Pebble Beach Golf Links to host the 118th U.S. Amateur Championship
The oldest national championship in golf is coming back to the Central Coast for the first time in nearly 20 years.
The Pebble Beach Golf Links will host the 118th U.S. Amateur Championship from August 13th -19th.
The USGA accepted 7,463 entries in 2018, inching close to the record number of entrants at 7,920 in 1999. 1999 was also the last time the U.S. Amateur was held at Pebble Beach.
The entries will be narrowed down to a field of 312 golfers who will play Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course in August. The field will then be cut to the low 64 scorers. According to the USGA, six rounds of match play start on August 15th and the final two golfers will battle it out in the 36-hole championship match on August 19th.
“We are excited to bring amateur golf’s ultimate test back to the Monterey Peninsula,” said Ben Kimball, Co-director of the U.S. Amateur Championship.
The Pebble Beach Company is also excited the tournament is back on the Central Coast and it is sure to be an economic boost for the area.
“It’s a special responsibility for us to be one of the key economic drivers in this community so to have an amateur, a concours, a U.S. Open, that is worth hundreds of millions of dollars of economic value for our community so it is quite a privilege for us to be able to help the economy thrive and grow,” said David Stivers, President of the Pebble Beach Company.
Players such as Noah Goodwin are looking forward to being able to step onto the historic course.
Goodwin is the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur Champion. He is visiting the Central Coast from Texas.
He said he hasn’t played Pebble before, but got that opportunity on Monday, June 9th and will also play in the championship in August.
“There is just a history and an aura that surrounds the golf course and whenever you’re walking out there it is a very surreal feeling,” said Noah Goodwin.
On Monday, KION got a preview of golf fans can expect at the Amateur.
“One of the neat things about the Amateur is you can walk down the fairways with some of the greatest young golfers. These will be the future super stars of the PGA tour or European tour so to get watch them in development phase in their career is special that’s how Tiger Woods started and look what he is today,” said David Stivers.
The Pebble Beach Company will be rooting on one of its own during the qualifying rounds of the Amateur. John Sawin, their new VP and Director of Golf, will be trying to qualify for the tournament in Seaside on July 11th.”He has been working very very hard. He says he hasn’t gotten to practice very much but I’ve seen him play. He has a great game and we’re all rooting for him that’ll be a neat thing for him,” said Stivers.
It is also a very busy time for the Pebble Beach Company with renovations happening ahead of the championship. There is a new visitor center as well as new rooms.
The changes come in anticipation of this U.S. Amateur Championship and the U.S. Open in 2019.
