No. 13 on the East Course of Oak Hill Country Club
(Oak Hill Country Club Photo)
ROCHESTER, NY (September 14, 2016) -- The 54th
J.R. Williams Four-Ball Invitational at Oak Hill
Country Club will begin on Thursday and continue
through Saturday with 71 teams across the Mid-
Amateur and Senior Divisions set to compete. Play
will be split
between the West and East Courses with the East to
host the final two rounds of competition.
Tee times on Thursday at the West Course will
begin at 7:30 a.m. EST, with groups going off the
1st
and 10th holes. On Friday play will shift to the East
Course, with tee times again set for 7:30 a.m. and
groups going off the 1st and 10th.
Following the conclusion of play on Friday the
Mid-Amateur field will be trimmed to the top-30
teams and ties while the Senior Division will be cut
to
the top-eight teams and ties.
The final round on the East Course will be
played in a shotgun format which will begin Saturday
morning with a 9:00
a.m.
Last year the Canadian duo of Simon McInnis
(Toronto, ONT) and Garrett Rank (Elmira, ONT)
captured the Mid-Amateur title. However, neither
player is back for the 2016 edition. In the Senior
Division Don Erickson (Dubois, PA) and John Benson
(Punxsutawney, PA) won the crown and they are
back this year hoping to defend.
Oak Hill Country Club was designed by Donald
Ross, but former member John R. Williams had just
as important an impact in shaping the character of
this championship course.
After course construction was complete there
was no money left over to plant trees, so Williams, a
retired physician decided to take it upon himself to
provide Oak Hill with the tree lined fairways we see
today. Williams contacted arborists from around the
world to gather acorns from oaks to be planted on
the property. Over time Williams planted over
40,000
trees with acorns gathered from many locations
including George Washington's Mount Vernon home,
the Shakespeare Oak at Stratford-on-Avon and
Sherwood Forest.
Over the years the East Course at Oak Hill
Country Club has hosted three U.S. Open's, three
PGA Championships, two U.S. Amateur's, one U.S.
Senior Open, a Ryder Cup and a Senior PGA
Championship.
Notable winners include Lee Trevino (1968 U.S.
Open), Jack Nicklaus (1980 PGA Championship),
Curtis Strange (1989 U.S. Open) and at the Ryder
Cup it was Europe winning on American soil.
Champions Last Five Years (2011-2015):
Mid-Amateur Division
2015: Simon McInnis (Toronto, ONT) and
Garrett Rank (Elmira, ONT)
2014: Nick Palladino (Highland Hts, OH) and Oliver
White (Lower Gwynedd, PA)
2013: David Poteet (Suwanee, GA) and Mike Cromer
(Norcross, GA)
2012: David DeNunzio (Jeannette, PA) and Ronald
DeNunzio (Jeannette, PA)
2011: Rob Cowan (Waterloo, ONT) and David Bunker
(Woodbridge, ONT)
Senior Division
2015: Don Erickson (Dubois, PA) and John
Benson (Punxsutawney, PA)
2014: Tom Blank and Mark Dugan (Oak Hill Country
Club)
2013: Lee Dennis (Comer, GA) and Mel Mendenhall
(Marietta, GA)
2012: Randy Elliott (Winter Park, FL) and Mike
Walters (Tampa, FL)
2011: John Pate (Guelph, ONT) and Kelly Roberts
(London, ONT) (team also won in 2010)
View results for John R. Williams Invitational
ABOUT THE
John R. Williams Invitational
54-hole two man best ball format with Mid-Am and Senior divisions. By invitation only.
Entrants must have a
handicap of 3.4 or less, with the team total not to
exceed 5.5. Both members
of teams in the Senior Division must be 55 years of
age
by the first day of
the tournament. Senior index requirements are 4.4
individual and 7.2 team.
View Complete Tournament Information