Western Amateur: A True Test
BY Anthony Powter | US Mens Amateur Tour | 2010 Western Amateur Championship | Preview | 03 Aug 2010
A field of 149 of the best amateur golfers from the United States and around the world are striving for The Western Amateur, one of the most sought after amateur titles and considered by many as being the second most prestigious amateur title in the US, only behind that of the US Amateur Championship.
The field includes 10 of the top-15 world amateur players including the highly-ranked Bud Cauley, Oklahoma State teammates Peter Uihlein and Kevin Tway and 2010 Jones Cup champion Patrick Reed of Augusta State.
Eleven Australians are in the field with Jason Scrivener fresh off a top-10 finish at last week’s Porter Cup. Competing alongside Scrivener is Mitch Krywulycz, Kalem Richardson, Kieran Pratt, Jin Jeong, Ryan McCarthy, Bryden Macpherson, Tarquin Macmanus, Daniel Beckmann, Matt Jager and Luke Bleumink.
This year’s Western Amateur format includes two, 18-hole stroke play rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a cut for the low 44 scores and ties.
The players then play 36 holes of stroke play on Thursday, with the low 16 advancing to match play segment of the championship on Friday. The winner will be determined following elimination match play which concludes on Saturday.
One look at the list of previous winners of the Western Amateur confirms the tournament’s standing on the world amateur stage. Jack Nicklaus (1961), Ben Crenshaw (1973), Curtis Strange (1974), Hal Sutton (1979-80), Chris DiMarco (1988), Phil Mickelson (1991), Justin Leonard (1992-93) and Tiger Woods (1994) are all former winners at the Western.
Australian Bronson LaCassie won the title in 2006 and Michael Sim finished runner-up in 2005.
Runners up and stroke-play medalists include such PGA Tour players as Ben Curtis, Jason Gore, Jay Haas, Tom Kite, Rocco Mediate, Gil Morgan, Mark O’Meara, Chris Riley, Camilo Villegas, and Tom Watson.
