The Amateur Golf Podcast by AmateurGolf.com

Sean and Justin discuss this week's events in amateur golf, including the European Amateur Championship, the Women's Amateur Championship, and the North & South Championships. 

They also highlight the upcoming tournaments, such as the Magnolia, the North and South Junior, the Mexican National Amateur Championship, and the Palmer Cup. They also touch on the topic of amateurs playing in professional events, such as the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and the potential for amateurs to participate in the Olympics.

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In this episode of the Amateur Golf Podcast, Sean and Justin discuss the Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett CC in Rhode Island and the Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin in Northern Ireland. They highlight the winners, Anthony Delisanti and Jacob Skov Olesen, and discuss their impressive performances. They also mention other notable players in the tournaments and discuss upcoming events such as the North & South, the European Amateur Championship, and the US Senior Open. They also mention Charlie Woods qualifying for the US Junior and the George C. Thomas Mid-Amateur Championship at LACC.

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Sean and Justin discuss the US Open and amateur golfers' performances in the tournament. They highlight the impressive performances of amateur golfers Neal Shipley and Luke Clanton. The conversation then shifts to other amateur golf events happening around the country, including the Sunnehanna and the men's and women's Southwestern Amateur. 
They also mention upcoming events like the Northeast Amateur and the Rice Planters. The episode concludes with a discussion about the British Amateur and the new format for US Amateur qualifying.

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Sean and Justin examine some interesting amateur storylines at the U.S. Open and then discuss some other amateur results from the week, including the Dogwood, St. Andrews Links, and Jackson Koivun at the Memorial. 

They also discuss the new Global Amateur Pathway to the DP World Tour, which was announced this week, and review the amateur golf schedule for the week.

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Jon Kerr, co-founder of the World Golf Competition, discusses the creation of a global amateur golf tournament that aims to provide a unique and luxurious experience for participants.

The tournament allows players of all abilities to compete on some of the world's most prestigious courses, with the opportunity to progress through multiple rounds and ultimately reach the world final.

The long-term goal of the tournament is to create a global golf network and promote the growth of the sport. The World Golf Competition aims to build a community and become a fixture in the golfing...

Scott Tomasello, tournament director of the Myrtle Beach World Amateur, joins the podcast to discuss the event and the golf scene in Myrtle Beach. Scott shares his journey into organizing golf tournaments and talks about the growth and evolution of the Myrtle Beach World Amateur over the years. He highlights the event's inclusivity, with players of all skill levels and ages participating. Scott also mentions other events that take place in Myrtle Beach throughout the year, including junior tournaments and the recent Myrtle Beach Q event.

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Rachel Kuehn discusses her experiences in the Curtis Cup, winning a national title, and personal growth as a golfer. She shares her pinch-me moments and the unique dynamics of playing in the Curtis Cup on home soil and away matches. 

Rachel also talks about the importance of team bonding and the motivation to defend their national title. She reflects on her own growth as a golfer and offers advice to her younger self. 
Also, Rachel discusses the impact of the Augusta National Women's Amateur and her mental preparation for the ANWA. We dive into her favorite an...

Joe Hodge, the Director of Golf at Palma Ceia Country Club, discusses his background and history at Palma Ceia, including winning club championships and playing in the US Open in 1978. 
He talks about the appeal of the Gasparilla tournament and the unique aspects of the event, such as the open qualifier and member involvement. Joe also shares insights into the challenges and scoring trends of the Palma Ceia golf course. The Gasparilla is one of the most popular events on the Mid-Amateur calendar year in and year out.

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In this episode, Sean and Jordan discuss recent news in amateur golf, including Nick Dunlap and Caleb Surratt turning pro. They analyze Dunlap's decision and his impressive amateur career. They also discuss Surratt's move to LIV Golf and the valuation of amateur golfers. 
Then they review recent amateur golf events, including the Latin American Amateur Championship and some college results. They also preview the Masters invites for amateurs and discuss the potential impact on their careers. 
The episode concludes with a discussion on women's college golf and the upcoming Curtis Cup. 
The pod wraps up with a P...

Scott Langley, Senior Director of Player Relations at the USGA, discusses his golf experience, journey to the PGA Tour, and his current role at the USGA. He shares insights into course setup for the US Open and the importance of player feedback. Scott also highlights the US National Development Program and the efforts to unify and improve junior golf in the United States. The conversation covers various topics related to golf, including the US Open, development programs, national teams, and the performance of American golf. The guest emphasizes the importance of investing in American golf and hopes to see...

David McLay-Kidd discusses his experience returning to golf courses he has previously designed, the process of refining and improving courses, and the importance of balancing challenge and playability. 
He also talks about the design considerations for different handicaps and the role of roll and drama in golf. David shares insights into his current project, Loraloma in Austin, Texas, and the challenges and opportunities of working with space and constraints. 
He also discusses the use of a basketball to test slopes and reflects on the impact of Bandin Dunes on his career. 
In addition, he shares his exp...

Jordan Perez joins Sean as they recap the year in amateur golf. They each brought five stories from the year and discussed their impact.

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Erick Morales is one of the founders and organizers of the Devil's Elbow Invitational, a new Mid-Am event in the Dominican Republic that grants the winner an exemption to the Corales Punta Cana PGA Tour event. Morales is a decorated amateur himself, having finished second in the inaugural Mexico Mid-Am last year, and he recently played in the US Mid-Am at Sleepy Hollow. 

In addition, he has played in PGA Tour events and made the cut in one of them. The best man in Morales' wedding was Rafa Campos, who recently benefited from the Shad Tuten penalty. C...

Jordan Perez joins Sean Melia to talk through her reporting on the Spikemark and Golfstat issues that are plaguing college golf right now. The two also touch on the Walker Cup, Rose Zhang's Solheim Cup performance, and dive into the college season. They go through the eight teams that made it to match play on the men's and women's sides in 2023 try to figure out who won't make it back this season and some contenders that might replace them.

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Stephen Behr arrived at Pine Valley in 2022 for his first Crump Cup and left on Sunday as the champion. The former Clemson standout has had an impressive amateur career. He made the decision after college to pursue a career and remain an amateur. It wasn’t an easy choice, as his father is a club professional. 

During this podcast, Behr talks about life as an amatuer golfer and how he’s building a schedule each year to ensure he’s finding ways into contention. Finally, we wrap up with a discussion about his week at Pine Valley for the...

Jordon Perez joins Sean Melia to talk about the Walker Cup. First, they catch up on some lingering thoughts from the U.S. Amateur on both the women's and men's side. Then they go through some storylines from this week's Walker Cup,  team selections, alternate shot pairings they'd like to see, and what improvements they would make to the Walker Cup.

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Stewart Hagestad is one of the most decorated amateurs of this generation. He's competed in dozens of USGA events and has won 2 U.S. Mid-Amateur championships (2016 and 2021). He's also competed in six professional majors. His best finish was a T36 in the 2017 Masters, where he earned low amateur honors.

The 32-year-old from Newport Beach, California will compete in his fourth straight Walker Cup, an incredible achievement that puts him into the same category as Bobby Jones, Francis Ouimet, and Jay Sigel as players who have competed in that many Walker Cups. It's likely, given the youth of...

Caleb VanArragon has had quite a summer in Minnesota. The fifth-year senior at Valparaiso won the Minnesota State Open by 9 shots and backed that up with a 12-shot victory in the Minnesota State Open. Those two performances gained him some attention, and he received a last-minute invite to the 3M Open. During his interview with Justin Golba, VanArragon talks about what helped him get on such a heater, competing alongside the world’s best, and how he hopes to continue the momentum into the fall. 

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Sean Melia is joined by new writer and editor on the site, Justin Golba, to talk through some storylines of the US Amateur Championship which kicks off on Monday, August 14. Who will earn Walker Cup spots? How has the Elite Amateur Series impacted the summer season? Can an international win at Cherry Hills?

Then Justin has Gordon Sargent on to talk about his summer, competing at the US Open, what he's learned playing in pro events, and his Walker Cup selection.

NOTE: We recorded this before Michael Thorbjornsen's announcement that he would not be playing...

Henry Shimp played his college golf at Stanford where he won the 2019 national championship. His life is a bit different after graduating in 2022. He’s in the real world, working, traveling, and battling injuries, but he still plays golf at a high level. He qualified for his sixth US Amateur championship this summer. We talk about a bunch of topics: his qualifying mindset, the long two days (and 38 holes) at Wild Horse in Nebraska in July, playing in the Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham and St. Annes, his experience at Stanford, how college golf has changed, and we end wi...

Mike McCoy’s resume would take too long to read through in its entirety. The Iowa Golf Hall of Famer has played in more than 60 USGA events. In his 38th USGA appearance, McCoy won the 2013 US Mid-Am, which opened a plethora of doors for the already decorated golfer. He played in The Masters and was also named to the 2015 Walker Cup team. McCoy’s excellence across many decades earned him the honor of captaining the 2023 Walker Cup team. The event at St. Andrews is fast approaching, and McCoy was kind enough to talk with us about his experience playing in t...

Golf Digest's Kent Paisley joins  Sean and Jordan to discuss the landscape of women's golf heading into the U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach. They talk Rose Zhang, primetime golf, the amateurs in the field, and what challenges female golfers face as they leave amateur golf for the professional ranks.

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After a heartbreaking result at Springfield's Final Qualifying site, Maxwell Moldovan got the phone call he hoped for and learned he had a spot in the 2023 U.S. Open field. Moldovan woke up bright and early to talk with Sean (who was on the road recording from his car) about his week and what he learned in last year's US Open and how he plans to do things in his preparation this year at LACC.

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After a heartbreaking result at Springfield's Final Qualifying site, Maxwell Moldovan got the phone call he hoped for and learned he had a spot in the 2023 U.S. Open field. Moldovan woke up bright and early to talk with Sean (who was on the road recording from his car) about his week and what he learned in last year's US Open and how he plans to do things in his preparation this year at LACC.

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Sean and Jordan wrap up the NCAA college season with some final thoughts on the men's Division 1 national championship at Grayhawk. They look through the PGA Tour U grads and try to project what their first 12-18 months might look like. Then they discuss Rose Zhang's pro debut victory along with amateurs who qualified for the Men's and Women's U.S. Open.

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Sean and Jordan are joined by David Tenneson (@CGolfBook) to react to Rose Zhang's individual National Championship and Wake Forest's match play triumph. They also have some flowers for USC who made it to the final match.

Then, at the 12:30 mark, they turn their attention to the men's national championship. David outlines the work he's doing to collect the history of college golf dating back to 1896. He gives us some incredible trends he's noticed over the last decade, too.  They talk about the regional shocks and surprises and pick out some storylines they are looking forward to f...

Sean and Jordan talk storylines at Grayhawk for the women's NCAA National Championship. 
They also try to put Rose Zhang's two years at Stanford into perspective and discuss her place in the pantheon of great college athletes in any sport.

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Jordan Perez and Sean Melia share some of their favorite storylines leading into the men's NCAA Division 1 regional stage and also try to pick some teams that might surprise us and make, or miss, nationals at Grayhawk.

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Jordan Perez and Sean Melia dive into some of the storylines that have piqued their interest in the lead up to the NCAA Women's Regional.  Then they see if they can identify teams that might crash the party and leap the top five seeds in the regions and punch their ticket to Grayhawk.

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Jeronimo Esteve recently won the 2023 Coleman, it was, in his words, “his biggest victory” and he joined us to share his thoughts on the event. He gives some incredible descriptions of holes and shots at Seminole that made my palms sweat.

Over the years, Esteve’s name has been at or near the top of some elite amateur leaderboards. From the Gasparilla to the Crump Cup to the U.S. Mid-Am and The Coleman, he enjoys the competition and gives some excellent insight into his mindset as he came down the stretch at Seminole battling Stewart Hagestad and Ev...

Jordan Perez and Sean Melia open the pod by discussing amateurs at Chevron, Florida's SEC victory, other college results.

Then (27:00), Marcus El of Golfstat joins to discuss life as the Director of Ops for the company, its connection with college golf, and then we pick his brain about the current college scene as conference championships wrap-up and regionals and nationals loom on the horizon.

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Heather Daly-Donofrio’s role as the USGA Managing Director for Player Relations and Development has kept her quite busy over the last year. She has spearheaded the creation of the USGA’s National Player Development. A program that many felt was a long time coming. After research and discussions with people around the world, Daly-Donofrio and her team rolled out their plan this winter. Daly-Donofrio is a perfect fit for this job, as she started playing the game at 15 and managed to find her way to college at Yale and then played on the LPGA Tour. She has an unde...

Meghan Stasi is the youngest individual ever inducted into the Florida State Golf Association (FSGA) Hall of Fame. To date, she has won 17 FSGA titles, including two Florida Women’s Amateurs and five Florida Women’s Mid-Amateurs. Stasi is an eight-time FSGA Player of the Year. On top of that, she competed in the 2008 Curtis Cup at St. Andrews and has won four U.S. Women’s Mid-am championships from 2006-2012. 

Next year, she will captain the Curtis Cup team in England when the event is held at Sunningdale. Stasi talks about how she got into the game, h...

Jordan Perez hops on the phone on her way back from a week at ANWA  to talk about Rose Zhang's victory, the event's growth over the years, and pleasant surprises from the tournament. 

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Jordan Perez joins the podcast to preview the Augusta National Women's Amateur. We tackle the important storylines before Jordan heads to the event. Then Jess Baker, the reigning British Amateur champion, talks to Sean and Jordan about her action-packed summer and her preparation for the ANWA.

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Pete Wlodkowski started AmateurGolf.com 23 years ago. He joins me on this particular episode to talk about a project he’s working on for our YouTube channel. He wants to showcase the Carlsbad area in Southern California because it is the mecca for golf club manufacturing. Nearly every major brand has a foothold in Carlsbad. In the first episode of the Carlsbad golf tour, Pete visits Fujikura and learns about how they make shafts, he was also lucky enough to test out some driver shafts in their testing center. Pete shares the goals of this video series and the un...

Ellen Port is one of the most decorated golfers of any generation. She’s won seven USGA events, an accomplishment that puts her in the stratosphere of nine-time USGA winners Bobby Jones and Tiger Woods. Jack Nicklaus and JoAnne Gunderson Carner have eight. 

However, Port’s journey is different than the other golfers on the list. She began playing golf seriously in her mid-20s when she grabbed an old pair of her dad’s Wilson blades before heading to St. Louis for a teaching job. She was hooked. In a staggering eight years, Port had secured a spot...