U.S. Amateur Golf Tournament Draws a Field of 282 Players

The U.S. Amateur Golf Championship, which has sent players such as Jack Nicklaus, Craig Stadler, Lanny Wadkins and Hal Sutton to the professional circuit, will be played this week with 282 players seeking the title.

It will be a grueling six-day event for the two who make it to next Sunday’s final round.

The field includes Nicklaus’ son, Gary, and two previous winners, Jay Sigel, 1982 and 1983, and Vinnie Giles, 1972.

The 282 made it to the tournament by surviving from among more than 4,000 who took part in regional qualifying.

All the players will put in two days--36 holes--of medal play, with the field to be cut to 64 after Wednesday.

On Tuesday, 141 will tour the par 72, 6,984-yard Shoal Creek Course, where the PGA was played two years ago, and the other 141 will play the par 71, 6,952-yard west course at the Country Club of Birmingham.

They will swap courses the next day.

There can be only 64 for Thursday’s round, so any ties will be played off Wednesday.

It will be match play Thursday through Sunday. The field will be cut first to 32 and then to 16 Thursday. On Friday, it will be reduced to eight and then to four.

Sunday’s finalists will be determined by Saturday’s rounds.

The finals are scheduled for 36 holes, but with match play, it could be less or, in case of a tie, more.

The U.S. Golf Assn., said the tournament’s publicity chairman, Steve Bradley, believes the eight rounds facing the finalists “is the proper test. It’s just part of golf, being in shape and having endurance.”

The host professionals, Bob Barrett of Shoal Creek and Jon Gustin of the Country Club of Birmingham, said both courses are in excellent condition.

The greens at his recently-revamped course, Gustin said, “are hard to read and you just don’t get a clear picture sometimes. That’s the subtlety of all of it.

“The greens, tees and fairways are perfect. The real players will enjoy both courses.”

Sandra Holmes, the tournament coordinator, said that more than 10,000 tickets have been sold.

“We are thrilled with the response from the community,” she said. “It has created much more interest in the community than an amateur championship normally does.”