Chenal and little RoCk Win hosting honoRs foR southeRn amateuR Championship little RoCk, arkansas (february 3, 2012) – the quality of Chenal Country Club, the challenging playability of its Bear den Course, and the hospitality of little Rock have won hosting honors for the 106th Southern Amateur Golf Cham - pionship . slated for play this coming July 18-21 , the southern am is recognized and ranked as one of the top five am - ateur golf championships in the nation, routinely attracting 700 entries. the field is pared down to 168 accomplished players who enjoy participating in a first-class tournament, which lives up to the true spirit of amateurism: stroke play with roving rules officials. the championship, which was expanded 10 years ago from players in 14 southern states to now include worldwide entries, saw in its 2011 competition at innisbrook Resort in florida, players from 33 states and 9 foreign countries. the 2012 edition of one of the oldest amateur championship events in the country will no doubt see the same national and international participation.

“This year’s championship at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock will prove to be another great addition to the excellent family of courses that have hosted the Southern Am,” said Buford mcCarty, executive director of the tournament’s spon - sor, the southern golf association (sga). “The Southern Am has a long history of being played on great golf courses such as East Lake in Atlanta, The Homestead, Colonial in Memphis, and Pinehurst.”

Because of the championship’s history of hosting outstanding amateur golfers, in 2004 arnold palmer began extending to the reigning southern am champion a sponsor exemption in the pga tour’s arnold palmer invitational at Bay hill. at that tournament held in orlando in march, the southern am winner has the distinction of being the only amateur in the field being introduced on the starting tee as, "the current southern amateur Champion.” past winners of the southern am include such notables as Bobby Jones, Freddie Haas, Gay Brewer, Hubert Green, Lanny Wadkins, Bob Tway, Ben Crenshaw , and Justin Leonard . the 2010 winner was little Rock’s own Alex Carpenter who plays out of Chenal Country Club.

Welcoming the southern golf association to Chenal Country Club, deltic timber Corporation Ceo, Ray Dillon , stated, “We are honored to play host to the Southern Amateur Championship. We will dedicate the resources necessary to en - sure this is an event that meets the SGA’s standards of excellence, and is thoroughly enjoyed and long remembered by this year’s roster of outstanding amateur players.” more information on the southern amateur Championship and this year’s event at Chenal Country Club can be found at ChenalCC.com and sgagolf.com.