A number of talented players are at this moment off and running in Pinehurst, N.C., vying to become the champion of one of golf's most prized amateur tournaments played on one of the game's most storied venues.
Initially created to generate publicity for the five-year-old Pinehurst Resort and massage relations between two geographic regions that had been battling each other to the death just a generation earlier, the North & South Amateur Championship has blossomed into one of the most celebrated tournaments on the summer amateur circut.
The inaugural competition was first contested in April of 1901 on Pinehurst No. 1. Today, the event is one of the longest running consecutive championships in the country.
The world renowned Pinehurst No. 2 serves as the primary venue for the 64-player, six-round match play competition. The No. 2 course has served in this capacity for 100 years now.
Past champions of the event include Francis Quimet, Jack Nicklaus, Curtis Strange, Hal Sutton, Corey Pavin, Davis Love III, Jack Nicklaus Jr. and Michael Sims.
"I think the North & South Amateur really was my crowning achievement of my amateur career," said Love. "I was not considered a great amateur player or an all-star college player, I was just a very good player. Winning the North & South, I think, capped off my amateur career."
This year much of the pre-tournament attention has focused on Aaron Stewart, son of the late Payne Stewart, who won the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst.
To follow the event, go to www.pinehurst.com. Match play will take place beginning Thursday. To view the live bracket, click here. The final match will be played on Saturday, July 4.