Career grand slams at the state level: when amateurs complete the ultimate local feat
14 Apr 2025
by AmateurGolf.com Staff
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Rory McIlroy finally did it. After years of chasing the elusive green jacket, he completed golf’s most prestigious achievement: the career Grand Slam. It’s a feat that only a handful of professionals have ever accomplished — and it’s sparked us to think about how that same idea lives on in amateur golf.
Across the country, state amateur golf circuits have their own version of the Grand Slam. Winning the State Amateur, the Mid-Amateur, the Open, and the Four-Ball in your home state isn’t easy. Many top players have come close, but few have completed the set. When someone does, it’s a legacy-cementing achievement — not just about talent, but longevity, adaptability, and a deep connection to local competition.
Here are a few stories of amateurs who completed their own version of the Grand Slam in their state.
Tim Hogarth’s name belongs on any list celebrating amateur golf greatness. He’s the only player in Southern California history to win the California Amateur, SCGA Amateur, and SCGA Mid-Amateur — a title he’s captured five times. Add in wins at the SCGA Match Play, SCGA Four-Ball, and a U.S. Amateur Public Links title in 1996 (which earned him a spot in the 1997 Masters), and his place in golf history is sealed.
He’s also been a finalist at the U.S. Mid-Am, won the SCGA Tournament of Club Champions, and dominated city events like Pasadena and Los Angeles year after year. Few players have displayed his level of consistency across multiple decades, formats, and stages of the amateur game.
Jeff Wilson might be one of the most dominant amateurs California has ever seen. He’s won everything from the State Amateur at Pebble Beach to multiple Mid-Am titles. He added the State Open to his résumé and has captured team events like the Four-Ball. His name is etched across decades of scoreboards. Even the USGA has called him one of the greatest amateurs never to turn pro.
Gene Elliott has won the Iowa Amateur, Iowa Mid-Amateur, Iowa Open, and the Iowa Four-Ball. He’s also a U.S. Senior Amateur champion and a fixture on the national senior amateur scene. In Iowa, he’s as much a part of the golf identity as the fairways themselves.
Before becoming a four-time U.S. Mid-Am champ, Nathan Smith was stacking up wins in his home state of Pennsylvania. He completed the state Grand Slam with wins in the Pennsylvania Amateur, Mid-Am, Open, and Four-Ball. It’s easy to overlook state-level success when the national stage shines bright, but Smith’s résumé has both — and it started at home.
Though most remember him for being runner-up to Tiger Woods at the 1994 U.S. Amateur, Kuehne made his mark in Texas for decades. He’s won the Texas State Amateur, Mid-Amateur, and Four-Ball, and though he didn’t win the Texas Open (a professional event), his amateur record stands as one of the most consistent across multiple formats and age brackets.
Connecticut’s Grand Slam belongs to Cody Paladino. A standout in the state for over a decade, Paladino turned pro for a stretch but was reinstated as an amateur in 2020—and picked up right where he left off. He’s won the CT Amateur (2013), CT Open (2015), CT Four-Ball (2013), and most recently, the CT Mid-Amateur (2024), completing the full sweep. In addition to his state wins, Paladino nearly captured a national title when he lost in the final of the 2007 U.S. Public Links to Colt Knost. A Baylor alum, he’s played in four consecutive U.S. Mid-Amateurs, making match play twice.Honorable Mentions
- Todd Mitchell (Illinois): Came close to the sweep with State Am, Mid-Am, and Four-Ball titles.
- Patrick Christovich (Louisiana): Dominated the Mid-Am and Four-Ball but is still chasing the full set.
- Scott Harvey (North Carolina): Reached legend status locally with his Mid-Am and Four-Ball wins, and his national profile has grown with USGA events.
Why It Matters
The state Grand Slam isn’t tracked officially. There’s no green jacket, no silver trophy that says “complete.” But to the players grinding it out year after year, balancing work, family, and their love for the game, it might be even more meaningful. It’s proof of consistency, of beating both the field and Father Time.
Rory’s career Grand Slam reminds us that every golfer has a mountain to climb. For amateurs, that mountain might just be built from the courses they grew up on, the events they circle every year, and the rivals they’ve battled for decades.
So here’s to the local legends. Your green jacket might be a little more metaphorical — but the accomplishment is every bit as real.