THE 109TH WESTERN AMATEUR TEES OFF THIS TUESDAY AT NORTHSHORE
COUNTRY CLUB IN GLENVIEW, ADMISSION AND PARKING ARE FREE.

Defending Champion David Chung will lead a powerhouse field into
the 109th Western Amateur set to tee off on Tuesday at Northshore
Country Club (NSCC).

Last year Chung won the 108th Western Amateur at Skokie, in
year two of the Western Golf Associations eight year plan of
keeping the championship at some of the Chicago area's best
golf and country clubs. The plan originally announced as a seven
year deal, became eight year with the recent addition of Knollwood
CC in Lake Forest, (a story first reported here in August of 2010).

While Chung is an outstanding player who had a sensational
summer in 2010, he enters this event with a few question marks.
When Chung spoke at WGA-Amateur media day, he called
his game "rusty" as he fought off the effects of a sprained ankle.
But he promised to be ready by Western Amateur week, it will
something to watch.


DAVID CHUNG 2010 WESTERN AMATEUR WINNER AND DEFENDING CHAMPION

This years Western Amateur has more to watch than
just a single tournament. The players coming into this
years event know that more is at stake than just the
George R. Thorne trophy presented to the winner on
Saturday afternoon.

"It's a tournament within a tournament, " says Western Golf
Association VP of Tournaments Vince Pellegrino. "The
players here are competing for some coveted spots on the
USA Walker Cup Team and their performance at Northshore
could really help or hurt their cause on making the team. "


THE 18TH GREEN AND CLUBHOUSE OF NORTHSHORE COUNTRY CLUB IN GLENVIEW

Chung will have to be at his very best to top one of the
most talented fields in amateur golf, and maybe the best
Western Amateur Field ever put together. The field is a
who's-who in the amateur golf world.

25 of the top 30 amateur players in the world are teeing it
up, including the players ranked right at the top of the world
rankings including numbers one through four.

"It's a long and grueling week and a difficult tournament to
win, " says world number one and reigning US Amateur
Champion Peter Uihlein. "I am looking forward to the
tournament and hope I have a good week, it's such a
good event and a place you can work on things for the
US Amateur championship as well."

Joining Chung and Uihlein in the field are world number
two Patrick Cantlay who shot 60 in a recent PGA Tour event,  
a late addition was world number three Tom Lewis the low
amateur at the British Open. Russell Henley world number 
four has already won a Nationwide Professional Tour event
this year completes the top four.

The talent level doesn't stop there. Jordan Spieth who is
headed to college golf at the University of Texas after two
strong showings in the Byron Nelson Classic on the PGA
Tour, joins last years runner up Gregor Main who plays
college golf at UCLA.

2009 Western Amateur champion at Conway Farms and
Kent State's John Hahn also returns, and he will have the
company of another past WGA champion Patrick Rodgers
who won the WGA Junior Championship at Blue Mound in
2010.

 
 NORTHSHORE CC PAR 3, 181 YARD 3RD HOLE         THE PAR 5, 579 YARD 7TH HOLE

The breakdown of talent gives this field over 30 of top 50
amateur players in the world. Players from most of all 50
states in America and players from a dozen foreign countries
are represented as well. Including Matt Stieger Australia,
Ben Campbell and Ryan Fox of New Zealand, and from
Taiwan Cheng-Tsung Pan who won the Western Amateur
medalist award for low stroke play the last two years.

Locally a strong contingent will be represented as well.
Both Vince India (Deerfield) and Brad Hopflinger (Lake
Forest) who play college golf at Iowa, will join 2010 USGA
Publinks Champion Brad Benjamin of Rockford. Others
include Auburn's Kyle Kopsick of Highland Park, and from
Northwestern Universities golf team Eric Chun and David
Lipsky.

Northshore Country Club was designed by the architecture
firm of Harry S. Colt and Charles H. Alison (with Alison as
the lead) in 1924. The course will play to a yardage of 7,012
and a par of 71 for the tournament.

The course has a great history of hosting championship golf
including the 1928 Western Open, the 1933 US Open, the
1939 US Amateur, and the 1983 US Amateur. Last year
Northwestern University held it's annual Windon Memorial
tournament at NSCC, which was won by the University of
Michigan in dramatic fashion when UGSA Publinks Champion
Lion Kim sunk a long dramatic putt on the last hole, to give
the Wolverines a one shot victory.

Preservation of the North Shore Country Club's course has
been lead by Libertyville based architect Rick Jacobson over
the last 17 years. Jacobson grew up caddying at NSCC.                        

TO HEAR RORY'S INTERVIEWS WITH WESTERN AM
NORTHSHORE CC CHAIRMAN PHIL FITZSIMONS,
DEFENDING CHAMPION DAVID CHUNG, AND WGA
VP OF TOURNAMENTS VINCE PELLEGRINO CLICK
HERE:

Download | Duration: 00:09:15

The format and schedule for the 109th Western Amateur
is this.

MONDAY...Practice rounds
TUESDAY..First round of stroke play.
WEDNESDAY..Second round of stroke play. Followed by 
                         a cut to the low-44 players and ties.
THURSDAY..Third and final round of stroke play. Followed
                        by a cut to the low-16 players.
FRIDAY..First two rounds of Match Play.
SATURDAY..Semi-Finals (morning) and Championship
                       Match starting early afternoon.

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Jack Nicklaus
winning the Western Amateur at the New Orleans Country
Club. Nicklaus was 21 years old at the time. Other notable
past champions include, eight time winner Charles "Chick"
Evans". Francis Ouimet, Lanny Wadkins, Andy North, Ben
Crenshaw, Curtis Strange, Hal Sutton, Scott Verplank, Phil
Mickelson, Justin Leonard, Ryan Moore, and Tiger Woods.

Several other top and well known players have been runner
up and or the medalist from the stroke play, including Tom
Watson and the famed Bobby Jones who was the stroke
play medalist in 1920.

This is the first year since 1928 all three of the WGA run
championships have been played in the Chicago area.

For more information on the Western Amateur please
contact the WGA at (847)-724-4600. Northshore CC is
located in Glenview, West of the Edens Expressway,
East of Rt 43 Waukegan Road, and just South of Lake
Avenue.

Admission and parking are FREE. Parking is located
directly across the street from the course. Come and
enjoy one of the best events in golf.