Page 36 - Westchester Golf Guide - May 2022

GOLF IN YOUR WORLD | WCC
WCC hosted its first national golf cham- pionship in 1923 and its second in 2021. Both were the USGA’s U.S. Women’s Ama- teur. Underdog Edith Cummings won the 1923 event the week before the Yankees and Giants were to meet in the World Series. Last year, another underdog, Jensen Castle, bat- tled through 36 holes of medal play, three rounds of single-elimination stroke play, and a 36-hole medal-play final match to take home the Robert Cox Cup.
The PGA Tour made Westchester its home for nearly 50 years, beginning with the 1963 Thunderbird Classic, won by Arnold Palmer, and ending with the Senior Players Championship in 2011, where Fred Couples
Memorable
Westchester
Classic Moments
Some highlights of the Classic over the years have included a double eagle by Bob Guilder (left) on the closing hole of his third round in 1982. Only the spectators saw him hit the 251-yard three wood, however, since CBS TV’s broadcast of the event had paused for a commercial break just before he hit it. A plaque marks the spot in the fairway of the 9th hole (as members play the course).
Ben Hogan, 58 years old, played his final competitive round at the Classic on July 30, 1970, carding a 78 and withdrawing from the tournament.
J.C. Snead, nephew of Sam Snead and one- time assistant pro at Century CC in Purchase, defeated Seve Ballesteros in a one-hole play-
off in 1987. The aggressive Spaniard tried to drive to the green on the short 1st hole (as played by the members) but pulled his shot into an impossible position. Snead calmly played a four iron from the tee to the middle of the fairway, pitched on and won the tournament.
to challenge the best players in the world. The South Course is a challenge from the back tees but is very user-friendly for the shorter-hitting player. The course designs indicate how inclu- sive the club was meant to be.”
Hoffhine points out that when the club was founded, it had full, bond-holding women members. Today, he says, “Our ladies’ associa- tions have 300 members, and 50 percent of our junior players are girls.” With an eye toward the future, Hoffhine says the club has placed particular emphasis on young golfers. “The goal of our junior program is to expose children to the game so that they will fall in love with it. “We have over 100 kids involved in junior golf every day,” he says. “We’re starting a program for 3-year-olds this year.”
And international recognition...
On May 15, 1922, opening day for Westches- ter Biltmore Country Club was marked by an exhibition match played by the reigning 1921 PGA Champion, Walter Hagen, teamed with
“Long Jim” Barnes, who held the 1921 U.S. Open title, earned while serving as head pro at newly opened Pelham CC. They took on WCC’s first head professional, Cuthbert Butchart, and then-amateur Tommy Armour. The “locals” beat the national-headline-makers 2-up.
That same year, in October, the club hosted the concluding half of the “Golf Championship of the World.” The 72-hole contest between Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen had begun the day before, at Oakmont CC in Pittsburgh, with the two boarding an overnight train for New York to finish the match in Westchester. The pair were inarguably the leading golfers of the day. Hagen was a four-time major winner at that point in his career, including the 1922 British Open. Local hero Sarazen, who was born in Harrison and caddied at the Apawa- mis Club next door, had won both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship that year. Sarazen came from behind to top Hagen 3-2 in the 36-hole final, collected his $2,000 prize check, then went to St. Luke’s in Yonkers for an emergency appendectomy.
34 GOLF 2022 WESTCHESTERMAGAZINE.COM Guilder photo courtesy of Westchester Country Club