LEWISTON, NY (July 25, 2016) -- The Porter Cup played
at Niagara Falls Country Club from Wednesday-Saturday
this week is one of the premiere amateur tournaments
in the world. Each and every year the best amateur
players arrive in the shadows of Niagara Falls and test
their mettle on a course that has challenged the worlds
best since the tournament began in 1959.
“I believe (the players understand the history and
of course the importance) of the event,” said assistant
tournament director Cassie Stein. “We have a lot of
memorabilia hanging around the country club and in the
locker room showing who has won the event and what
the importance means to not only the club and the
players but amateur golf in general.”
Over the years the tournament has seen some
notable players win the title, including; Ben Crenshaw
(1972) Nathaniel Crosby (1982) -- son of Bing Crosby,
Scott Verplank (1983), Phil Mickelson (1990), Gary
Nicklaus (1991), David Duval (1992), Ryuji Imada
(1995) and Patrick Rodgers (2011).
Time and time again the tournament has put a
stamp on a young players career. Many people believe
that last year’s winner Denny McCarthy was picked for
last years Walker Cup because of his victory at the
Porter Cup. McCarthy finished 11-under and won a
playoff against Carter Jenkins.
In the build up to this year’s Porter Cup the
tournament committee is ramping up the recruiting
efforts in hopes of building an even deeper field. It has
been an all hands on deck effort this season traveling to
various college tournaments talking to and watching
players.
“Last year was a little bit of a struggle as far as
getting some of the top players in the country and the
world to come see us but we are just trying to put a
good name out there for the Porter Cup,” said Stein.
“We are just trying to get our name back out on the
map and talk to them and relate to them.”
|
NAME |
ACCOMPLISHMENTS |
| Derek Bard | The Virginia
senior is playing in his third Porter Cup and a lot has
happened since he left the Niagara Falls region a year
ago. Bard finished runner-up at the U.S. Amateur and
also played in the Masters, U.S. Open and Palmer Cup.
During his junior year at Virginia Bard earned All-ACC
honors for the second consecutive year after leading the
Cavilers in scoring average. | |
|
Hugo Bernard | The 2016 NCAA Division
II Individual Champion will be making his first Porter
Cup appearance. Bernard is out of Saint Leo’s in Florida.
| |
| Andrew Buchanan |
Buchanan, a junior at SMU, was part of the U.S.
Four-Ball Amateur winning team at Winged Foot this
past May. He was also named All-AAC during his
sophomore year with the Mustangs. | |
|
Jared du Toit | A senior at Arizona State, du
Toit is coming to Niagara Falls Country Club fresh off a
T9 at the RBC Canadian Open. Du Toit played in the
final group on Sunday and was under-par all four days.
| |
| Gene Elliott | The 11th ranked
mid-amateur, Elliot has a long history at the Porter Cup.
Elliot won the event in 1998 and is appearing for the
12th time. Over the years the former Iowa University
golfer has put together a decorated amateur career and
among other victories has won three Iowa Amateur
championships. In 2012 Elliot was inducted into the
Iowa Golf Hall of Fame. | |
| Sean
Elliot | Now a senior at Dalton State
University, Elliot won the 2015 NAIA Championship.
2016 marks the second time that Elliot will tee it up in
the shadows of Niagara Falls. | |
|
Harrison Endycott | From Australia,
Endycott is ranked as the second best amateur in the
world and has had a successful 2016 season thus far.
Endycott, making his second trip to Niagara Falls
Country Club, has four ranking event wins this year. His
victories have come at the South Australia Amateur
Classic, Riversdale Cup, Lake Macquarie Amateur and
Avondale Amateur Medal. | |
| Will
Grimmer | Grimmer, a rising junior at Ohio
State has shown well in ranking events so far this year.
He finished tied for fourth at both the Sunnehanna
Amateur and Jones Cup while also finishing in a shared
second position at the Rice Planters Amateur. Grimmer
recorded a T12 at the Big Ten Championships as well.
This will be Grimmer’s first appearance at the Porter
Cup. | |
| Gavin Hall |
With three decorated years at Texas under his belt
Hall returns for his fifth try at Porter Cup glory. Hall,
who finished third last year, is coming off another
strong season with the Longhorns where he was named
to the All-Big 12 team and was a Jack Nicklaus Award
semifinalist. He was also part of a Texas team that
finished national runner-up’s. | |
|
Scott Harvey | Harvey is the second-
ranked mid-amateur in the world and he just continues
to impress. The 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur winner is
making his eighth Porter Cup appearance and this year
he has already won George C. Thomas Invitational and
the Carolina Mid-Amateur. He also has a runner-up
finish at the Gasparilla Invitational and a T2 at the
South American Amateur. | |
|
Michael McCoy | McCoy is the sixth-
ranked mid-amateur and he is making his field leading
17th appearance at the Porter Cup. The Iowa resident
has won his state amateur six times, first winning the
event in 1992 and last winning the title in 2015. McCoy
was a member of the 2015 Walker Cup team and this
year he has a pair of top-three finishes in ranking
events. | |
| Garrett Rank |
The top-ranked mid-amateur in the world finished
in a second place at the Sunnehanna Amateur and T10
at the Southern Amateur. Rank, playing in his sixth
Porter Cup, won the 2015 Canadian Mid-Amateur. Last
week Rank played in and made the cut at the RBC
Canadian Open. |
|
| Kyle Mueller | A rising
junior at the University of Michigan, Mueller competed in
this years U.S. Open at Oakmont. Last year Mueller
finished the Porter Cup in a tie for sixth. 2016 will be
Mueller’s second Porter Cup appearance. | |
Niagara Falls Country Club when played from the
tips can be stretched to 6,871 yards and as a par-70
course (35-35). The course has two key stretches in
every round. When a player makes the turn there is a
stretch where they have to make a move. Following the
par-4 10th there is a par-5, par-3 and par-5 and as
Stein says, “if you want to win the tournament. You
really have to get some low scores on that
stretch.”
As important it is to go low during the early
portions of the back nine; trying to play the final three
holes in even-par is just as crucial and also easier said
then done. No. 16 is a long par-3 that goes along a
gorge and is surrounded by trees. Following No. 17 the
closing hole is another long par-3.
“The last couple of years that stretch has really
made or broken the tournament,” says Stein. “It is
always a lot of fun to watch and people always go out
there and follow the last group in and it makes for an
exciting finish that’s for sure.”
Beyond the tournament play the tournament
committee makes sure that the contestants get to
experience a unique part of the country. The highlight
always proves to be the yearly trip to the base of
Niagara Falls on the Maid of the Mist.
“It is one of the original seven wonders of the world
it is pretty magnificent to see. Your supposed to wear a
poncho when you go on the cruise but because you get
pretty soaked but they all think they are pretty tough so
they go without it and they have a lot of fun,” says
Stein.
Each summer the Porter Cup brings in one of the
best amateur fields in the country and 2016 is no
different.
ABOUT THE Porter Cup
One of the premier amateur events in the
nation, this 72-hole stroke play invitational has
lots of extra activities that give this event a special
flavor. The winning player receives a green blazer, as
well as an invitation to the Master of the Amateurs
tournament in Melbourne, Australia. Pre-tournament
qualifying is a few weeks prior to the
event and approximately five spots are available.
Starting in 2023, the men's and women's
Porter Cup championships will run con currently with
54 players in each field and alternating
tee times.
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