USGA 2005 Course Preview: Merion, and More
Where they use wicker baskets
instead of flags
Far Hills, New Jersey- In 2005, the USGA will take its national championships to some historic venues such as Merion Golf Club, Cherry Hills Country Club, Pinehurst No. 2 and The Apawamis Club.
But new sites also will have a chance to host a national championship like BanBury Golf Club (U.S. Girls' Junior), which will become the first course in Idaho to hold a USGA competition.
Each national championship site, as well as the venues for the biennial Walker Cup Match and USGA State Team competitions, have their own history and stories to tell.
Following are some quick facts about Merion Golf Club, -- site of the 2005 US Amateur -- followed by a link to similar information about all USGA Championship sites. amateurgolf.com Premium Members can find detailed information on all of these USGA events, and hundreds of independent tournaments of National import, by visiting our 'Majors of Amateur Golf' Calendar in the Tournaments section.
U.S. Amateur
Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pa.
Aug. 22-28
www.usamateur.org
Yardage: 6,846 yards
Par: 36-34 – 70
Second stroke play course: (Philadelphia C.C.), 6,967 yards.
Par: 35-35 – 70
Defending champion: Ryan Moore
Opened: 1912
Designer: Hugh Wilson
USGA championships: This is the record 17th event to be
held at this historic venue, following four U.S. Opens, five U.S.
Amateurs, four U.S. Women’s Amateurs, a U.S. Girls’ Junior, a
Curtis Cup Match and the 1960 World Amateur Team Championship.
Merion also has been selected to host the 2009 Walker Cup.
Why it’s right: This is the 75th anniversary of Bob Jones’
completion of the “Grand Slam” when he defeated Gene Homans for
the 1930 U.S. Amateur title. Merion also happened to be the site
of Jones’ national debut as a 14-year-old at the 1916 U.S. Amateur
and it’s where he won his first U.S. Amateur championship in 1924.
Wicker baskets, but no wickets: Once named The Merion Cricket
Club, the club changed its name to Merion Golf Club in 1942. But
the club still maintains its trademark wicker baskets on the flagsticks
as they are less vulnerable to weather than the usual banners.
Notable champions: In addition to Jones, some of the other
luminaries to win USGA titles at Merion are Lee Trevino (1971
U.S. Open in a playoff over Jack Nicklaus), Jones (two U.S. Amateurs),
Chick Evans (1916 U.S. Amateur to go along with the U.S. Open
crown he won earlier that year) and, of course, Ben Hogan, who
won the 1950 U.S. Open after returning from a near-fatal auto
accident in 1949. Hy Peskin’s photo of Hogan’s famous 1-iron approach
to the 72nd hole remains one of the most memorable images in golf.
The bat is flat: Long before golf permeated the grounds
of Merion, cricket was the pre-eminent sport. Nearby Haverford
College introduced the game in 1835 and Philadelphia became the
home of cricket in America. And in 1865, the Merion Cricket Club
was established, with the oldest founder 22 and the youngest 14.
The club first leased, then bought five acres of land at the end
of a road called Cricket Avenue in Ardmore, Pa. In 1892, the club
moved to its current site. Another well-known golf course in the
area still uses “cricket” in its official club name (Philadelphia
Cricket Club).
Designer notes: Architect Hugh Wilson traveled to Scotland
to take notes on the many famous courses in the “Auld” country
before mapping out the Merion layout. The third hole was inspired
by North Berwick’s famous 15th hole (Redan) and No. 17, had a
swale fronting the green, reminiscent of The Old Course at St.
Andrews’ Valley of Sin at the 18th hole. But none of the holes
are an exact replica; Wilson just incorporated those principles
into his design.
Let’s play two: Merion became the first U.S. club to have
two 18-hole championship courses. The West Course opened in 1914,
two years after the more-famous East Course.
What’s the status?: The 1930 U.S. Amateur at Merion was
reportedly the first time match standings signs were used to
inform the gallery of the current status of a particular match.
* David Shefter story courtesy usga.org *
For similar information on all USGA tournament sites for 2005 click here>
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.
View Complete Tournament Information