Western Amateur Headed Back to Chicago Area

The prestigious Western Amateur golf championship is returning to its roots.

After an absence spanning more than a half century, including a lengthy stint at Point O' Woods Golf Club in Benton Harbor, Michigan which has hosted the event since 1971, a tournament won by two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North, the Western Golf Association has announced that seven Chicago-area clubs will take turns hosting the Western Amateur from 2009 through 2015.

The clubs included in the rotation include Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Skokie Country Club in Glencoe, North Shore Country Club in Glenview, Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, Olympia Fields Country Club (South Course) in Olympia Fields, The Beverly Country Club in Chicago and Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.

“We found this select group of clubs very receptive to the idea,” WGA Chairman John Fix said. “We’re happy to be able to announce a lineup through 2015 that includes such prominent clubs.”

The door was opened for the Western Amateur to return to Chicago when the WGA announced in February that following this year’s tournament at Point O’Woods would be the end of that club’s 38-year tradition of annually hosting the event.

With so much history and so many resources in the Chicago area, event organizers are looking forward to returning to the Windy City.

“This is a very positive development for both the championship as well as our Evans Scholarships,” Fix added. “It gives the Western Golf Association the opportunity to present, at the highest level, the best of amateur golf to the people of Chicago. At the same time, all of these clubs have been very strong supporters of the Evans Scholars Program and have had numerous Evans Scholars from their clubs, so this is perfect for us.”

The event was held predominantly in the Midwest during its early years before branching out across the nation. The Western Amateur has been played in Nashville, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Delray Beach, Seattle, Omaha, Dallas, St. Louis, Spokane and Pinehurst.

First held in 1899 at the Glen View Golf Club in Golf, Illinois, the Western Amateur has from its inception been regarded as one of the major amateur golf events in the world. The event was last held in the Chicago area in 1952, when the tournament was hosted by Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park.

Past winners of the Western Amateur include golf greats Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Crenshaw, Justin Leonard, Phil Mickelson, Curtis Strange, Francis Ouimet, Lanny Wadkins and Tom Weiskopf.