A little rain during the cocktail hour didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the 340 guests who gathered at the John’s Island Beach Club last Saturday for an exclusive affair celebrating past USGA Mid-Amateur Champions. This first-ever reunion of champions was a lead-in to the 2015 USGA Mid-Amateur Championship scheduled to take place Oct. 1-8 at John’s Island Club.
“This is a celebration not only of the past champions, but also a celebration for Vero Beach and Indian River County,” said tournament director Mark Mulvoy. A John’s Island resident, Mulvoy retired as editor of Sports Illustrated in 1996 and used his former connections to pull of the noteworthy coup. “This is the first USGA Championship held on the Treasure Coast. It’s a chance for us to rise and shine and celebrate. We’re excited about that.”
In addition to the elegant dinner, Mulvoy had arranged a weekend of activities for the past champions; 18 out of 25 living champions were able to attend. Providing a taste of what the competitors will face, they were also treated to a round of golf on the challenging Tom Fazio designed West course, which will host the 36-hole Championship Match Oct. 8.
“The community has embraced this and the John’s Island membership has been tremendously supportive. We’ve raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support it,” said Mulvoy.
He reiterated his thanks to the numerous individuals involved in the massive undertaking, including the Indian River Golf Foundation, Quail Valley and Red Stick Golf Course owners, and the supportive John’s Island staff and residents, saying, “All this is happening because of your absolute generosity.”
“We’re so thrilled that you have joined us for this first-ever gathering of USGA Mid-Am champions,” said John’s Island Club President Ted Berghorst. He gave special praise to Mulvoy saying, “I think we have a chance to do something very special. We are all just thrilled with the great job you have done.”
Guests heard from a number of speakers, and after dinner were treated to a talk by author and sports commentator John Feinstein, but the highlight of the evening was the parade of champions, introduced individually by USGA president Tom O’Toole. The men stood behind the gleaming Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy, on loan from the USGA Museum, as photos of their winning moments were projected on a large screen.
“They represent the amateur ideal; people who play golf for the love of it,” said O’Toole. “Thank you for having the foresight to organize this wonderful evening. We are so appreciative of the recognition our champions received tonight.”
To the champions he remarked, “You have led; you have all inspired. You all should be so very proud. I know the USGA is very proud of you.”
“I don’t think as champions we could ever have thought of a weekend like this,” said four-time Mid-Am champion Nathan Smith. “I’m humbled and honored to be part of this group. It’s been a special weekend; very memorable. This is going to be a fabulous site for the USGA Mid-Am. We can’t wait to come down again. This weekend has just blown us away. We can’t thank you enough for everything.”
