On Feb. 19, 1909, six gentlemen
gathered at the Rittenhouse Club for the purpose of forming a state golf
association. Those present were Messrs. Frederic Byers and John Moorhead, Jr.,
of Pittsburgh and Messrs. Robert W. Lesley, Howard W. Perrin, Dr. Simon Carr
and Harrison Townsend of Philadelphia. The formal name of the association,
agreed upon at this first meeting, was the Pennsylvania Golf Association.
It was first ordered that the formal
organization take place at the time of, or prior to, the date of the Lesley
Cup. The main purpose of this organization was to establish the first state
championship tournament, which was to be held around the same time as the
Lesley Cup. There would be a qualifying round of 36 holes and the event would
be played on the Saturday prior to the Lesley Cup. Match play was to take place
the following week. Huntingdon Valley Country Club held the first Amateur
Championship and Harold B. McFarland, a Huntingdon Valley member, defeated A.
W. Tillinghast of Philadelphia Cricket Club for the title. There were 52
entrants.
Membership eligibility to the
Pennsylvania Golf Association was open to any golf or country club whose links
were situated in the state and shall have duly qualified as a member of the
United States Golf Association (USGA). The dues for each club in 1909 were $10,
which entitled one delegate from each club to vote either in person or by
proxy. The sum of $2 was fixed upon as the entrance fee for the State
Championship.
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION EVENTS
To mark this milestone we have
scheduled four celebration events across the Commonwealth for our fellow
players, committee members, volunteers and, most importantly, those members of
the many clubs who have hosted events over the years. The four exceptional
clubs that have agreed to host these events are: Lancaster Country Club,
Glenmaura National Country Club, Allegheny Country Club, and Philadelphia
Cricket Club.
Mr. R. Jay Sigel, PGA Champions Tour
Player and arguably the top amateur golfer ever born and raised in
Pennsylvania, has agreed to be our Honorary Chairman. Sigel’s amateur
credentials are remarkable. He was a two-time U.S. Amateur Champion, a
three-time U.S. Middle-Amateur Champion and a representative of the U.S. Walker
Cup team nine times, including twice as a captain in 1983 and 1985. He was an
11-time Pennsylvania Amateur Champion, a four-time Pennsylvania State Open
Champion and two-time Pennsylvania Junior Champion.
We would like to invite everyone to join
in the celebration, come out and play some golf, reminisce in old memories and
rekindle golf friendships. If you can’t make it for golf, please join us for
cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at one of the four fantastic venues.
Click here to be directed to the on-line
entry, or Click here to download a paper entry and send it in with payment.
