian, Va. The 2022 championship will be held at Erin Hills, in Erin, Wis., and Blue Mound Golf and Country Club, in Wauwatosa, Wis.