Golf Links

Written by:
Steve Millizer

For the sixth time in the tournament's 94 years, Paducah will be the host of the AT&T Kentucky State Amateur Championships in June at the County Club of Paducah. It will be the tournament's third appearance at the Country Club since 1986, but first in over a decade. Paducah's Paxton Park was the only other local golf course to host the state's biggest summer amateur men's tournament in 1974, 1961 and 1949.

The State Amateur finals will be June 10-12 with three rounds of 18 holes, but the field will be cut to the top 70 low scores and ties for the final day.

"It's really a feather in our hat," said course professional Jason Stilley. "It show the County Club of Paducah has a golf course demanding enough to host such an event and the city has the amenities to accommodate 156 golfers. It's a rather large honor to have for this end of the state and it speaks highly of our golf course.

The field will be determined by 10 qualifying tournaments around the state, including three local events. The Silos Golf Club in McCracken County and Owensboro County Club host the final qualifiers on May 31. The Indian Hills Country Club in Bowling Green hosts one on May 27. Players must meet Kentucky residency requirements and can register to play at www.kygolf.org or by calling 1-800-254-2742.

Daniel Uttley of Louisville won the last State Am played at the Country Club of Paducah beating Paducah's Jimmy Brown, a three-time State Am champion, in a 1-hole playoff in 1994. Uttley, just 21 at the time, rallied from three shots back in the final four holes, catching Brown with a birdie on the final hole.

The State Am always brings some of he top names in golf in the state. Current PGA Tour professional Steve Flesch won the title in 1986 at the County Club of Paducah, while former PGA professional Brad Fabel won it at Paxton Park in 1974 and former pro Frank Beard won it in 1961 at Paxton Park. Harry Moorhead won the event the first time it was held in far-western Kentucky at Paxton Park in 1949.

West Kentucky Golfers have certainly left their impression on the event, too. Brown won the tournament in 1977, 1981 and 1982.

Heath's Rick Cochran won the tournament in 2005 and former Paducah Tilghman golfer Buddy Bryant won it in 1998 and 1996 while living in Lexington. Chris Wilson of Mayfield won in 1992 and Stan Jones of Murray won in 1991. Several others have finished in the top five over the years.

"We've had a long stint since the last time we've hosting it, but we'd like to get it back about every 8 to 10 years," said Stilley. "It kind of depends on the turnout. If numbers are down, they will be less likely to bring it back to our end of the state, so we want to get people out for it."

The Robert Trent Jones layout was opened in 1976 and has hosted may big events over the years. In 2005, it hosted the KHSAA/Leachman Buick Boys State Golf Championship. It has also hosted the Ohio Valley Conference men and women championships over the last five years. The men's championship returns April 20-22.