Northeast Amateur History

As long as there has been a Wannamoisett Country Club, the stars of the golfing world have flocked to Rumford, R.L

The Wannamoisett Golf Club was incorporated in December of 1898 when noted Boston golf pro Willie Campbell was hired to lay out nine holes. Surrounding parcels of land were eventually cobbled together and play began soon after.

In 1914, Donald Ross first submitted his plan for an 18 hole layout. Work began immediately and the course, measuring 6500 yards, was completed by May of 1916. Cost was $22,800. That would go down in Rhode Island golf history as one of the greatest bargains ever.

The Northeast Amateur players are not the first future stars to be invited to play at Wannamoisett. Proud of their club and course, Wannamoisett set out early to invite the greats of the game to town. With just its nine-hole layout, the club staged a 36-hole exhibition on May 3, 1900 featuring Harry Vardon. The great Englishman returned to WCC in 1913 and brought along his accomplished playing partner, Edward Ray.

The club's early national highlight came in 1931 when the National PGA Tournament came to Rumford. Gene Sarazen was medalist during a 36-hole qualifying round with a 145. Tom Creavy won the tournament with a 2andl win over Denny Shute of Ohio. Over 8,000 fans flocked to the course and saw the swings of many of the greats of that era, including Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Horton Smith and Sarazen. Bobby Jones retired from competitive golf in 1930 but accepted an invitation to serve as a referee in the final match.

In a radio interview during the PGA, Sarazen said "I rank the Rumford links as one of the three best in the world. The course is fair, and good stroking will be rewarded."

Sarazen proved to be a prophet. For the last 40 years, Wannamoisett has annually been recognized as one of America's finest golf courses. It is consistently ranked in the low 20’s in Golfweek's America's Best 100 Classical Courses.

Another golfing legend, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, came to Wannamoisett for the club's 50th anniversary in 1948. Playing in a torrid rain storm, Zaharias set a new women's course record of 71.

By the late 1950s, talk was already under way for a national amateur championship. The first Northeast Amateur came off in 1962 with Connecticut native Dick Siderowf winning by three shots with a 210 total over 54 holes.

By the time the tourney was expanded to 72 holes in 1968, the contestants were no longer primarily from New England. The first "big name" winner came in 1973 when Austin, Tx., star Ben Crenshaw took the title. The best four-year stretch of winners came later in the decade when Scott Hoch (1977), John Cook (78-79) and Hal Sutton (1980) added Northeast Amateur crystal to their cases.

Through the 1970's, 80's, '90's, to the present time, tournament chairmen Bob Kosten, Gene Voll, Bill Lunnie, and Denny Glass recruited the best amateurs in the country. Soon enough, college All-Americans and Walker Cuppers made sure to stop through Rumford on the burgeoning summer tour created for the elite amateurs. Virtually anyone who's anyone has played in this tournament, including Tiger Woods, David Duval, Davis Love III, Fred Couples, Corey Pavin, Tom Lehman, Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard, Curtis Strange, Corey Pavin, Scott Hoch, Notah Begay III and Mark Calcavecchia. New wave stars like Charles Howell III, Matt Kuchar, Luke Donald, Jonathan Byrd, Anthony Kim, Dustin Johnson, Shaun Micheel and Ben Curtis also starred here.

Native Rhode Islanders have enjoyed the competition as well. Ronnie Quinn and Brett Quigley own championship blazers and Brad Faxon, Billy Andrade and Dana Quigley all pushed for the championship in their amateur careers.

Even with all of the young guns hitting the ball further and further each June, the Northeast has enjoyed a great history of the Mid-Amateur enjoying shining moments. The greatest of them all was Jay Sigel of Berwyn, Pa. Sigel first played here in 1976 and returned every year until he turned pro in 1994. Sigel won the Northeast in 1984 and then joined Ronnie Quinn and John Cook as the only repeat champions at the time by winning again in 1985. Sigel then earned immortality at Wannamoisett by winning again in 1991, the only three-time Northeast champion. For that achievement, and his friendship with the membership, Sigel is an honorary Wannamoisett member.

The Northeast Amateur is one of the Nation’s sporting jewels. Fans, in relative tame numbers, come to the course year after year and stories of "I remember when" dominate the day. Couples, Duval, Faxon, Quigley, Lehman. They've all played here, enjoyed their time and helped make the Northeast Amateur the "Masters of Amateur Golf."