The USGA just wants you to know, these guys are good.
When the announcement was made that the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship would be held at the Colleton River Plantation's Dye Course, Greg Sanflippo, the director of the U.S. Junior Amateur, pointed out Tuesday at the media day for the July event that the defending champion was none other than Jordan Spieth.
The same Jordan Spieth who won his first green jacket at the Masters last month, a week before electrifying the galleries at the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing at Harbour Town Golf Links.
When Spieth won in 2011, his second title, he joined Tiger Woods as only the second golfer to win multiple U.S. Junior Amateurs.
These guys are the future.
In all, 3,238 junior golfers will attempt to qualify around the country at sectional qualifiers around the country between June 17 and June 30 to be one of the elite 156 who compete in the championship, to be held July 20 through the 25.
After two rounds of stroke play, the top 64 will play five rounds of match play before the final two players play 36 holes on the final day to determine the national champion.
Todd White, the former Hilton Head Island High School history teacher and distinguished amateur golfer who won the USGA's Four-Ball Championship last week, was on hand to talk about what it means to be a champion.
"Anytime you see USGA on the flag, you know you're competing for a national championship," White said. "And at the U.S. Junior, these are tomorrow's stars today."
But it's not just the players that are good.
As with any USGA championship, the top players go hand-in-hand with the top courses.
White joked that the USGA describes its championship courses as a "comprehensive examination of skill."
"Ladies and gentleman, to translate that into player language," White said to laughter, "that means hard."
Once, when asked which of his designs was the best, Harbour Town or the Ocean Course at Kiowah Island, architect Pete Dye instead chose this course.
Dye stopped by Colleton River over the weekend and repeated the opinion, according to Al Theiss, the general chairman of the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur and a member of Colleton River.
"He reiterated this was the best course he ever built," Theiss said.
Theiss pointed out the Colleton River layout was typical Dye, visually intimidating and mentally challenging.
He relayed a story about a change Dye made on No. 14, making a large fairway bunker smaller. When someone said they thought that would make the hole play easier, according to Theiss, Dye responded with a smile.
If they're no longer worried about the bunker, Dye said, they're more likely to take a chance, hit the ball longer and end up in the marsh.
"His genius is enticing better players into taking a risk they don't understand," Theiss said.
Sanfilippo said tee and hole placements would be manipulated during the tournament to create short par 3s, drivable par 4s and par 5s that are reachable in two.
"Its all about creating risk-reward opportunities," Sanfilippo said.
It should be fun to watch.
Because these guys are good.
Follow sports editor Mike McCombs on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBGsports.
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