Around the Green

112th Texas Amateur Set for June 17-20

The state’s foremost amateur golfers are headed west and will gather at Midland Country Club from June 17-20 for the 112th Texas Amateur Championship.

“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to return to Midland Country Club,” said Chris Untiedt, TGA Tournament Director. “The club has a long history of supporting amateur golf and we are confident the course will rigorously test every facet of a player’s game and identify a worthy champion.”

This will be the fourth Texas Amateur and sixth TGA major championship to be contested at Midland Country Club.

The three previous Texas Amateurs were played in 1965 (won by Randy Petri), 1971 (won by Bruce Lietzke) and 1997 (won by Ed Brooks). Midland Country Club also hosted the 1963 and 2001 Women’s Texas Amateurs (won by Sandra Palmer and Denis Flores, respectively).

More recently, Midland Country Club hosted the 2020 TGA Women’s Four-Ball (won by Faith Delagarza and Amari Smith) and 2019 West Texas Amateur (won by Jackson Markham). The club also was the site of the Web.com Tour’s WNB Golf Classic from 2002-14.

“It is a huge honor to welcome the Texas Amateur back to Midland Country Club,” said Head Golf Professional Eric Dunkerson. “Midland Country Club is proud to have such a rich history of championship golf and we are excited to continue this legacy and showcase our club by once again hosting the state’s premier amateur championship.”

Midland Country Club was founded in 1927 and moved to its current location in the mid-1950s with an 18-hole course designed by Ralph Plummer. Over the years numerous upgrades have been made to course, and in 2017, Weibring-Wolfard Golf Design completed a comprehensive renovation in time for the club’s 90th anniversary. The $8.9 million dollar, 11-month-long project included building new greens, tees, bunkers and lakes, which has fortified the strategic elements of Plummer’s original design.

“The newly renovated course will provide a great stage for this year’s Texas Amateur,” Dunkerson said. “It’s a par-72 that can stretch to over 7,400 yards from the back tees. The course will be in excellent condition for the championship and when you factor in the West Texas winds it will present a true test of skill for the state’s best amateurs.”

The TGA accepted a record 985 entries for the 112th Texas Amateur at Midland Country Club, eclipsing the previous high of 883 for the 2019 championship at Dallas Athletic Club. A total of 33 players were fully exempt from qualifying based on past performance. To determine the remaining 111 spots in the 144-player starting field, 18-hole qualifiers were held at 14 sites across the state from April 6 – June 9.

The list of decorated amateurs who will assemble at Midland Country Club is headed by Baylor University sophomore Trey Bosco of Austin, who won last year’s championship at Boot Ranch Golf Club in Fredericksburg. Bosco carded rounds of 72-71-67-69 to finish at 5-under 279 and earned a one-stroke victory over runner-up Caleb Hicks of Arlington. He will look to defend his title and become the first player to win back-to-back championships in nearly 20 years.

A large contingent of elite players from the junior, collegiate and mid-amateur ranks will be looking to dethrone Bosco, including 2019 Texas Mid-Amateur champion Chris Wheeler of Addison, two-time Texas Junior Amateur champion Zach Heffernan of Fair Oaks Ranch, 2020 Texas Player of the Year Colby Harwell of San Antonio, reigning Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play champion Aaron Hickman of Tyler, 2020 LJT Player of the Year Matthew Comegys of Plano and 2020 West Texas Amateur champion J.T. Pittman of Monahans, to name a few.

Format for the championship is 72 holes individual stroke play. All contestants will play 18 holes June 17-18. After 36 holes the field will be cut to the low 54 players and ties heading into the final two rounds on the weekend.

Live scoring updates, daily recaps, as well as tee-times and pairings, will be available once the action gets underway from Midland Country Club. For more on the 112th Texas Amateur, click here.