Western Am at Alotian

[Cliff Walston]

Anyone going, preferably with a camera?  Here are a few photos I found on the Western Am website.  I know they are not too keen on people taking pictures, so there are not many out there.  Enjoy.

http://photos.wgaesf.org/Championships/WesternAmateur

[Jeff Goldman]

Scores are really low, and the players are treating alotian like a pitch and putt with folks at 9 under part way through round 2. More surprising is that the WGA is totally dumping on the Chicago clubs that really went out of their way to host the tourney:

“This is a (PGA) Tour event,” said Kevin Most, the WGA director, adding that compared to past Western Amateurs, “You would not see anything like this,” pointing toward a big tent near the main clubhouse and local caddies wearing bibs.""

Bibs!  My god!  How Fantastic!  Why can't the crummy Chicago clubs think of that?  What a bunch of a-holes. Skokie, North Shore, Exmoor, Conway etc spend a bundle and go out of their way to support these schmucks, and this is what the WGA thinks of them when one rich guy who builds a course throws some money around. Suckers. I wonder if all the caddies at Alotian are even kids rather than pros.

[Tim_Cronin]

David Snyder, a 15-year-old from Texas, shot 6-under-par 66 in the second round. Alotian may have pristine conditions, but so does Haunted Trails in Burbank, Ill., and this course might be as easy.

Gee, a tent by the clubhouse and caddie bibs? Oooh, this must pass for the height of luxury in Arkansas. Is it the same tent Point O'Woods used to put up by that clubhouse?

All I know about clubhouses is, Olympia Fields, where this year's Western Amateur was slated to he held until Alotion came along and enticed the WGA to head south for the summer, doesn't need to put up a tent to throw a party, not with the largest clubhouse this side of Buckingham Palace. (Olympia may put up a tent or three, of the corporate variety, for the 2015 U.S. Amateur, but I digress.)

 Caddie bibs? They're in use at both the Illinois Open and Illinois Women's Open, along with live scoring.

WGA is fortunate it has clubs like Beverly, next year's host, that support the Evans Scholar program beyond generously. Beverly will not need a tent either and likely has caddie bibs in reserve to go with its many well-trained caddies.

Perhaps the heat got to Kevin Most, who has always been a voice of reason. Either that or too many trips to Waffle House.

[Bill Shamleffer]

More surprising is that the WGA is totally dumping on the Chicago clubs that really went out of their way to host the tourney:

“This is a (PGA) Tour event,” said Kevin Most, the WGA director, adding that compared to past Western Amateurs, “You would not see anything like this,” pointing toward a big tent near the main clubhouse and local caddies wearing bibs.""

Bibs!  My god!  How Fantastic!  Why can't the crummy Chicago clubs think of that?  What a bunch of a-holes. Skokie, North Shore, Exmoor, Conway etc spend a bundle and go out of their way to support these schmucks, and this is what the WGA thinks of them when one rich guy who builds a course throws some money around. Suckers. I wonder if all the caddies at Alotian are even kids rather than pros.

http://www.wgaesf.org/site/c.dwJTKiO0JgI8G/b.6086593/k.8A77/Western_Amateur.htm

Click on the above link to the WGA's site for the Western Am and then click on "Past Champions" and you will see that pre-1971 this was always a traveling tournament, visiting clubs all over the Midwest, and sometimes beyond.  The WGA is not a Chicago organization, but is a regional organization.  Evans Scholars come from all over the Midwest and Western, as do the volunteers who help run the WGA.

However, is this the first Western Am that has charged spectators ($100).  The good thing is that the money will benefit the Evans Scholarship.  The bad thing is this is an obvious ploy to keep the less desirable (those that can not afford to spend $100 just to watch an amateur golf tournament, and possibly only have one day available to come out to the tournament) off the premises.

[PCCraig]

“This is a (PGA) Tour event,” said Kevin Most, the WGA director, adding that compared to past Western Amateurs, “You would not see anything like this,” pointing toward a big tent near the main clubhouse and local caddies wearing bibs.""

I agree that this quote is bizarre. Hopefully he was taken out of context and he was just trying to be polite while at the host site.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Gee, a tent by the clubhouse and caddie bibs? Oooh, this must pass for the height of luxury in Arkansas.


Hey hold on there...there are some folks from Arkansas on here.
I understand the critisms but dont slam the entire State because someone with money has pull and there are whoremongers amongst the WGA.

[J_ Crisham]

Beverly is in the best shape I've ever seen it in- should be a fun week next year for the Western Am. We had a great time with the Western Junior a couple years ago- we had a Member/Junior player event before the tourney started- amazing how good the kids are and how far they hit it compared to us old farts!

[Andrew Buck]

Beverly is in the best shape I've ever seen it in- should be a fun week next year for the Western Am. We had a great time with the Western Junior a couple years ago- we had a Member/Junior player event before the tourney started- amazing how good the kids are and how far they hit it compared to us old farts!

All the Clubs in the area should be in their best shape ever right now.  Good amount of natural moisture without any real days were it dumped buckets and then got hot to bake the turf.  It was getting hot about two weeks ago with nighttime lows pushing 75, but then cooled down at the perfect time.

Really no danger in having firm bent grass conditions right now.  Still nice to hear it's in great shape, such a fun golf course. 

[Tim_Cronin]

This isn't the first time spectators have had to pay, though it is the first time they've had to pay through the nose. The Western Am charged spectators $5 when at Point O'Woods. And, I think, another $2 to park. When crowds declined, the Point asked the WGA for a site fee, and the WGA left the building.

[Paul OConnor]

Why is this Alotian course so easy?  7480 yards and there are 53 kids under par after 36 holes?  These kids are not that good.  I suspect if this event were being held at Olympia Fields this week, there might be a quarter of that number in red. 

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

why is is so easy?...because it is typical of many Fazio courses,solid without being difficult.
Wide open fairways with less than penal rough and huge greens.
Attractive layout to say the least but not all that cahhlenging when you can step up and hit it hard without to much consequence.

[JMEvensky]

why is is so easy?...because it is typical of many Fazio courses,solid without being difficult.
Wide open fairways with less than penal rough and huge greens.
Attractive layout to say the least but not all that cahhlenging when you can step up and hit it hard without to much consequence.

Alotian is a perfect example of "looks hard,plays easy".

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Well said JM

[JMEvensky]

Well said JM

MW-P,we still need to do a Texarkana/Memphis home and home.

[Jeff Goldman]

Patrick Rodgers was medalist at -18. He won at Olympia Fields last year by 5 at -3 for 3 rounds on the South Course. Interesting ruling kept Ian Davis out of the playoff for match play:

At the 10th tee Thursday, Davis was in the process of hitting his tee shot when his ball rolled off the tee. However, he was unable to completely stop his swing and he followed through, brushing the ball, which rolled about 10 feet.

An official at the scene told him he could re-tee, which he did and continued playing, finishing what he thought was a 3-under 69.

“The incident did not come to our attention until this afternoon,” said Vince Pellegrino, vice president of tournaments for the Western Golf Association. “He should have played the ball where it lay. However, he was given an incorrect ruling by the official.

“Because it was an incorrect ruling by the official, we did not disqualify him for signing an incorrect scorecard, but had to give him a one stroke penalty,” Pellegrino said. “He was making a stroke on the ball and the key is he did make contact so that has to count as a stroke.”

[jeffwarne]

Patrick Rodgers was medalist at -18. He won at Olympia Fields last year by 5 at -3 for 3 rounds on the South Course. Interesting ruling kept Ian Davis out of the playoff for match play:

At the 10th tee Thursday, Davis was in the process of hitting his tee shot when his ball rolled off the tee. However, he was unable to completely stop his swing and he followed through, brushing the ball, which rolled about 10 feet.

An official at the scene told him he could re-tee, which he did and continued playing, finishing what he thought was a 3-under 69.

“The incident did not come to our attention until this afternoon,” said Vince Pellegrino, vice president of tournaments for the Western Golf Association. “He should have played the ball where it lay. However, he was given an incorrect ruling by the official.

“Because it was an incorrect ruling by the official, we did not disqualify him for signing an incorrect scorecard, but had to give him a one stroke penalty,” Pellegrino said. “He was making a stroke on the ball and the key is he did make contact so that has to count as a stroke.”

Jeff,
If he had simply played the ball frpm 10 feet away, he still would've had to count the stroke, so really the penalty was a nonevent, and I would argue that reteeing it was actually an advantage from playing it.
I'd say the freak occurance may've kept him out of a playoff, but not the ruling.