Thursday, August 01, 2002
Local courses host U.S. Amateur qualifiers
By Carey Hoffman
Enquirer contributor
A year ago at this time, Shawn McCaskey lived out the dream of every serious amateur golfer by qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Championship.
“It was the best thing to happen to me in golf, by far,” McCaskey said. “I didn't start playing until I was 16, so it took me awhile to understand how popular the event is on the amateur circuit. Then I qualified last year and got to go to East Lake (in Atlanta), experience the whole aura of it and get treated like a touring pro for five days.”
Most players recognize that there's a huge gap between top PGA pros and the average golfer. But the Amateur is contested among those golfers who don't play for a living, and someone from the masses will win a national championship.
McCaskey, a 29-year-old Fairfield resident, qualified for the first time last year after three failed attempts. He didn't advance from the 36 holes of stroke play to match play, but that hasn't discouraged him.
As the local rep for Taylor Made Golf, McCaskey got a lot of advice from the local golf community. Former qualifiers advised him how to “prep and then just enjoy the week. It's just a wonderful honor to get to where you're at, and they said to try and enjoy yourself and not get too fired up about it.”
McCaskey qualified out of a sectional at TPC at River's Bend last year. On Monday, he'll attempt to earn a spot out of Dayton Country Club.
Two sectionals will be held in Cincinnati - Monday at Traditions Golf Club and Tuesday at Camargo Club.
Camargo holds a consensus ranking as one of the 100 best courses in the world.
Golf architect Pete Dye, an Urbana, Ohio, native, twice qualified for the Amateur out of Camargo. He also earned a spot in the 1957 U.S.Open field out of Camargo. The other qualifier that day was Jack Nicklaus, who earned his first U.S. Open berth, while noted pro Dow Finsterwald was beaten out.
“He never forgave me,” Dye said, laughing.
Camargo remains one of Dye's favorite courses and served as his model when he got his first big commission, Crooked Stick in Indianapolis. Dye calls Camargo a great test for an event like the Amateur qualifier, thanks to the genius of architect Seth Raynor.
“He has more characteristics going around that golf course than you can believe,” Dye said. “There's a lot of character in that land, but a lot of it he inflicted upon those people.”“I didn't start playing until I was 16, so it took me awhile to understand how popular the event is on the amateur circuit.”
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Local courses host U.S. Amateur qualifiers
