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Dates: June 28-29
Site: Nemacolin Country Club, Beallsville, Pennsylvania
Par and Yardage: 6625 yards, par 70
The Course: Opened in 1935, designed by renowned
architect A.W. Tillinghast and Emil Loeffler, longtime superintendent at Oakmont
CC. Loeffler's area courses include Alcoma, Beaver Valley, Brackenridge Heights,
Churchill Valley, Hannastown, Hill Crest, and Saint Jude.
Site Championship History: Nemacolin has hosted
several WPGA competitions and USGA Qualifying Rounds. Vince Zachetti,
Greensburg, won the 1994 Amateur in a playoff over Don Erickson, DuBois, who
will compete in this year's championship.
Spectators: Admission is free.
2003 Champion: Sean Knapp won at Westmoreland, his
sixth straight. He resides in Oakmont and belongs to St. Jude and Longue Vue. He
won in 1998 (Kahkwa), 1999 (Oakmont), 2000 (Sunnehanna), 2001 (Butler), 2002
(Lake View), and 1988 (Green Oaks). Knapp has won 25 WPGA titles, more
than anyone--five Mid-Ams, seven Amateurs, three Tournaments of Champions and
nine Fred Brand Foursomes. With his 6th straight Amateur, Knapp surpassed Arnold
Palmer (1949-52) and Robert Reilly (1960-63). Only Oakmont's William C. Fownes
has won more: 8 from 1904-16.
Top Players: 2004 winners include this year's
Tournament of Champions, Bernie DiLoreto, and Mid-Am, Arnold Cutrell, both from
Greensburg. William Miller, McMurray, 15, winner of the 2003 and 2004 West Penn
Junior Amateur, is also in the field, as is the 2004 Senior Amateur champion,
Phil Saylor, Johnstown, a three-time winner.
Others include John Jones, Lower Burell, 3 WPGA Mid-Ams
and the 1994 West Penn Open; 2001 Mid-Am Jeffrey Riems, Monroeville; 2003 WPGA
Mid-Am and Tri-State Amateur David Brown, Upper St. Clair; multiple winner
Marshall Marraccini, McKeesport; Ben Smith, Bakerstown, 2001 Junior; Jim Bryan,
Latrobe, 2000 & 2001 state Mid-Am, 2003 Pennsylvania Public Links and WPGA
Public Links winner, William Smith, Newville, and the 2004 Pennsylvania Senior
Amateur title holder, Paul Schlachter, Bridgeville.
Amateur Championship Telephone Number: (724)
632-5443
Amateur Runners-Up: William Smith (2003), Rich
Berglund, Oakmont (1998), and Don Erickson, DuBois (1994), and from 2002--Jones,
Schlachter, and Brown.
West Penn Open Champions: Marraccini (1981 & 2001);
Jones (1994) and Cutrell (1990).
Total Entries: 168, second highest
recently--Oakmont in 1999 had 260
Preliminary Qualifying: Qualifing Results
no longer available.
Who Can Enter: The West Penn Amateur is open to
amateurs who reside in the area and have USGA Handicap Indexes not exceeding 6.4
strokes.
Winner Receives: A 5-year exemption from qualifying
for the West Penn Amateur, a 5-year acceptance into the West Penn Open, an
invitation to the 2005 Sunnehanna Amateur and exemptions from preliminary
qualifying for the 2004 Western Amateur and Pennsylvania Amateur.
Schedule of Play: The first and second rounds for
78 will be held on June 28. The low 32 and ties will play in the final (3rd)
round on June 29.
A press package will be available at Nemacolin. For more
information, contact
Jeff Rivard.
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