Peter Uihlein
The U.S. Amateur Championship heads to
Atlanta Athletic Club this month but the
game's biggest amateur event remains tied to
the northeast and New England through an
expansive recent and far off history.
The event, of course, was first held at the
Newport Golf Club and was won by one C.B.
Macdonald (ever heard of him?) way back in
1895. It has since graced the New England
region on many occasions in many ways.
Most recently, the U.S. Amateur took over The
Country Club in Brookline last August and
displayed some of the most phenomenal play
we've ever seen from amateurs as England's
Matthew Fitzpatrick prevailed.
But there's plenty of history in between. And,
as the amateur golf world prepares to crown
another U.S. Amateur champion, here's a look
at some of the moments that have defined the
USGA major here in New England.
1928: Bobby Jones wins 4th title at Brae
Burn Country Club
At the height of his appeal, infamous amateur
Bobby Jones claimed No. 4 of his impressive
five U.S. Amateur titles at the prestigious
Donald Ross-designed West Newton, Mass.
club.
Two years before he would famously win the
game of golf's Grand Slam -- U.S. Open, British
Open, U.S. Amateur and British Amateur --
Jones dominated Scot Philip Perkins 10-and-9
in the championship match.
1982: Sigel wins first title at The Country
Club
The Country Club in Brookline hosted its fifth
U.S. Amateur Championship in 1982 and it
helped add to the legendary amateur resume
compiled by Jay Sigel.
Prior to joining the Senior PGA Tour in 1993,
Sigel enjoyed one of the most dominant
amateur careers on record. Amidst his prime,
he would win multiple titles at the Porter Cup,
Sunnehanna and Northeast and won twice
each at the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Mid-
Amateur.
His victory in Brookline was a dominant one as
he topped David Tolley 8-and-7 in the
championship match.
1995: Tiger Woods wins at Newport
Country Club
Who can forget the 1995 U.S. Amateur? The
event came back to the place it started for its
centennial celebration and, boy, did they put
on a show. In the end, Woods would win the
second of his three consecutive U.S. Amateur
titles in what could perhaps be the most
thrilling finale in U.S. Amateur history.
Marucci, then 43, took Woods -- the can't
miss kid from Stanford -- to the limit. Marucci,
who captained the 2013 U.S. Walker Cup
team, took an early 3-up advantage and went
toe-to-toe with Tiger before Woods pulled it
out on the match's 36th hole.
2000: Massachusetts represented well at
Baltusrol
The event wasn't held in the area but New
England -- and the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, in particular -- sure was
represented well at the 2000 U.S. Amateur.
Lee, Mass. native and former University of
Rhode Island star Jim Salinetti, earned co-
medalist honors during stroke-play qualifying
before reaching the Round of 16 in match play.
Match play was exactly where Brookline native
James Driscoll turned it on. The University of
Virginia star made it all the way to the
championship match before falling to Oregon's
Jeff Quinney in 39 holes.
2010: Uihlein wins at Chambers Bay
New Bedford-born Peter Uihlein won one for
the region in 2010. As part of his terrific
amateur career, Uihlein, the son of Wally
Uihlein, the Chairman and CEO of the Acushnet
Company, Uihlein topped the field at Chambers
Bay in Washington.
It was merely a starting point for Uihlein, who
would become the world's top-ranked amateur
before beginning his professional career, which
includes a win on the European Tour.
ABOUT THE U.S. Amateur
The U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA
championship, was first played in 1895 at
Newport Golf Club in Rhode Island. The
event,
which has no age restriction, is open to
those
with a Handicap Index of 2.4 or lower. It is
one
of 14 national championships conducted
annually by the USGA, 10 of which are
strictly
for amateurs. It is the pre-eminent
amateur
competition in the world.
Applications are typically placed online in the spring
at www.usga.org.
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