The nation's top mid-amateurs assemble at the
Country Club of Birmingham beginning
Saturday
for the 2013 USGA Mid-Amateur Championship.
Much has been made about the mid-amateur's
place in elite amateur golf this season.
The
USGA's decision to include at least two mid-
amateurs amongst the NCAA stars on last
month's Walker Cup team clearly shows how
highly the governing body values the mid-
amateur contingency.
That contingency will be putting their best
games on display this week at the U.S. Mid-
Amateur.
With a likely spot in the field at the 2014
Masters, as well as early favorite status for
the 2015 Ryder Cup on the line, you can bet
that some solid golf will be played.
Here's a look at the five names you must
watch as they sit as contenders entering
stroke play:
1.)
Doug Hanzel:
Perhaps
the hottest player in the field, Hanzel is fresh
off a win at the USGA Senior Championship. In
2013, the Savannah, Ga. resident also took
low amateur at the U.S. Senior Open, tied for
fifth at the Coleman Invitational and took ninth
at the Oglethorpe.
2.)
Nathan Smith: Smith
is the defending champion and a four-time
winner at the U.S. Mid-Am. Clearly, he's a
favorite. Smith was also a key contributor on
the U.S. Walker Cup squad last month.
3.)
Scott Harvey: A
regular at some of the nation's top
tournaments, Harvey was considered a
potential Walker Cup selection earlier this year.
He played well, but just not well enough. That
said, he'll enter the Mid-Am with a pair of Top
20s at the prestigious Porter Cup and Cardinal
Amateur. He also placed sixth at the Coleman
Invitational.
4.)
Todd White: White
was the second mid-amateur on this year's
Walker Cup squad. And boy did he earn it.
White ramped up his summer schedule and
took some impressive finishes, including a T5
at the Northeast Amateur, T6 at the Jones
Cup and a Top 15 at the Terra Cotta.
5.)
Bobby Leopold:
Another longshot for a Walker Cup position
earlier this year, Leopold is no stranger to
USGA success. He burst onto the scene with a
run at the
2011 U.S. Amateur and has continued to play
at a high level. The youngest of our
contenders, look for Leopold to handle himself
well this week.
ABOUT THE
U.S. Mid-Amateur
The U.S. Mid-Amateur originated in 1981 for the
amateur golfer of at least 25 years of age, the
purpose of which to provide a formal national
championship for the post-college player. 264
players
begin the championship with two rounds of sroke
play
qualifying held at two courses, after which the low
64
(with a playoff if necessary to get the exact number)
advance to single elimination match play.
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