The 42nd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship kicks of this week.
The championship will be played on two courses. Sleepy Hollow Country Club will be set up at 6,840 yards and will play to a par of 35-36–71. Fenway Golf Club, which will serve as the stroke-play co-host course for the two days of stroke play, will be set up at 6,657 yards and play to a par of 35-35–70.
(NOTE: Yardages subject to change.)
Sleepy Hollow Country Club Hole By Hole
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total
Par 4 4 3 4 4 5 3 4 4 35
Yardage 413 370 170 410 430 470 218 484 420 3,385
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total
Par 3 4 5 4 4 5 3 4 4 36
Yardage 162 430 531 406 409 510 145 441 421 3,455
Fenway Golf Club Hole By Hole
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total
Par 4 4 5 3 4 3 4 4 4 35
Yardage 277 388 526 143 480 242 448 353 386 3,243
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total
Par 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 5 35
Yardage 440 191 459 417 447 305 427 190 538 3,414
THE COURSES
Sleepy Hollow Country Club was designed by Charles Blair Macdonald, a major figure in early American golf, along with his engineer Seth Raynor and opened for play in 1913. A.W. Tillinghast expanded the facility to 27 holes in the late 1920s. Gil Hanse and George Bahto recently restored the original character to the club’s courses.
Fenway Golf Club was originally known as Fenimore Country Club and Devereux Emmet designed the first 18-hole layout. The course was replaced by A.W. Tillinghast in 1924 and the club reorganized under its current name 12 years later. Gil Hanse restored the green and bunker complexes and reestablished Tillinghast’s original sightlines.
COURSE RATING AND SLOPE
Based on the course setup for the championship, the Course Rating™ for Sleepy Hollow Country Club is 74.6 and its Slope Rating® is 140. The Course Rating for Fenway Golf Club is 73.6 and its Slope Rating is 138.
WHO CAN ENTER
The championship is open to any amateur golfer who is 25 years old by Sept. 9 with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 3.4.
ENTRIES
The USGA accepted a record 6,060 for the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. 5,708 entries for the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship The previous record of 5,708 was established in 2022. The 5,000 mark has been surpassed four times, including 1997 when 5,271 entries were accepted. Entries closed on Wednesday, July 19.
QUALIFYING
Qualifying, conducted over 18 holes, was held between July 26-Aug. 24. There were 68 sites in 42 U.S. states and one in Mexico. California had the most, with seven qualifying sites, while New York and Texas had four qualifiers. Sunningdale Country Club, in Scarsdale, hosted one of the New York qualifiers on Aug. 14.
SCHEDULE OF PLAY
Practice rounds will take place Sept. 7-8. The starting field of 264 players will play two rounds of stroke play (one round on each course), with the low 64 scorers advancing to match play. The schedule is as follows:
Sept. 9 (Saturday): First round, stroke play
Sept. 10 (Sunday): Second round, stroke play
Sept. 11 (Monday): Round of 64, match play
Sept. 12 (Tuesday): Round of 32 and Round of 16, match play
Sept. 13 (Wednesday): Quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, match play
Sept. 14 (Thursday): Championship match (36 holes)
ADMISSION
Admission is free. Tickets are not needed for this USGA championship, and fans are welcome to attend.
2022 CHAMPION
In a battle between two Irish competitors, Matthew McClean, of Belfast, defeated fellow countryman Hugh Foley, 25, of Dublin, 3 and 1, to win the 41st U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. The 36-hole final at Erin Hills, in Erin, Wis., concluded on Saturday – 1½ days later than expected – due to heavy rains earlier in the week. It was the first U.S. Mid-Amateur final that featured two international players. McClean, a 29-year-old optometrist, became the first USGA amateur champion from Ireland and the second international to win the Mid-Amateur. He held a 2-up lead following the opening 18 holes of the championship match on Friday and then increased his margin to 5 up with six to play the following day when he holed an 8-footer for birdie on the par-4 30th. With the victory also came the spoils. McClean was exempt into this year’s U.S. Open at The Los Angeles (Calif.) Country Club and played in the 2023 Masters Tournament. He was the second USGA champion of 2022 from Ireland, following Padraig Harrington, who claimed the U.S. Senior Open at Saucon Valley Country Club, in Bethlehem, Pa.
U.S. MID-AMATEUR NOTES
►The 42nd U.S. Mid-Amateur is the second USGA championship to be conducted at Sleepy Hollow
►This is the 75th USGA championship and second U.S. Mid-Amateur to be held in New York
►17 U.S. Mid-Amateur champions have been members of the USA Walker Cup Team
►Michael McCoy (2023) and Nathan Smith (2025) will become the fifth and sixth U.S. Mid-Amateur champions to serve as captains of the USA Walker Cup Team
USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT SLEEPY HOLLOW – Sleepy Hollow has previously hosted just one USGA championship. Becky Lucidi, of Poway, Calif., defeated Brandi Jackson, of Belton, S.C., 3 and 2, to win the 2002 U.S. Women’s Amateur. Lucidi built a 6-up lead after first 18 holes of the scheduled 36-hole match before Jackson bounced back to cut the deficit to two holes. An honorable mention All-American at the University of Southern California, Lucidi would hold off her opponent and closed out the match on the par-3 34th hole when she hit a 7-iron to within 18 feet and two-putted for par to win the hole and the championship.
USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT SLEEPY HOLLOW
2002 U.S. Women’s Amateur: Becky Lucidi def. Brandi Jackson, 3 and 2
OTHER CHAMPIONSHIPS HOSTED BY SLEEPY HOLLOW
1944 Metropolitan Golf Association Amateur (E.H. Driggs Jr.)
1965 Metropolitan Golf Association Amateur (Mark J. Stuart Jr.)
1983 Metropolitan Golf Association Amateur (Mark Diamond)
2011 Metropolitan Open (Tyler Hall)
Westchester Amateur (1923, 1953, 1957, 1968, 1997, 2006)
Westchester Open (1951, 1964, 1979, 2022)
USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NEW YORK
This will be the 75th USGA championship played in New York and the second U.S. Mid-Amateur contested in the state. Nathan Smith won the 2010 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Atlantic Golf Club, in Bridgehampton.
Recent USGA Championships in New York (champion in parentheses)
2013 U.S. Women’s Open, Sebonack G.C., Southampton (Inbee Park)
2013 Walker Cup Match, National Golf Links of America, Southampton (USA)
2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur, Nassau C.C., Glen Cove (Kristen Gillman)
2016 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, Winged Foot G.C., Mamaroneck (Benjamin Baxter & Andrew Buchanan)
2018 Curtis Cup Match, Quaker Ridge G.C., Scarsdale (USA)
2018 U.S. Open, Shinnecock Hills G.C., Southampton (Brooks Koepka)
2020 U.S. Open, Winged Foot G.C., Mamaroneck (Bryson DeChambeau)
2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur, Westchester C.C., Rye (Jensen Castle)
RECENT U.S. MID-AMATEURS IN NORTHEAST REGION
Years, Courses and Winners
2010: Atlantic G.C., Bridgehampton, N.Y. (Nathan Smith)
2014: Saucon Valley C.C. (Old Course), Bethlehem, Pa. (Scott Harvey)
2016: Stonewall (North & Old Courses), Elverson, Pa. (Stewart Hagestad)
2021: Sankaty Head G.C., Siasconset, Mass. (Stewart Hagestad)
EXEMPT PLAYERS: A total of 46 players are fully exempt into the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur based on performances in USGA championships and other elite amateur competitions, or by being in the top 15 (April 19) or top 40 (July 12) age-eligible points leaders of the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®.
Carlos Ardila (WAGR age-eligible top 15 points leader)
Matheus Balestrin (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Evan Beck (WAGR age-eligible top 15 points leader)
Stephen Behr Jr. (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Harry Bolton (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Hayes Brown (2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist)
Christian Cavaliere (2023 U.S. Open qualifier)
Mark Costanza (2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up, WAGR age-eligible top 15 points leader)
Joseph Deraney (2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up, 2023 Canadian Mid-Amateur champion)
Jeronimo Esteve (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Hugh Foley (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up, WAGR age-eligible top 15 points leader)
Richard Gibson Jr. (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Stewart Hagestad (2016, 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, 2019. 2021 & 2023 USA Walker Cup Team, 2022 U.S. Open-72-hole score, WAGR age-eligible top 15 points leader)
Bryce Hanstad (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist)
Scott Harvey (2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist)
Sam Jones (WAGR age-eligible top 15 points leader)
Chris Kamin (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Jon Lindstrom (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Morten Lykkegaard (WAGR age-eligible top 15 points leader)
Nick Maccario (2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist)
Matthew McClean (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, 2023 U.S. Open qualifier, 2023 GB&I Walker Cup Team, WAGR age-eligible top 15 points leader)
Michael McCoy (2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion)
Nate McCoy (WAGR age-eligible top 15 points leader)
Manuel Merizalde (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Lukas Michel (2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Jamie Miller (USGA special exemption)
Kevin O’Connell (2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion)
Miguel Ordonez (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Matt Parziale (2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion)
Andrew Paysee (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist)
Rhadames Pena (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Josh Persons (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist)
Matt Roberts (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Sammy Schmitz (2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion)
Andres Schonbaum (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Henry Shimp (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Nathan Smith (2003, 2009, 2010, 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion)
Mark Strickland (2023 U.S. Senior Open low amateur)
Gregor Tait (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Michael Thannhauser (2023 European Mid-Amateur champion)
Brad Tilley (WAGR age-eligible top 15 points leader)
Scott Turner (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist)
Alejandro Villaviciencio (WAGR age-eligible top 15 points leader)
Todd White (2023 U.S. Senior Amateur champion)
Chad Wilfong (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist, WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
Brice Wilkinson (WAGR age-eligible top 40 points leader)
WHAT THE CHAMPION RECEIVES
Among the benefits received by the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion are:
►A gold medal and custody of the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy for the ensuing year
►An exemption from final qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Open Championship (if still an amateur)
►An exemption from qualifying for the 2024 and 2025 U.S. Amateur Championships
►An exemption from qualifying for the next 10 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships
►An exemption from qualifying for the 2024 Amateur Championship, conducted by The R&A
►A likely invitation to the 2024 Masters Tournament
CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY
When the USGA announced its intention to hold a U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship in 1981, the Atlanta Athletic Club graciously donated a decorative, sterling silver trophy from its most famous member – Bob Jones. The ornate, three-handled cup, originally named the Davis & Freeman Golf Trophy, was first used as the prize for a junior tournament at Atlanta Athletic Club. The trophy was awarded beginning in 1909 and ending with three consecutive victories by Bob Jones in 1917, 1919, and 1920. The Freeman trophy was formally donated by the Atlanta Athletic Club and Georgia State Golf Association, and officially named the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy. With his 1981 Mid-Amateur victory at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Jim Holtgrieve became the first to receive the Jones Memorial Trophy. The original U.S. Mid-Amateur Trophy is on display at the USGA Museum in Liberty Corner, N.J.
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
This is the 42nd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. The U.S. Mid-Amateur, for amateur golfers of at least 25 years of age, provides a formal national championship for the post-college amateur, for whom the game is truly an avocation.
Played at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Mo., in 1981, the first U.S. Mid-Amateur drew 1,638 entries. The field included three U.S. Amateur champions: Gary Cowan (1966, 1971), Marvin “Vinny” Giles III (1972) and Fred Ridley (1975). Jim Holtgrieve, 33, of Des Peres, Mo., defeated fellow 1981 USA Walker Cup Team member Bob Lewis Jr., 37, of Warren, Ohio, in the final, 2 up.
In 2017, the USGA began awarding a full exemption into the following year’s U.S. Open Championship to the U.S. Mid-Amateur champion.
FUTURE U.S. MID-AMATEUR HOST SITES
Sept. 21-26, 2024: Kinloch Golf Club, Manakin-Sabot, Va., and Independence Golf Club, Midlothian, Va.
Sept. 13-18, 2025: Troon Country Club and Troon North Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Sept. 18-23, 2027: Jupiter Hills Club (Hills & Village Courses), Tequesta, Fla.
Sept. 14-19, 2030: Bel-Air Country Club, Los Angeles, Calif.
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