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PREVIEW: 2024 East West Cup Matches
31 Oct 2024
by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

see also: East West Cup Matches, Maridoe Golf Club, Nathan Smith Rankings

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Maridoe Golf Club
Maridoe Golf Club

One of the top amateur team events in the country is back for its third iteration.

The East West Cup Matches will take place at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Tex. from November 1 to November 3.

Starting in 2020 and playing every other year, the East-West Matches feature Ryder Cup-style team matches for American mid-amateurs and seniors. The Mississippi River is the dividing line between East and West teams, each comprised of 18 players: 6 seniors, at least 10 mid-amateurs, and up to 2 amateurs who haven't yet reached the age of 25.

There are no collegiate players participating this year.

The event is held bi-annually at Maridoe and has been a 1-1 tie between the two teams so far. In 2022, the East won 31.5-13.5, and in 2020, the West team won by a narrow 23-22 margin.


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Nathan Smith will captain the East team, while Brady Exber will captain the West team

"It's an honor, and it's on the rise," Smith said. "There are two great teams, and the guys who have already played in the event are incredible. It is an incredible club, and I think the idea of it is tremendous. I am honored to do it."

Smith added, "He has been a great friend of mine through the years, and sharing this with him will be incredible.

“The East West Matches are truly fortunate to have Nathan and Brady serve as our captains because they are two of the most well-respected guys out there,” said lead organizer and founder Scott Harvey, who has two USGA titles to his credit.

“We believe that many great players will work hard over the next year to earn a spot at Maridoe in November of 2024.”

Smith is familiar and friends with all the players teeing it up and knows how talented they are.

There are so many great players on each side, and we are going to try to put them in the best positions to succeed. It will be really fun to watch. There are going to be so many great matches

The four-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion is the 2025 Walker Cup captain as well, so he will get his fair share of captaincy over the next 12 months.

"It is great to be in those situations and experience that," Smith said. "You are always learning in these situations and it is just a tremendous honor. It will help me to be around the guys and learn in different situations."

Smith also knows how impressive of a course it is since he has played in the event.

"The team that wins will definitely earn it. It is a championship course," Smith said about Maridoe

Selection Process

Teams will be selected through the East-West Points System, with 50% of each team earning spots via the rankings and 50% via Captains Selections. 

Captain's Selections are not based on rankings. Each team will consist of 6 Senior Amateurs (55 and older) and 12 Amateurs, with a minimum of 10 being 25 and above. 

Each team will represent their respective territory of East and West to be divided by the Mississippi River. 

Rankings will be updated the first week of each month and will be an accumulation of points over a two year period. Teams will be selected at the conclusion of the US Mid and US Senior Amateur Championships.

Events like the U.S. Open, U.S. Four-Ball, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Mid-Amateur, Crump Cup, Coleman Invitional, Stocker Cup, Gaspirealla Invitationla and Azalea Inviational are points earning events. 

Schedule of play

Thursday, October 31 - Practice rounds
Friday, November 1 - Day 1 Fourball matches
Saturday, November 2 - Day 2 Morning and afternoon Foursomes
Sunday, November 3 - Day 3 Sunday Singles

2024 Team Rosters

East - Captain: Nathan Smith

Mid-Am Players

Jonathan Bale
Hayes Brown
Stephen Behr
Christian Cavaliere
Will Davenport
Joe Deraney
Jeronimo Esteve
Scott Harvey
Sam Jackson
Nick Maccario
Andrew Price
Brad Tilley

Senior Players

Jack Hall
Doug Hanzel
Bob Royak
Paul Simson
Rick Stimmel
Kevin VandenBerg

West - Captain: Brady Exber

Mid-Am Players

Denny Bull
Brian Blanchard
Parker Edens
Stewart Hagestad
Drew Kittleson
Trip Kuehne
Bobby Massa
Brad Nurski
Andy Sajevic
Chris Wheeler
Michael Jensen

Senior Players

Gene Elliot
Bryan Hoops
Mike McCoy
Dan Sullivan
Mark Strickland
Terrance Miskell

East West Cup contributed to this report

ABOUT THE East West Cup

Started in 2020 and played every other year, the East West Matches feature Ryder Cup-style team matches for American mid-amateurs and seniors. The Mississippi River is the dividing line between East and West teams, each of which is comprised of 18 players: 6 seniors, at least 10 mid- amateurs, and up to 2 amateurs who haven't yet reached the age of 25.

A points system will be utilized to select 50% of each team, with the other 50% chosen by the tournament committee. Teams will be selected at the conclusion of the US Mid and US Senior Amateur Championships.

The schedule of play is 18 holes of four-ball on Friday, 36 holes of foursomes on Saturday, and 18 holes of singles on Sunday.

View Complete Tournament Information

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