Wednesday, November 17, 2021

USGA to bring 129th U.S. Amateur Championship to venerable Inverness Club in 2029

The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced that Inverness Club, in Toledo, Ohio, will host the 129th U.S. Amateur Championship. The dates of the championship are Aug. 13-19, 2029. The stroke play co-host course will be named at a later date.

“The growth of the U.S. Amateur over the last 100 years has been phenomenal, and earlier this year we saw near record-high entries for the championship,” said John Bodenhamer, senior managing director, Championships. “Part of that growth is a commitment by the USGA to take the championship to the best courses in the country, and Inverness is certainly among that group. We look forward to continuing our partnership with them with another U.S. Amateur.”

FUTURE SITES - U.S. AMATEUR

2022 Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus, N.J. 

2023 Cherry Hills Country Club, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. 

2024 Hazeltine National Golf Club, Chaska, Minn. 

2025 The Olympic Club, San Francisco, Calif. 

2026 Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pa. 

2027 Oak Hill Country Club, Pittsford, N.Y. 

2028 TBA

2029 Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio. 

2030 TBA

2031 The Honors Course, Ooltewah, Tenn.

The Toledo facility opened in 1903 and Donald Ross was hired in 1916 to design an 18-hole layout of outstanding championship caliber. The course went through several modifications over its history, with the most recent being Andrew Green’s acclaimed efforts to restore the layout to its early 20th century feel. The par-71 course can play at more than 7,700 yards, with 90 bunkers and small, undulating bentgrass greens.

Inverness Club will be hosting its ninth USGA championship and second U.S. Amateur. Eventual major champion Craig Stadler won the 1973 U.S. Amateur at Inverness. The club has also hosted four U.S. Opens. Ted Ray won the 1920 Open by one stroke over four players, including Harry Vardon. It was four-time champion Bob Jones’ first U.S. Open, and he finished in a tie for eighth place. Billy Burke (1931) and Dick Mayer (1957) won U.S. Opens at Inverness in playoffs, with Burke prevailing over George Von Elm in 72 playoff holes, the most in U.S. Open and major championship history. Hale Irwin earned the second of his three U.S. Open victories at Inverness in 1979, prevailing by two strokes over past champions Gary Player and Jerry Pate.

"All of us at Inverness Club are thrilled to be hosting the 2029 U.S. Amateur Championship," said John Swigart, chair of future championships. "Our incredible history with the USGA dates to 1920, when we first hosted the U.S. Open, and ever since, their friendship, partnership and recognition of our golf course have been an important part of the fabric of our club. We can't wait to again host the best amateur golfers in the world for what will surely be an exemplary championship."

The club also hosted the 2003 U.S. Senior Open, won by Bruce Lietzke, by two strokes over Tom Watson; the 2011 Senior Open, won by Olin Browne, by three strokes over Mark O’Meara; and the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur, won by Preston Summerhays.

Inverness was the site of two PGA Championships (1986, 1993) and two NCAA Championships (1944, 2009), and most recently hosted the 2021 Solheim Cup, in which Europe secured a second victory on U.S. soil, 15-13 over the USA. World Golf Hall of Famer and 1939 U.S. Open champion Byron Nelson served as the club’s professional from 1940-44.

There have been 40 USGA championships held in The Buckeye State through 2021, including eight U.S. Amateurs. The 2022 U.S. Senior Women’s Open will be held at NCR Country Club in Kettering in August.

One of the USGA’s three original championships, the U.S. Amateur is open to amateur golfers who have a Handicap Index not exceeding 2.4. A field of 312 golfers will play two 18-hole rounds of stroke play before the championship is cut to 64 players for match play. The championship is decided by a 36-hole final.

The USGA accepted 7,811 entries for the 2021 championship, which was won by James Piot at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club last August. That number of entries is the second-most all time; the record of 7,920 entries was set for the 1999 championship at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links. 

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