Alotian Club head professional Matt Fraser was around for the 2013 Western Amateur, the first large amateur venture undertaken at Warren Stephens' showpiece golf course that sits just outside Little Rock off Arkansas 10.
Fraser said Sunday that this weekend's Arnold Palmer Cup was as enjoyable to put on as the Western Am.
"I think everything went perfect," Fraser said. "First off, I can't say enough about the volunteers doing whatever it took to pull this thing off. And I also know that we like to try and do things to make it feel like a pro event, so I am quite sure the patrons enjoyed the event."
Fraser said close to 1,000 tickets were sold for the tournament, though there were probably upward of 2,000 patrons on the course Saturday for mixed-foursome and foursome sessions.
"People want to see what Mr. Stephens has built," he said. "The patrons of Arkansas have given it a home field kind of feel. I felt the overall hospitality we provided has been outstanding.
"I believe the patrons we saw here this weekend will definitely say they had a great all-around experience. They've been very kind to us, and I would like to think we showed them plenty of kindness and gratitude in return."
Arnold Palmer Enterprises CEO Jon Podany said the attendance deserved recognition.
"I think this has been the best attended Arnold Palmer Cup that's been held in the United States," he said.
Thumbs up
Coming into the weekend, Alotian Club director of grounds and facilities Justin Sims was concerned about rain the course had taken on recently. Club founder Warren Stephens made sure Sims and crew were recognized at the closing ceremonies for the work they performed on the course.
"Justin, you and your team did a phenomenal job," said Stephens, mentioning that the course has received more than 47 inches of rain in 2019. "We've never seen rain like this in Arkansas. Up until three or four days ago, we didn't know we'd be playing golf [based off the weather forecast for the weekend]."
Sims said he received other encouraging words over the weekend besides those from his boss.
"I got to know a couple of the coaches last year, and they have been nothing but complimentary," Sims said. "We're our own worst critics. I'm glad the players and coaches enjoyed it, and it seems the patrons were happy with it as well."
Caddies lauded
The 54 caddies who made it through the three days of the Arnold Palmer Cup received kudos by many at the event's closing ceremonies, including from former President Bill Clinton who mentioned his time as a caddie as a youth in Hot Springs.
It was no easy task for them to traverse the undulating Alotian Club tract, said the club's golf services manager Brent Cook, who was responsible for securing the 14- to 19-year-old loopers.
"I told them that I did it for nine rounds in seven days at the [2013] Western Amateur," Cook said. "I told them if I could do it, so could they. They just had to tell themselves they could."
Cook said nobody was more resilient this week than the caddies despite the hot weather and long hauls over the 7,500-yard course known for its steep hills and over 100 feet of elevation changes.
"They all did it," Cook said. "There were some blisters and chafing. It was a little warm, but we did get a break with the weather because there was no rain."
Arnie and Jack
The entire tournament weekend drew rave reviews from Jon Podany, CEO of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, and Warren Stephens, founder of the Alotian Club.
"I am so pleased the way this week unfolded," Podany said. "I think Arnold Palmer and [Warren's father] Jack Stephens are looking down with big smiles on their faces."
Stephens, who brought the 2013 Western Amateur to the club, said golf in the coming years is in good hands, judging by the play and class exhibited by the 48 players.
"This makes you feel great about the game of golf and the future of golf," Stephens said. "Golf really is a worldwide sport."
Greener fairways
Former Vanderbilt golfer Will Gordon played his final round as an amateur Sunday, defeating Chun An Yu 2 and 1 in one of the early singles matches.
Gordon, the world's ninth-ranked amateur, said he was motivated after hearing about the success of Yu, the No. 6-ranked amateur in the world.
"I was in control the whole time," said Gordon, who will make his professional debut in Canada next week. "I've kinda been hearing how well he's been playing. So I kinda put a chip on my shoulder. I feel like I've been playing good. ... I kept hearing, 'Oh, Kevin's playing so good.' I just wanted to prove to myself, and everybody else, that I could take him down. That's what I did today."
Yu, an Arizona State golfer, uses the twitter handle @kevingolfyu.
Gordon said he will play on a Web.com Tour event after two weeks in Canada.
"Try to make some money and see how it goes," he said.
Gordon, who won three and tied one of his four matches, had praise for the Alotian Club.
"Golf course is awesome," Gordon said. "And they opened their arms to us. It was a first-class event. And I'm glad I took part in it.
Sunday golf day
Brigham Young's Peter Kuest had no problems playing his singles match Sunday at the Palmer Cup.
Kuest and his BYU teammates were involved with a unique scheduling situation on Sunday, May 26, at the NCAA Championships at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville. The Mormon-run school prohibits play for all of its sports teams on Sundays, so the school played its third round of the tournament on May 23, a Thursday, before the other championship teams played their first round the next day.
Kuest, though, said he had no problems playing Sunday in the Palmer Cup.
"I'm not a member of the [Mormon] church, so I have no problem with it at all," said Kuest, who won his match 1 up on Sunday over Matthias Schmid of the University of Louisville. "It was a little different knowing you were playing in the third round of the tournament before others had even played their first round."
According to its bylaws, the NCAA must provide an accommodation for any school unable to compete on a particular day for religious reasons. The Cougars played a practice round before the completion of the NCAA Women's Championship, then began their third round before the 29 other men's teams completed their official practice round.
The Cougars went off individually with a rules official and a scorer.
"The pace was a little different," Kuest said. "We weren't able to see our shots sometimes and see how the balls reacted. At the end of the day, it was just another round."
The Cougars wound up last among the 30 teams, shooting a 74-over 938, missing the cut to 15 teams for the fourth stroke-play round by 44 strokes.
Looking to future
Despite the loss, the U.S. still leads the competition 12-10-1.
The next Palmer Cup will be played July 3-5 at Lahinch Golf Club in Lahinch, Ireland. The links course plays host to the South of Ireland, the country's oldest amateur championship.
The competition returns to the U.S. in 2021 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. The site will be the first to repeat as an Arnold Palmer Cup host. The U.S. defeated Europe 18-12 in 2015. The club also has hosted the Solheim Cup in 2009, the Western Amateur (2015), the NCAA Men's and Women's Championships (2017) and several other prominent amateur events.
Team awards
Both teams had a player receive the Michael Carter Award as voted on by their members. The award is given to the Arnold Palmer Cup participant from each team who best represents the qualities and ideals of the former Penn State University golfer and Golf Coaches Association of America Arnold Palmer Cup intern who died in an automobile accident at the age of 19.
Alex Scott of Grand Valley State won the award for the U.S., while Leonie Harm of the University of Houston won from the International team.
Also on Sunday, Chun An Yu of Arizona State and Julie McCarthy of Auburn received exemptions into the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational and Evian Championship, respectively, by a vote of their team members.
The award is given to the players on the winning team that their teammates think best represent Palmer's legacy. The players selected must remain a collegiate golfer to utilize their exemption.
Sports on 06/10/2019