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| In the company of Nathan
Smith |
| By
Western Pennsylvania Golf Association |
| Posted Wednesday, June
15, 2011 |
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At the conclusion of yesterday's West Penn Amateur at
Oakmont, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review's Paul Schofield
asked me where Nathan Smith's victory at the Sunnehanna
Amateur would rank among top wins by area amateur golfers on
the so-called "amateur tour." Here is a list:
John Birmingham, Oakmont, won 1970 Dixie Amateur, and was
also a runner-up in the Porter Cup, Niagara Falls and the
North & South at Pinehurst, NC.
Frank Fuhrer, III, Oakmont, Pittsburgh Field Club, won 1981
Western Amateur. This victory was key in his being selected
to the 1981 Walker Cup team.
Bob Friend, Oakmont, won the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and
Monroe Amateurs while at LSU--the Northeast at Wannamoisett
CC, near Providence being the most prestigious. He has the
most victories in this series of competitions.
Vince Zachetti, Greensburg, won 1992 Mid-Atlantic Amateur.
Nathan Smith has also made the semi-finals in the Western
Amateur when it was held at Point 'O Woods G&CC, Benton
Harbor, MI. It has since moved to Chicago area clubs and
changed to a stroke play competition.
WPGA Player of the Year, 1994-2002, Sean Knapp, has been
runner-up twice in the Sunnehanna.
Many of these competitions began after World War II, except
for the Western Amateur, which was first played in 1899. The
'amateur tour' includes but is not limited to North and
South, Sunnehanna, Northeast, Porter Cup, Monroe, Eastern,
Western, and Mid-Atlantic, plus a few others.
Yesterday I mentioned to Schofield that I rank at the top
and similarly Smith's title at the Sunnehanna and Fuhrer's
win in the Western as the top area performances in these
competitions.
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