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Ronald Montesano

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The greatest US Amateur ever?
« on: August 27, 2010, 04:20:36 PM »
Each of the quarterfinals was won by one hole.  The semifinalists include the current Porter Cup and Western Amateur champion (David Chung), the defending Champion (Ben An), one of the top four American amateurs and a Walker Cup stalwart (Peter Uihlein) and one of the pre-tournament favorites (Patrick Cantlay)...http://www.scratchplayers.org/world.am.rank.asp

What a great golf course this is...amazing architecture...I'd love to see the semifinals and final match up to the course and the matches to date.
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Carl Johnson

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Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2010, 06:12:38 PM »
Ron, I'm not familiar with enough USGA Amateurs to answer the question.  However, having just watched the conclusion of the final I'll offer a question and comment.  First, why not a larger crowd?  Although apparently larger than for the Women's Am we had here in Charlotte several weeks ago, why were so many Puget Sound area golfers glued to the tube, if that, than out there watching the best amateurs, great players, on a really interesting golf course?  Second, and this is an easy call, since my daughter lives in Seattle and we visit once or twice a year, I've really got to try it myself.

Steve Lang

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Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2010, 06:53:45 PM »
 8) locals probably just want to see/watch it on tv and not hassle with the walking, enjoy lunch and drinks in comfort
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Dan Herrmann

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Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2010, 07:56:41 PM »
Greatest ever?  Bob Jones at Merion in 1930.

Mike Sweeney

Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2010, 08:08:15 PM »
I only saw the last hour, but the course and the match looked great. Chambers Bay looks awesome.

That said, it will be hard for any US Amateur to touch the 1995 US Amateur at Newport with the arguably greatest golfer in history being taken to the 18th hole by a Mark "sales guy/mini-tour/10+ Maine Amateur" Plummer and then a final match against the Merion/Pine Valleyish Buddy Marucci. That was probably one of the last Amateurs that was not completely dominated by college players.

The Steve Scott - Tiger Woods final match was arguably the greatest final match ever, but Newport, its matches, its legacy and winner stand as the greatest US Am ever.

PS. I have been to US Am's at Merion, Winged Foot and Pebble Beach and they never get big crowds.

RJ_Daley

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Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2010, 08:16:45 PM »
Greatest Am ever?  I've only seen a few, dont know.  For me, it was every bit as fun to watch as the one at Merion, or Tiger's comeback at Pumpkin Ridge.  

It was a joy to watch the demeanor of the two finalists.  They were really class acts.  Let's face it, that hole play on the 8th by Chung may go down as the greatest lost hole ever!  The course gave us spectators on the tube a greatly entertaining bit of golf to watch.  

I'd be interested in seeing some interviews of the players now that it is over.  I just have to believe that many of them will make their own effort to go back there to play.  Or, I think many will have a dream of returning as competitors in the 2015 as qualifiers.

I do wonder why there were not more spectators, also.  They had pretty nice weather.  What was the admission charge?  I know if I'd have been within a couple hundred miles, I'd have driven there to watch at least some of the days.
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Carl Johnson

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Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2010, 08:19:43 PM »

 . . . .
"PS. I have been to US Am's at Merion, Winged Foot and Pebble Beach and they never get big crowds."   

 And why you think not?  Inadequate promotion?  That's my hunch.

Ronald Montesano

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Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #7 on: August 29, 2010, 10:29:22 PM »
Dan, You say Bob Jones won at Merion...I say that there were many who contributed to his win there...so Jones himself should not get all the credit...

Carl, Asher Wildman doesn't seem to agree with you on the crowds...http://www.golfweek.com/news/2010/aug/29/three-lasting-images-amateur/

I was so impressed by Uihlein last year at the Walker Cup, and by Chung at this year's Porter Cup...it was a case of there is wrong outcome for me in the final match.  They will make quite the team with Scott Langley at the WAT in Buenos Aires.
Coming in 2024
~Elmira Country Club
~Soaring Eagles
~Bonavista
~Indian Hills
~Maybe some more!!

Sean Leary

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2010, 11:21:34 PM »
In terms of crowds, it is not really easy to get to from Seattle. Also, the Senior Open was a couple of weeks ago at Sahalee and the Champions Tour event was outside Seattle this weekend as well. Lot of options here the last month.

Carl Johnson

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Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #9 on: August 30, 2010, 08:28:09 AM »
...

Carl, Asher Wildman doesn't seem to agree with you on the crowds...http://www.golfweek.com/news/2010/aug/29/three-lasting-images-amateur/

. . .

Of course I was not there and am only going by what it looked like to me on the TV coverage.  I'm glad to hear that it was well attended.

Phil McDade

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #10 on: August 30, 2010, 10:16:09 AM »

That said, it will be hard for any US Amateur to touch the 1995 US Amateur at Newport with the arguably greatest golfer in history being taken to the 18th hole by a Mark "sales guy/mini-tour/10+ Maine Amateur" Plummer and then a final match against the Merion/Pine Valleyish Buddy Marucci. That was probably one of the last Amateurs that was not completely dominated by college players.
 

Mike:

A Mark Plummer sighting on GCA -- how cool! I was really taken by Plummer during that Amateur -- a real working-man's amateur. He's won -- what? -- dozens of Maine Amateurs over the years? Stocky guy, big moustache, heckuva putter. And that course played really fast and firm that year -- that's the one where I thought Tiger might be something special, because he handled those conditions so well.

I think the US Am at Oakmont in '03 had a mid-am competitor -- fairly old one, maybe in his 50s -- make the semi's.

PThomas

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #11 on: August 30, 2010, 10:50:14 AM »
Greatest ever?  Bob Jones at Merion in 1930.

agreed
199 played, only Augusta National left to play!

Jud_T

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #12 on: August 30, 2010, 11:55:45 AM »
It was entertaining but it doesn't even rank with Tiger's miracle comeback in terms of drama...
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Terry Lavin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #13 on: August 30, 2010, 12:20:59 PM »
The golf was great, the course was intriguing a great Amateur, but not at the top by a fair shot.
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.  H.L. Mencken

JR Potts

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #14 on: August 30, 2010, 12:22:36 PM »
Greatest ever?  Bob Jones at Merion in 1930.

agreed

How would you guys know? 

Phil McDade

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #15 on: August 30, 2010, 12:32:37 PM »
Greatest ever?  Bob Jones at Merion in 1930.

agreed

How would you guys know? 

How does anyone know who won the Civil War?

Steve Salmen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #16 on: August 30, 2010, 12:33:56 PM »
My guess Ryan is that it was the final leg of his impregnable quadrilateral.

Mac Plumart

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Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #17 on: August 30, 2010, 12:52:38 PM »
Sportsman/Adventure loving golfer.

PCCraig

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #18 on: August 30, 2010, 01:37:33 PM »
This was a very nice US Am...but I doubt you can consider it the greatest of all time, esp. this soon after it ended. To me past US Am's become more important as time passes and the participants become more meaningful in the history books. Tiger and Bob Jones' victories are important because of what they did in addition to their US Am titles.
H.P.S.

Phil McDade

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #19 on: August 30, 2010, 01:42:53 PM »
This was a very nice US Am...but I doubt you can consider it the greatest of all time, esp. this soon after it ended. To me past US Am's become more important as time passes and the participants become more meaningful in the history books. Tiger and Bob Jones' victories are important because of what they did in addition to their US Am titles.

Pat:

Well, the main difference is what Tiger had accomplished after he won the 3 Ams. He'd be something of a historical oddity if he hadn't followed his record run of Ams with a listless pro career.

For Jones, it was the culmination of a wonderful career -- he retired from competitive golf after his Amateur win at Merion, at the age of 30, when he was clearly the best golfer in the world. That, and having done something that no one else had done (complete a Slam), made his Amateur win, in my view, much more of a history-making win than any of Tiger's. I think it's difficult, 80 years removed, to fully comprehend Jones' accomplishment -- he was one of the truly famous sporting figures of the day, revered by all, and his accomplishments were usually front-page news. A real giant in his day.

Jud_T

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Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #20 on: August 30, 2010, 02:04:19 PM »
Wasn't there a massive ticker-tape parade for Jones in NYC afterward?
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Phil McDade

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #21 on: August 30, 2010, 02:49:58 PM »
Wasn't there a massive ticker-tape parade for Jones in NYC afterward?

Yes...

JR Potts

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Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #22 on: August 30, 2010, 03:10:34 PM »

How does anyone know who won the Civil War?

Exactly - different geographies have different interpretations.  In some places, it's not even over yet.

Terry Lavin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #23 on: August 30, 2010, 03:55:36 PM »
Sure, they had a ticker tape parade for him in NYC, but he didn't have the nerve, the gumption, the courage...to defend his crown the next year at Beverly CC! ;D ;D ;D
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.  H.L. Mencken

Steve_Lovett

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Re: The greatest US Amateur ever?
« Reply #24 on: August 30, 2010, 03:59:41 PM »
I found the tape-delay aspect of the finals & quarterfinals matches frustrating and almost disorienting...  Would love to have seen it on TV, unfiltered, in real-time - with more time to introduce each hole's strategy and follow the play & drama.