Enjoy the 12th Annual Georgia Cup Match at The Golf Club of Georgia, at 1:05 p.m. on March 31, and plan to stay the week to explore why Alpharetta is awesome! Established at The Golf Club of Georgia in 1998, The Georgia Cup annually brings together the reigning United States Amateur and British Amateur Champion for an 18-hole match in advance of the Masters.
Admittance to the Georgia Cup is free, but a donation is requested. Donations will benefit the Georgia State Golf Foundation's Yates Scholarship Fund and the Moncrief Turfgrass Scholarships. And - don't miss the 4th United States Collegiate Championship, April 5-7, on The Golf Club of Georgia's Lakeside Course. Admittance to the event is free as well, but donations to the Georgia State Golf Foundation will be accepted. Alpharetta offers 23 upscale and modern hotels, 150 dining options, seven unique shopping districts, and an abundance of family-friendly entertainment to round out your weekend or week-long. Visit www.AwesomeAlpharetta.com for more information, including special package hotel rates.
United States Amateur Champion Danny Lee, of New Zealand, will meet British Amateur Champion Reinier Saxton, of The Netherlands during the upcoming Georgia Cup. Lee, 18, who became the youngest champion in U.S. Amateur history last August at Pinehurst, N.C., further enhanced his reputation February 22, by becoming the youngest champion in the history of the European Tour with a dramatic win in the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth, Australia.
Saxton, 20, defeated England's Tommy Fleetwood, 3 and 2, at Turnberry, Scotland, this past June, preventing the 17-year-old from becoming the youngest champion in British Amateur history. Lee defeated Florida State's Drew Kittleson, 5 and 4, to win the U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2. Lee and Saxton will play in The Georgia Cup Match the week preceding their appearances in the Masters, April 9-13.
Presented by SunTrust and Atlanta Classic Cars/Mercedes-Benz, The Georgia Cup benefits the scholarship programs of the Georgia State Golf Foundation. Additional sponsors for the 2009 Georgia Cup include Butler Tire, Shoreline Limousine and Fairway & Greene.
The Honorary Captain for the 2009 Georgia Cup Match is two-time Walker Cup captain Danny Yates, 58, of Atlanta, one of the finest amateur players in Georgia golf history. The 1992 U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion, Yates is a three-time winner of the Georgia Amateur, has played on two Walker Cup teams and is a member of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.
The world's No. 1-ranked amateur, Lee is tentatively scheduled to play in the PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando March 25-29, on his way to The Georgia Cup. Lee, a native of South Korea, has announced plans to turn professional immediately following the Masters, bypassing invitations in both the U.S. Open and British Open. But with Lee's Johnnie Walker Classic win, which earned a two-year exemption on the European Tour, his global opportunities promise to be extensive.
Saxton has played a few practice rounds on the Lakeside Course, having visited The Golf Club of Georgia in January with his father Jonas, a professional in Holland. Reinier will be coming to The Georgia Cup after competing in the Azalea Invitational, March 26-29, in Charleston, S.C. A recent winner of the Spanish Amateur Championship, Saxton plans to turn professional in late summer. He will attempt to qualify for the British Open in July at Turnberry, site of his British Amateur win last summer.
Lee, who also won the prestigious Western Amateur, tied for 20th in the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship last fall and tied for 11th in the Australian Masters.
The All-Time Series of The Georgia Cup, which started in 1998, stands at 6-5 in favor of the United States Amateur Champions following Colt Knost's 2 and 1 win over Drew Weaver in 2008.
The Golf Club of Georgia's Lakeside Course, which also will host the 4th United States Collegiate Championship April 5-7, with Southern California as defending champion, was named "Best New Private Course" in the nation by Golf Digest in 1991.
Georgia Cup All-Time Results:
1998 (Lakeside) - Matt Kuchar (U.S.) def. Craig Watson (Brit.), 3 & 1.
1999 (Lakeside) - Sergio Garcia (Brit.) def. Hank Kuehne (U.S.), 5 & 4.
2000 (Lakeside) - David Gossett (U.S.) def. Graeme Storm (Brit.), 3 & 2.
2001 (Creekside) - Mikko Ilonen (Brit.) def. Jeff Quinney (U.S.), 6 & 4.
2002 (Creekside) - Michael Hoey (Brit.) def. Bubba Dickerson (U.S.), 4 & 2.
2003 (Lakeside) - Ricky Barnes (U.S.) def. Alejandro Larrazabal (Brit.), 4 & 2.
2004 (Creekside) - Gary Wolstenholme (Brit.) def. Nick Flanagan (U.S.), 4 & 2.
2005 (Creekside) - Ryan Moore (U.S.) def. Stuart Wilson (Brit.), 2 & 1.
2006 (Lakeside) - Brian McElhinney (Brit.) def. Edoardo Molinari (U.S.), 3 & 2.
2007 (Lakeside) - Richie Ramsay (U.S.) def. Julien Guerrier (Brit.), 2 & 1.
2008 (Lakeside) - Colt Knost (U.S.) def. Drew Weaver (Brit.), 2 & 1.
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