Michigan Golf Journal July 2019

me around Lake Michigan up to Milwaukee to qualify for the U.S. Am the next day (after his Western Am win). We had a lot of golf in four, five days for sure.” The Western Amateur began in 1899 and is only pre-dated by the British Amateur (1885) and the U.S. Amateur (1895). Players come in from dozens of countries, where 156 golfers play 36-holes of stroke play before a cut, then 36 more holes for the top 44 scores and ties, to determine the final 16 players who go to match play. The winners’ list is a formidable who’s-who in golf: Francis Quimet in 1917 and the most prolific winner with eight Western Am victories, Chick Evans, who established the Western Golf Association’s Evans Scholars Foundation. Then there was Jack Nicklaus (1961), Tom Weiskopf, Lanny Wadkins, Andy North, Ben Crenshaw, Curtis Strange, Hal Sutton (twice), Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard (twice) Tiger Woods and Ryan Moore. All those players since the 1960s but Nicklaus and Wadkins won at Pointe O’ Woods – the host site in 1963, ’65 and then for 38 consecutive years beginning in 1971. This year the July 29 – August 3 contest will be the first back in Michigan since 2008. Pointe O’ Woods announced that all proceeds made at the tournament will go directly back to the Evans Scholars Foundation. Cole Hammer returns as defending champ and club member Matt Zerbell, Jr., will be a local favorite playing as one of the 156 entrants. “I think winning this gave me the belief,” DiMarco said. “Beating some of best golfers, my peers – and especially some of the old guys. Jay Sigel was still playing back then; Allen Doyle. For me to go out and win tournaments was like, wow, maybe I can do this as a career. “This was the highlight of my amateur career for sure, to win this golf tournament. To be back here, where it all happened, gives me goosebumps. I hope that these kids that come in understand how special this place is and they have a great time doing it.” 33 July 2019 www.michigangolfjournal.com