Murphy’s Draw

The country's top amateurs arrive at Aurora's best course this month to contest one of the USGA's most coveted titles. 

For those unfamiliar with the upper echelon of men’s championships conducted by the United States Golf Association, here’s a primer. First, of course, is the U.S. Open, played this June at Torrey Pines. Then, in August at Pinehurst, there’s the U.S. Amateur, which has served as professional golf’s crystal ball, prophesying future tour superstars.  

And coming in a close third is the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, which on July 14-19 will be played at Aurora’s Murphy Creek Golf Course, making it the fourth time the 86-year-old event has been played in Colorado (1946 and 1959 at Wellshire Golf Course; 1993 at Riverdale Dunes Golf Course). 

The Pub Links, as it’s commonly known, attracts the same caliber of players as those other more illustrious events—including past champions Trevor Immelman (1998) and Brandt Snedeker (2003), who were paired together in the final round of last year’s Masters. And it provides the same rewards and is as difficult to win as the U.S. Amateur, or for that matter, any tournament. 

THE GRIND

As evidence, just look at the number of annual entrants. Usually more than 4,500 amateurs, whose handicaps are 4.4 or better and hold no privileges at a course that does not allow public play, attempt to qualify at one of 74 sites throughout the country. 

The 156 qualifiers then have a grueling task—one that requires unrelenting stamina, mental toughness and physical strength. First on Monday and Tuesday of the championship, they must endure two days of stroke play to pare down the field to 64. Survivors will play their first match-play round on Wednesday and, if victorious, will move on to two more matches on Thursday. With the field significantly reduced, the remaining few play the quarterfinals and semifinals on Friday, and the final two square off for the title on Saturday. If you lost count, that’s eight high-pressure rounds in six days.

“Qualifying for the Pub Links was one of the highlights of my amateur career,” says Charlie Soule, who reached the match-play rounds in 2004 at Rush Creek Golf Club in Maple Grove, Minn., and 2006 at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash. “It’s always great to face up against the best competition at the best courses.” 

This year’s competitors will contend with a toughened-up Murphy Creek Golf Course, which will be stretched to 7,551 yards, making it the longest course in Pub Links history, blowing away Rush Creek by more than 400 yards. And, as usual, the USGA will do its part to clad the already difficult course with longer rough, tighter fairways and faster greens. When all’s said and done, the 1999 Ken Kavanaugh design will have a 76.3 rating and 146 slope, up from 75.5/139. 

Course difficulty is only one of the factors involved when the USGA selects a course for one of its coveted championships. “We look for a combination of things,” says Bill McCarthy, championship director for the U.S. Publinx. “Most importantly, we need a quality golf course that can stand up to the level of players that are competing, but we also factor in the length, character and variety of holes, difficulty of greens and rough and recoverability.” 

Beyond the course itself, the USGA also seeks a facility close to hotels, restaurants and a major airport, and a staff that’s equal to the task of hosting an event of such magnitude. “The people at Murphy Creek are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and truly wanted to serve as the host—and not just for the notoriety,” says McCarthy. 

 

THE COURSE

After a relatively tame (depending on the pin position) par-four opener, Murphy Creek quickly bears its teeth on the 495-yard second, which is the course’s hardest-rated hole. One of the few design changes being made to the course for the championship is on the par-five third, where a new tee box transforms it from a reachable eagle opportunity to a 640-yard, three-shot goliath. The 458-yard, par-four fourth and well-bunkered, par-three fifth lead into the 556-yard sixth, which should relinquish plenty of red numbers to the long-hitting competitors, who easily should be able to clear a series of fairway bunkers, depending on the constantly shifting wind. 

The final three holes on the front nine will be a make-or-break stretch. Starting with the 412-yard, par-four seventh, players will be forced down the right side due to a waste bunker down the entire left side. The 208-yard eighth also requires a well-placed tee ball that avoids a bordering lake. On the pivotal par-four ninth, players face a tough decision between laying up down the right side with a long iron or going for the green with a corner-cutting drive. 

The back nine presents a different set of challenges. Wide but far from safe, the par-four 10th should make for an easy par, as will the 196-yard 11th. But the 506-yard, par-four 12th requires a gutsy tee shot that draws along the contour of the fairway in order to have only a mid-iron to the green. Players will start feeling the heat on the 528-yard, par-four 13th, which usually plays as a par five. Each of the next three holes are flanked by water down the entire length of their fairways. Look for this stretch to determine many a match. For those still battling, the 248-yard, par-three 17th and uphill, 468-yard 18th, which features one of the course’s trickiest greens, will certainly determine a winner. 

THE SPOILS

To the winner goes a cornucopia of prizes, including a gold medal and one-year custody of the James D. Standish Jr. Cup, a 10-year exemption from sectional qualifying for the USAPL, a three-year exemption from U.S. Open local qualifying, a two-year exemption from U.S. Amateur sectional qualifying, a two-year exemption from U.S. Mid-Amateur sectional qualifying (if eligible), and an invitation to compete in the next Masters Tournament, which many competitors will tell you trumps the other prizes. 

For spectators, it’s a free opportunity to watch the nation’s best close-up in a thrilling format. Check it out, and you’ll be able to say you saw them before they were stars. 

Jake Kubié is CAG’s assistant editor and Web manager.

INFO TO GO:

83rd U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship

July 14-19, 2008

2008usapl.com

Admission: Free

 

Murphy Creek Golf Course

1700 S. Old Tom Morris Road, Aurora 

303-361-7300