ROUND 1 PAIRINGS ROUND 2 PAIRINGS
The 7th edition of the Seaver Cup Matches between the Northern California Golf Association and the Southern California Golf Association kicks off Thursday morning at La Quinta CC. Not played since 2008 due to date changes in the USGA Men's State Team Competition, the Seaver Cup takes eight of the association's best players (six mid-amateur players and two seniors) and pits them in a biennial Ryder Cup style competition. Three different formats are used in the two-day tournament, Foursomes (alternate shot), Four-Ball and Singles matches. Within each of the formats, three possible points are earned, one for winning the front nine match, one for winning the back nine match and one point for the overall match.
The event is named after legendary California amateur Charlie Seaver. Seaver is one of two individuals to hold all three major California amateur championships at one time (the California Amateur, Northern California Amateur, and the Southern California Amateur). Seaver also was a member of the Walker Cup team in 1932 and reached the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur in 1930.
Last played in 2008, the SCGA rallied from a four-point deficit to capture the Cup with a 25-23 victory. This year, both squads are loaded and ready to capture the Cup. The NCGA team is lead by six-time NCGA Player of Year Randy Haag. Other team members include Anthony Barrera, Casey Boyns, Jeff Burda (senior), Jim Knoll (Senior), Scott Hardy, Danny Paniccia and Kevin Wentworth. The SCGA is led by veteran stallworths Kevin Marsh and Tim Hogarth. Other SCGA team members include Robert Funk, Howie Knodt (senior), Mark Miller, Mark Nickeas (senior), Dan Sullivan and Justin Warthen.
La Quinta CC is one of the desert crown jewels and has been a traditional host site of the Bob Hope Classic (now Humana Challenge). This narrow, demanding layout will be a tough test over the duration of the matches. Stay tuned to scga.org for updates, results, video and more throughout the tournament. For live scores, follow along beginning Thursday morning at www.twitter.com/thescga.
In 1997, after years of discussions, the boards of directors of the California Golf Association, Southern California Golf Association and Northern California Golf Association decided to conduct a biennial series of matches between teams from the SCGA and NCGA. Although team matches had been held in conjunction with the California Amateur Championship for many years, all three associations felt that the level of talent throughout the state warranted the introduction of a separate championship contested along the lines of the Walker Cup and Ryder Cup formats. The matches were scheduled for even-numbered years, so as not to conflict with the USGA State Team Championship, held each fall in odd-numbered years.
Charlie Seaver: Mr. California Golf
There was unanimous sentiment to name the event the Seaver Cup in honor of one of Californias legendary amateur golfers, Charles Seaver, one of just two people to hold the California Amateur, NCGA Amateur and SCGA Amateur titles at the same time.
While a student at Stanford University and a member of The Los Angeles CC, Seaver won the 1933 California Amateur and the 1933 NCGA Amateur (where he was the defending champion). The following year, he captured the SCGA Amateur and the timing of the tournaments meant he held all three titles at the same time (George Von Elm won all three events in 1925). Seaver and his father, Everett (who won in 1920) are the only father-son combination to win the SCGA Amateur.
Seaver competed on the 1932 U.S. Walker Cup team, going 1-0 in foursomes and 1-0 in singles play at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. as the U.S. won 8-1 over Great Britain and Ireland. In 1930, Seaver lost a U.S. Amateur semifinal match to Eugene Homans, who went on to lose to Bobby Jones in the finals, 8 & 7, giving Jones his legendary grand slam.
After graduating from Stanford, Seaver moved to Fresno where, among other things, he notes that it was at his suggestion that cereal companies add raisins into cereals. He won the Fresno City title six times in the 1940s and the 1949 Northern California Open. He also played in 39 Bing Crosby (now the AT&T) Pro-Ams at Pebble Beach, finally winning the title in 1964 while paired with Mike Fetchik, the Western Open champion.
Seaver was elected NCGA president in 1980 (his father had been SCGA president in 1928). Nongolfers know Charlie best as the father of baseball Hall-of-Fame pitcher and 300-game winner Tom Seaver. Charlie Seaver passed away on October 25, 2004 (a week before the 2004 Seaver Cup) at the age of 93.
