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I MISCELLANY USGA Mid Am Visits Country Club. By David Brandenburg, Course Manager, Rolling Meadows .

or the second time this sununer Fa USGA event was hosted in the Badger State. Just a few weeks after hosted the Womens Amateur Public Links Championship, Milwaukee Country Club hosted the USGA Mid Am Championship with Brown Deere Golf Course. The Mid-Amateur was started by the USGA in 1981 as an event for amateur golfers of at least 25 years of age. It provides a national championship for the post-college player for whom the game is truly an avocation. It's not saying the over 25 field cannot compete in the USGA Amateur Championship but it is difficult to compete with The bunkering is incredible at the 332 yard 49th hole at Milwaukee Country Club. the college players for whom golf (Photo by Brian Moesch, ) is a full time activity while trying to juggle a family and career. The first Mid-Amateur was played at the in St. Louis, MO and drew 1,638 entries. The event has grown in interest and in 2008, 3,839 entries were received from players who have a index of 3.4 or less. Not just for fun the winner of the Mid-Am receives: • A gold medal and custody of the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy for the ensuing year. • An exemption from local qual- ifying at the next U.S. Open, if still an amateur. • An exemption from sectional qualifying at the next U.S. The bunkering and challenging green surrounds adds to the beauty of Milwaukee Country Club. Amateur, if still an amateur. • A 10-year exemption for the Mid-Amateur. • A probable invitation to com- Amateur Public Links The Mid-Am starts with local pete in the next Masters Championship, if eligible. qualifying at 68 different courses to Tournament, if still an amateur. • An exemption from sectional narrow the field down to 264 • An exemption from sectional qualifying at the next USGA golfers. The first two days of the qualifying at the next U.S. Senior Amateur, if eligible. event features 36 holes of stroke

• THE GRASS ROOTS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 MISCELLANY play golf, as the field played 18 holes at Brown Deer Park Golf Course and 18 holes at Milwaukee Country Club. From there, the field is narrowed to the low 64 who will start the match play portion of the competition at Milwaukee Country Club. Five 18-hole matches over three days, leaves two players for the 36-hole match final. Brown Deere Park Golf Course is a backyard neighbor with Milwaukee Country Club and annual host of the PGA Tour's US Bank Championship (Formerly the Greater ). The municipally owned daily fee course designed by' George

Hansen opened in 1929. Tim Milwaukee Country Club's par 5, 529 yard third hole requires your "A" game. Wegner is the Golf Course Superintendent at Brown Deer a challenging layout playing 6,787 yards from the back tees. The course again than to watch the golf. during the golf season qualified for course will be set up with a rating Sisk and the staff at the match play and considers himself a of 72.6 with a slope of 133 for the Milwaukee Country Club were true public links player. Behm who Mid-Amateur. challenged by the early summer claims to have never had a golf Brown Deer Park Golf Course rains and flooding that affected lesson was the WSGAplayer of the hosted the U.S. Amateur Public much of the badger state. Set on year in 2006 when he won the Ray Links Championships, in 1951, the Milwaukee River, the course Fisher tournament and took 5th 1966 and 1977. With the PGA stop- saw 13.5 inches of rain swell the place and low amateur at the State ping every year, Wegner and his river and cover some parts of the Open. He was disappointed in his staff are as experienced as anyone course with 8 feet of water. Silt first round loss to Tom Dooley of in at preparing for tour- deposits killed or weakened turf Albany, MN, 2 down. nament golf. while the water damaged 22 Milwaukee Country Club bunkers including six that needed designed by H.S. Colt and Charles to be completely rebuilt. Alison opened in 1911. Patrick The back 9 was closed for 2 1/2 Sisk has been the Certified Golf weeks while the water receded Course Superintendent for 8 years and areas were reseeded and at the club that plays 7,098 yards repaired. The extra efforts and from the back tees and will be set skill used by the staff paid off as up with a rating of 74.2 with a the course looked in great condi- slope of 136 for the event. tion and received many positive Milwaukee Country Club hosted comments from the contestants. GroV\'ers of the USGAtwo other times with the Wisconsin was well represented 1969 Match and the with residents Matt Behm, 'Quality' 1988 USGA Senior Amateur. This Janesville; Mark Bemowski, Bluegrass was my second visit to this incred- Mukwonago; Nathan Colson, ible property after watching the Milwaukee; David Foley, Pewaukee; Mineral & Peat WSGA State Amateur there a few Jeffery Lister, Greendale; Tim years ago. Colt and Alison took a Murphy, Eau Claire and John great piece of property and Staehler, Caledonia qualifying for 'Pld"p 1'1 'DtUIUV designed a tremendous golf course the event. on it. I went Thursday for the semi- Matt Behm a starter at 414-425-7767 final matches as much to see the Janesville Riverside Golf Club

THE GRASS ROOTS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 MISCELLANY

Nate Colson a former standout Steve Wilson of Ocean Springs, MS into the match play by making a golfer at Marquette University also and Todd Mitchell of Bloomington, I2-foot par to get into a playoff made it to match play. Now an IL. Wilson, owner of two gas sta- with 19 others to make the 64- accountant in the Milwaukee area, tions played professionally for 10 player field. Steve commented that Nate lost his first round match to years on mini tour events before Milwaukee Country Club was Jimmy Chestnut of Grand Blanc, being reinstated as an amateur in among the best courses he'd ever MI, I-down. 2005. He is well known on the Gulf played, and he compared it to The last Wisconsin connection Coast for his amateur play, how- Oakmont where he played in the after round one was Mark ever until Monday of the tourna- 2003 USGAAmateur. Scheibach a native of Fond du Lac. ment, he had never won a match in Steve Wilson adjusted well to The former professional turned a match play format. Steve had the fast bentgrass greens as he had amateur and 3-time Big-IO player had to adjust to the speed of 14 one-putt holes enroot to a 5 and of the year while at the University Milwaukee's bentgrass greens from 4 victory over Mitchell. Wilson was of Wisconsin Madison lives in the often-slower Bermuda grass excited to be able to play at next Bermuda Dunes, Florida. greens in the south. years even Scheibach who manages eight golf Steve Mitchell, an insurance though he is up against tough odds courses in Florida and Hawaii lost salesman, was a star baseball as no Mid-Amateur winner has in the second round 3-2 to Tom player at Illinois State and was advance to the final 36 at Augusta. Dooley of Albany MN, (the same drafted in the 14th round by the Wisconsin is lucky to have a player who knocked out Matt New York Yankees. He played number of great golf courses to Behm in round 1) but was pleased shortstop for the Yankees' Class A host both local and national cham- with his success at the event and affiliate but quit after two years pionships. There is a story in every loved being back in Wisconsin. when he realized pro ball was not event and every player, we just The 36-hGle final was between for him. Mitchell barely made it need to go out and find them.f

THE GRASS ROOTS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008