In Virginai, 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship Ready to Tee Off

Sept. 21-26, 2024, Kinloch Golf Club, Manakin-Sabot, Va.,
and Independence Golf Club, Midlothian, Va.

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PAR AND YARDAGE  
Kinloch Golf Club will be set up at 7,291 yards and will play to a par of 35-36–71. Independence Golf Club, which will serve as the stroke-play co-host course for the two days of stroke play, will be set up at 7,190 yards and play to a par of 35-35–70.

(NOTE: Yardages subject to change.)

THE COURSES

Kinloch Golf Club was designed by Richmond-based architect Lester George and two-time USGA champion Marvin “Vinny” Giles III. The course, which opened for play in 2001, winds through a remote setting featuring a heavily wooded outward nine with an inward nine dominated by a 70-acre lake that factors heavily on the 18th hole.

Independence Golf Club, 10 miles south of Kinloch Golf Club, was designed by Tom Fazio and opened for play in 2001. The club has hosted 10 State Opens of Virginia, from 2007-2023, and a renovation by Lester George was completed in 2014. 

COURSE RATING AND SLOPE

Based on the course setup for the championship, the Course Rating™ for Kinloch Golf Club is 76.0 and its Slope Rating® is 144. The Course Rating for Independence Golf Club is 74.6 and its Slope Rating is 139.

WHO CAN ENTER       

The championship is open to any amateur golfer who is 25 years old by Sept. 21 with a Handicap Index® not exceeding 2.4.

ENTRIES

The USGA accepted 6,054 entries for the 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur, the second-highest total in championship history. The record was established last year when 6,060 entries were filed. The 5,000 mark has been surpassed five times, including 2022 when 5,708 entries were accepted.

QUALIFYING   

Qualifying, conducted over 18 holes, was held between July 22-Aug. 28. There were 69 sites in 43 U.S. states and one in Mexico. California had the most, with seven qualifying sites, while Texas hosted four qualifiers. Virginia had two qualifying sites - Willow Oaks Country Club, in Richmond, on July 29 and Hermitage Country Club’s Sabot Course, in Manakin-Sabot, on Aug. 19.

SCHEDULE OF PLAY  

Practice rounds will take place Sept. 19-20. 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. 21 (Saturday): First round, stroke play
Sept. 22 (Sunday): Second round, stroke play
Sept. 23 (Monday): Round of 64, match play
Sept. 24 (Tuesday): Round of 32 and Round of 16, match play
Sept. 25 (Wednesday): Quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, match play
Sept. 26 (Thursday): Championship match (36 holes)
 

ADMISSION     

Admission is free. Tickets are not needed for this USGA championship, and fans are welcome to attend.

2023 CHAMPION         

Stewart Hagestad, of Newport Beach, Calif., moved into select company with his 3-and-2 victory over Evan Beck in the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, in Scarborough, N.Y.  The 32-year-old won his third Mid-Amateur crown and joined a who’s who list of players who have won the same USGA championship three or more times. Names such as Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Bob Jones, Mickey Wright, JoAnne Carner and Annika Sorenstam. His three titles tied him with Jay Sigel and leaves him one behind all-time Mid-Amateur record holder Nathan Smith. Due to weather earlier in the week, the 36-hole final was played over two days with a Friday finish. Hagestad pressed the gas pedal to start the second 18 holes. He made a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 19 and hit an 8-iron to within 4 feet to take the par-3 21st hole for a 7-up advantage. Even when Beck whittled the lead to 3 down and appeared to have the upper hand on the drivable par-4 31st hole Hagestad recovered from a greenside bunker to tie the hole with a par.

U.S. MID-AMATEUR NOTES
►The 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur is the second USGA championship to be conducted at Kinloch Golf Club
►This is the 21st USGA championship and second U.S. Mid-Amateur to be held in Virginia
►17 U.S. Mid-Amateur champions have been members of the USA Walker Cup Team
►In 2025, Nathan Smith will become the sixth U.S. Mid-Amateur champion to serve as captain of the USA Walker Cup Team

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT KINLOCH GOLF CLUB – Kinloch has previously hosted just one USGA championship. Louis Lee, 55, of Heber Springs, Ark., defeated Philip Pleat, 55, of Nashua, N.H., 1 up, to win the 2011 U.S. Senior Amateur. With the victory, Lee joined his brother, Stanford, the 2007 champion, as a winner of the event. Lee started quickly in the final match with a 10-foot birdie putt on No. 4 before nearly acing his tee shot for a conceded birdie on the par-3 fifth. He later ran off victories on three consecutive holes for a 4-up lead. Pleat made a late run and had birdie putts on holes 17 and 18 to tie the match and send it to extra holes but he could not convert. Prior to the championship Lee had not played a single competitive event in more than 25 years.

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS AT KINLOCH

2011 U.S. Senior Amateur: Louis Lee def. Philip Pleat, 1 up

OTHER CHAMPIONSHIPS HOSTED BY KINLOCH

2003 Virginia State Amateur (Jay Woodson)
 

OTHER CHAMPIONSHIPS HOSTED BY INDEPENDENCE

Virginia State Open (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2022, 2023)

Virginia State Senior Open (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN VIRGINIA

This will be the 21st USGA championship played in Virginia and the second U.S. Mid-Amateur contested in the state. Greg Puga won the 2010 U.S. Mid-Amateur at The Homestead (Cascades Course), in Hot Springs.

Recent USGA Championships in Virginia (champion in parentheses)

2000 U.S. Mid-Amateur, The Homestead (Cascades Course), Hot Springs (Greg Puga)

2003 U.S. Senior Amateur, The Virginian G.C., Bristol (Kemp Richardson)

2004 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links, Golden Horseshoe G.C., Williamsburg (Yani Tseng)

2009 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, The Homestead (Cascades Course), Hot Springs (Sherry Herman)

2011 U.S. Senior Amateur, Kinloch G.C., Manakin-Sabot (Louis Lee)

2011 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, Bayville G.C., Virginia Beach (Ellen Port)

2013 U.S. Amateur Public Links, Laurel Hill G.C., Lorton (Jordan Niebrugge)

RECENT U.S. MID-AMATEURS IN SOUTHEAST REGION        

Years, Courses and Winners

2009: Kiawah Island Club (Cassique Course), Kiawah Island, S.C. (Nathan Smith)

2013: Country Club of Birmingham (West Course), Birmingham, Ala. (Michael McCoy)

2015: John’s Island Club (West Course), Vero Beach, Fla. (Sammy Schmitz)

2018: Charlotte C.C., Charlotte, N.C. (Kevin O’Connell)

EXEMPT PLAYERS: A total of 43 players are currently exempt into the 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur based on performances in USGA championships and other elite amateur competitions, or by being in the top 15 (April 17) and top 40 (July 17) age-eligible points leaders of the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®.

Ryan Ang (WAGR top 40 age-eligible)

Carlos Ardila (WAGR top 15 age-eligible)

Andrew Bailey (WAGR top 40 age-eligible)

Matheus Balestrin (WAGR top 15 age-eligible)

Evan Beck (2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up, WAGR top 15 age-eligible)

Stephen Behr Jr. (2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist)

Brian Blanchard (2024 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion)

Louis Brown (2024 U.S. Senior Amateur champion)

Cam Burke (2024 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion)

Juan Fernando Castellanos (WAGR top 40 age-eligible)

Mark Costanza (2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up, WAGR top 15 age-eligible)

Joseph Deraney (WAGR top 40 age-eligible)

Parker Edens (2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist)

Torey Edwards (WAGR top 40 age-eligible)

Sam Engel (2024 U.S. Amateur Amateur Four-Ball champion)

Jeronimo Esteve (WAGR top 40 age-eligible)

Hugh Foley (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up)

Richard Gibson Jr. (WAGR top 40 age-eligible)

Markus Habeler (2024 European Mid-Amateur champion)

Stewart Hagestad (2016, 2021, 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, 2021 & 2023 USA Walker Cup Team, WAGR top 15 age-eligible)

Bryce Hanstad (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist)

Scott Harvey (2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion)

Sam Jackson (2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist)

Andrew Jarvis (WAGR top 15 age-eligible, WAGR top 40 age-eligible)

Chris Kamin (WAGR top 40 age-eligible)

Bobby Massa (2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist)

Matthew McClean (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, 2023 GB&I Walker Cup Team, Low eight individual finishers in 2023 World Amateur Team, WAGR top 15 age-eligible)

Michael McCoy (2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion)

Lukas Michel (2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion)

Kevin O’Connell (2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion)

Segundo Oliva Pinto (WAGR top 15 age-eligible)

Julien Paltrinieri (WAGR top 40 age-eligible)

Matt Parziale (2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion)

Brett Patterson (2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist, WAGR top 15 age-eligible)

Josh Persons (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist)

Colin Prater (2024 U.S. Open qualifier)

Andres Schonbaum (WAGR top 40 age-eligible)

Nathan Smith (USGA special exemption)

Rick Stimmel (WAGR top 40 age-eligible)

Daniel Sullivan (2024 U.S. Senior Amateur runner-up)

Omar Tejeira (WAGR top 15 age-eligible)

Alejandro Villavicencio (WAGR top 15 age-eligible)

Todd White (2023 U.S. Senior Amateur champion)
 

WHAT THE CHAMPION RECEIVES     

Among the benefits received by the 2024 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 2025 U.S. Open Championship (if still an amateur)

►An exemption from qualifying for the 2025 and 2026 U.S. Amateur Championships

►An exemption from qualifying for the next 10 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships

►An exemption from qualifying for the 2025 Amateur Championship, conducted by The R&A

►A likely invitation to the 2025 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 43rd 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. 13-18, 2025: Troon Country Club and Troon North Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Sept. 26-Oct. 1, 2026: Sand Valley Resort (The Lido Course), Nekoosa, Wis.

Sept. 18-23, 2027: Jupiter Hills Club (Hills & Village Courses), Tequesta, Fla.

2028 – TBD

2029 – TBD

Sept. 14-19, 2030: Bel-Air Country Club, Los Angeles, Calif.

CONTENT HUB

Championship images and videos are available complimentary to media for usage in editorial coverage of the 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur courtesy of the USGA through the new Content Hub. A one-time registration is required.

MEDIA OPERATIONS/SERVICE

Please contact Brian DePasquale for more information regarding your U.S. Mid-Amateur coverage. His contact information is:

Brian DePasquale: bdepasquale@usga.org, (O) 908-326-1884, (C) 908-655-8395

For more information on the USGA, visit usga.org.