In the world of competitive golf, it’s all about the majors. That holds true for the world of amateur golf, too according to 1988 Western Amateur Golf Champion Chris DiMarco who returned to the scene of his victory of 31 years ago on Wednesday for a media day event heralding the return of “The Masters of the Amateurs,” the Western Am to the Point O’Woods Golf & Country Club in Benton Harbor next month.
DiMarco held a fireside chat on a gorgeous day for golf, saying “It’s pretty special to have it back here,” where it was conducted for 38 straight years from 1971 through 2008, before returning to a traveling format of various clubs.
DiMarco admitted that, “Without a doubt winning this was by far the most prestigious event I ever won as an amateur.” In fact, he says there are really only two others that rival it, naming the U.S. Amateur and the British Amateur as the only other amateur tournament on par with the Western Am all considered by collegiate golfers to be their versions of the majors.
As Vince Pellegrino, the Senior Vice President of Tournaments for the Western Golf Association, welcomed DiMarco and the media to the Point on Wednesday afternoon, he said, “Today marks a very special occasion for all of us at the WGA as we celebrate the return to the Point O’Woods,” adding, “We enjoyed a long, and mutually beneficial, relationship with Point O’Woods, and ever since we announced we’d be coming back in 2014, we’ve been looking forward to the renewal of this partnership.”
The Western Am returns to the point from July 29th to August 3rd, featuring 156 of the best amateur players from around the world competing in a grueling series of medal play on Thursday and Friday followed by match play on the weekend involving the top or “Sweet 16” players who make it through with the best scores in medal play.
At more than 7,000 yards with thousands of trees crowding the fairways, Point O’Woods is always a stern test for the amateur set. As past champions like Tom Weiskopf, Ben Crenshaw, Curtis Strange, Phil Mickelsen, Tiger Woods and Justin Leonard consistently showed over the years, it helps to be long off the tee, but it’s even more important to be accurate.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones and first opened for play in the summer of 1958, Point O’Woods has consistently ranked as one of the nation’s top courses, both in beauty and design.
The Western Golf Association first held the Western Am at the Point in 1963, then again in 1965, before returning in 1971 for a 38-year run. It was moved to a rotation of mostly Chicago-area clubs starting in 2009 and returns to the Point next month.
The Western Am’s 156-man field consistently ranks among the top three in the world, as DiMarco pointed out, with the British and U.S. Amateurs. Contestants travel to Benton Harbor from all over the globe. Last year’s field included players from a dozen nations, including Australia, Denmark, England, Finland, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the U.S., Venezuela and Wales.
Top rated players returning to the Point this year including defending champion Cole Hammer, as well as Chun An Yu, Brandon Wu, and Austin Eckroat who all contested in the 2019 U.S. Open.
DiMarco went on after his amateur career where he was the 1990 SEC Player of the Year, and a Three Time All-America selection in 1988, 1989 and 1990, to a pro career with three PGA Tour wins, 63 top ten finishes on the PGA Tour, and as a U.S. Ryder Cup Team Member in 2004 and 2006.
In his first year of eligibility on the Champions Tour, DiMarco will be playing in South Bend this weekend in the U.S. Senior Open at Notre Dame’s Warren Golf Course. That championship gets underway today and runs through Sunday.
Long time WGA Board member and Point O’Woods member and advocate Bob Gerbel from St. Joseph encourages fans to show appreciation for the Western Am’s return by making their way to the course next month and also says there are a number of volunteer opportunities still available for those who would like to get close to the action. You can log onto the Western Amateur Golf Tournament website for information on that by clicking the link below:
