THE US AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP AT ERIN HILLS & BLUE MOUND CC
ERIN HILLS AND BLUE MOUND MAKE UP THE VENUES OF THIS WEEKS 111TH
US AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP.
Defending Champion Peter Uihlein leads an international field loaded with
the best amateur players in the world, into this weeks 111th US Amateur
Championship at Erin Hills in Erin Wisconsin.
The first two days the field of 312 will each play one round of stroke play,
at the Seth Raynor designed Blue Mound Country Club in Wauwatosa
Wisconsin a classic style golf club. With the other 18 coming at Erin
Hills, two completely different style courses.
"It will be interesting to see which players like which course, " says
Erin Hills General Manager Rich Tock. "It's all subjective, but courses
are contrasting styles and bring different challenges.
For Erin Hills it's a major test of what the changes and renovations
have brought to the golf course, since the USGA played it's 2008 US
Womens Public Links Championship at Erin Hills. Erin Hills now has
to prove what has will hold up to the challenge of the US Open in 2017,
that the course was awarded in 2010.
The Erin Hills renovation project that started after the the Public Links
Championship, did several things. It changed several holes, it eliminated
one hole, it added yardage. While Erin Hills can play over 8,100 yards
it will play to a par of 72 and a yardage of 7,760.
Two of the par 5's, holes number 5 and 18 will play over 600 yards. Hole
7 will play 617 yards, with hole 18 playing 675 yards. The par 3 sixth
hole will be the only par 3 over 200 yards, playing to a yardage of 236.
The course is designed by the team of Dr. Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry
and Ron Whitten. Renovations were done in the last two years, by
Hurdzan, Fry, with consultation from the USGA's Mike Davis. USGA
Amateur Director Ben Kimball, will oversee the courses and set up.
For the second straight year the amateur will play as the longest
course in USGA History. The 7,760 at Erin Hills will pass the 7,742
set in 2010 Chambers Bay. On each side of the fairway there will be
a 5-7 foot path of intermediate rough. The first cut will be about 4
inches, with the second cut coming at 6-8 inches.
The US Amateur is open to amateur golfers with a USGA handicap
index of not more than 2.4. The USGA excepted 6,256 entries in
2011, the record was 7,920 in 1999. Players who were not exempt
went through qualifying between July 23 and August 9th.
The schedule for the championship is as follows. Monday and
Tuesday the starting field of 312 will each play 18 holes of stroke
play each day. They will play 18 holes at each Erin Hills and at
Blue Mound, after the 36 hole stroke play is completed. The low
64 players advance to the match play part of the format. If there
are more than 64 low players due to ties, a playoff will be held to
reduce the field to 64.
On Wednesday there will be 32 matches that will reduce the field
to 32 players. Thursday's 16 morning matches reduce the field to
16 players, eight matches are played that afternoon leaving the
eight quarterfinalists for Friday. The quarterfinals on Friday will
reduce the field to the four semi-finalists for Saturday. The two
winners play a 36 hole championship on Sunday.
The winner receives the gold medal and custody of the Havemeyer
Trophy for the year. An exemption into the US Open in 2012, the
next 10 US Amateurs, an exemption into the 2012 British Open.
The amateur champion normally receives an exemption into the
Masters Tournament.
The history of the US Amateur Championship shows the tournament
to be the oldest championship in America. One day older than the
US Open Championship. From the years of 1965-72 the event was
a stroke play championship, in all other years it has been played
with a match play format.
Among the names that have won the championship are. Arnold
Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lanny Wadkins, Craig Stadler, Jerry Pate,
Hal Sutton, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
The great Bobby Jones won the championship won the championship
five times (1924-25-27-28-30). In 1930 Jones completed the Grand
Slam of golf by winning the amateur at the Merion Cricket Club in
Ardmore PA. The club is now just called Merion Golf Club. Jones
accomplishment is marked by a plaque on a rock near the 11th
tee box.
This years US Amateur is the 12th USGA championship in the
state of Wisconsin, but it is the first amateur conducted in the state.
Future sites for the amateur have been selected up through 2016,
with the 2015 championship to be hled at Olympia Fields CC in the
south suburbs of Chicago.
Uihlein will begin his title defense at Erin Hills on Monday with a
7:30 AM tee-time on hole #10, Uihlein will tee off hole #1 at 12:45
PM on Tuesday at Blue Mound CC.
Other top players and challengers include:
Harris English: Mon. EH #1 7:30-Tues. #10 BM 12:45
Tom Lewis: Mon EH #10 7:10 -Tues. #10 BM 12:25
Scott Langley: Mon EH #10 8;30 AM-Tues. #1 BM 1:45
Russell Henley Mon BM #1 7:50-Tues #10 EH 1:05
Patrick Rodgers Mon. BM #1 8:00-Tues #10 EH 1:15
David Chung Mon. BM #1 8:10-Tues. #10 EH 1:25
Jordan Spieth Mon. BM #10 7:50-Tues #1 EH 1:05
John Hahn Mon. BM #10 1:55-Tues #1 EH 8:40
Patrick Cantlay Mon. EH #10 9:00-Tues BM #1 2:15
Brad Benjamin Mon BM #1 1:15-Tues EH #10 8:00
There are ten players from Illinois. Benjamin, Blake
Biddle, Todd Mitchell,Michael Slavin,Luke Guthrie, Vince
India,Michael Fastert, Maxwell Scodro,Kyle Kopsick,
Mason Jacobs.
Blue Mound G & CC in Wauwatosa has a 108 year history,
not all of it on it's current location. The club started in 1903
some 103 years before Erin Hills opened. The membership
then purchased a couple of farms, and built the current
course in 1926.
The club also decided on Seth Raynor thee most prominent
golf architect at the time to design the course. Like many
Raynor courses most of the holes have a feel of other
famous holes from courses around America and or Europe.
Both Blue Mound Club President Mark Vetter and the
clubs historian Bob Bonner agree, that this is the clubs
biggest event in years. Probably since Gene Sarazen
won the PGA Championship there in 1933, or Dr. Cary
Middlecoff won the PGA when it returned in 1955.
Blue Mound has also hosted the Womens Western
Championship that Babe Didrickson won in 1940, and
the Western Golf Associations Junior Championship
won last year by Patrick Rodgers. Who is in the field
for this weeks amateur.
Some holes at Blue Mound that should challenge the
players are the third hole a 220 yard par 3. Called the
Biarritz for it's slopes in the green, the 8th hole 445 yard
par 4 called "The Punch Bowl." The par 3 13th hole is
called, "Redan" have fun players.
Golf fans should enjoy this event for FREE. Yes Parking
and admission both. Courtesy of owner Andy Ziegler and
some corporate partners. (Baird, M & I, and Artisian
Partners.
Coverage of the 111th US Amateur continues here all week,
and Golfers on Golf Radio tonight.
TO HEAR RORY'S INTERVIEWS WITH ERIN HILLS GM RICH TOCK,
DEFENDING US AMATUER CHAMPION PETER UIHLEIN, BLUE
MOUND HISTORIAN BOB BONNER, BMCC CLUB PRESIDENT
MARK VETTER, AND ARCHITECT DR. CHRIS HURDZAN CLICK HERE:
Download | Duration: 00:19:06
The par 4 8th hole at Blue Mound, known as Punch Bowl, due to it's
famed punch bowl style green (L). Defending Champion Peter Uihlein
with the Havemeyer Trophy (R).
ERIN HILLS IS ABOUT 35 MILES NORTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN
MILWAUKEE, WITH BLUE MOUND ABOUT 25 MILES AWAY AND
CLOSER TO THE WEST SIDE OF MILWAUKEE
VISIT...WWW.2011USAMATEUR.COM FOR DIRECTIONS. OR CALL
ERIN HILLS AT (262)-670-8600.
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