For competitors in the most singular event amateur golf has to offer, Christmas had to wait 845 days.
That is the span of time from when the 2019 Walter J. Travis Invitational ended during its traditional place the third week of May until this past weekend, when the tournament was finally contested once again at Garden City Golf Club on Long Island, New York. Circumstances around the pandemic forced a cancellation of the tournament in 2020 and moved this year’s edition – the 111th playing of what initially was called the Spring Invitational from 1902 through 1939 – to an unusual September date.
For that reason alone, emotions were sure to be flowing as more than 100 top mid-amateurs and senior amateurs gathered to take part in one of the great pure golf tributes that remains today. However, the tournament’s timing added a far deeper level to that feeling. With Saturday the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a harrowing day during which six Garden City members lost their lives, the event doubled as a cathartic experience for all involved. The course is less than 20 miles away as the crow flies from where the World Trade Center buildings once stood – in thinking back to the smoke that once lingered over the club in the weeks following 9/11, it’s fair to say that remembrance of the fear, bravery, devastation and patriotism earned a palpable place in this year’s Travis.
For many, it underscored how fortunate they felt to play a simple, humbling game alongside close friends on a classic layout. A presentation on Saturday with a moment of silence and a heartfelt speech from a club member who lost his brother in the attacks set an unmistakable tone.
“It’s certainly not lost on us that it’s an extremely poignant day,” said Garden City member Griffin McQuilling. “A lot of people in the tournament asked us whether we would be doing something to honor the victims, and our response was ‘absolutely.’ ”
Continuing a similar vein of that expression, the late amateur golf legend and past Travis champion Bob Lewis was honored when his son, Tristan, invited to compete in the tournament, received a plaque recognizing all his father had done for the game.
The word celebration has many shades, and this year’s Travis hit on nearly all of them.
To gain a better sense of what this year’s event meant to Garden City and everyone involved, Global Golf Post spoke with McQuilling and his father, Merrick. They have a special place at Garden City for a few reasons, one being that they went back-to-back in winning the club championship in 2018 and 2019. Merrick was 58 at the time of his victory in 2018 – his third club championship in three different decades – making him the oldest winner in the history of a club that dates back to 1899. That is fitting, given that the elder McQuilling is a part of the club’s historical committee and can explain more about the course’s backstory than just about anyone else. The younger McQuilling is 28 and a solid player who partnered with Andrew Lane to finish tied for 12th in the Anderson at Winged Foot earlier this summer. His 2019 victory in the club championship had little drama and followed his dad’s win.
“People think we are brothers when they look at the board, but I get to tell them we are actually father and son,” Griffin McQuilling said. “They can’t believe my dad won at 58 years old.”
According to the McQuillings, the Travis stands out for several reasons. The first is the history of Garden City. The layout was originally conceived by Devereux Emmet before Australia native Walter J. Travis, known as the Old Man, made meaningful changes such as lengthening the course and relocating bunkers after Garden City hosted the 1902 U.S. Open. The course also played host to four U.S. Amateurs, one of them captured by Travis himself. Recent design work by Tom Doak has brought the course back to how it was presented circa 1936 during the last of those U.S. Ams.
It’s a throwback, minimalist in its design. Deep pot bunkers guard small greens. There are seemingly a lot of “half-par” holes, some begging for birdies and others saluting a par. It’s not a place where you can hide, especially on the par-3 18th hole. The closing hole shares a green with the practice green, similar to the ninth hole at Oakmont, adding to the ambiance of the finish as the crowd gathers around to watch incoming approaches.
Travis won eight Spring Invitationals, dominating the tournament to the point that they named it after him starting in 1940. He may not have been able to keep up with Matthew Fitzpatrick, however, the European Ryder Cup player who recently shot 62 at Garden City and broke a course record that had stood for 48 years.
Today the tournament reflects the camaraderie and spirit of amateur golf in the same way Travis did. There is no entry fee and contestants essentially get the opportunity of becoming a member at the club for the week. The elder McQuilling calls it the “oldest pure amateur invitational tournament in the country,” distinguishing it from championships like the U.S. Amateur that rely on qualifying.
“Everyone gets to practice as much as they want at the course leading into the tournament,” Merrick McQuilling said. “How the membership embraces the tournament is just fabulous. That helps in that the tournament is so much in demand.”
He isn’t kidding. Spots in the field are hard to come by, as the tournament committee reviews dozens of letters submitted by members on behalf of prospective players. Past champions are guaranteed a permanent spot in the field, a la the Masters. Any way you can get in, it’s certainly a privilege. A gentleman named Bob Stuart won the Travis in 1972 as a 24-year-old – that’s 49 years ago – and he is still playing every year.
“He can keep his spot for as long he wants,” Merrick McQuilling said.
This year’s event lacks the presence of those coming from the UK to participate, but the two-year wait since the most recent Travis also created a logjam of players who wanted to get into the field.
There’s a reason why they want in so badly.
“The bond that ties everyone together at the club and the tournament is a purist mentality when it comes to the game of golf,” Griffin McQuilling said. “It’s a time capsule in that way. We’re trying to preserve traditions back to 1899 when the club was founded. Everyone understands how unique this place is. The Travis is a microcosm of the broader culture of the club. It’s embraced by the membership more than any other mid-amateur event in the country. Every member wants to be a part of it. I haven’t experienced it at any other club I’ve been to.”
“The bond that ties everyone together at the club and the tournament is a purist mentality when it comes to the game of golf. It’s a time capsule in that way."
Griffin McQuilling
The competition itself stands alone relative to other elite mid-amateur events. The first round of the Travis is a qualifying stroke-play round where 72 competitors earn a spot in one of six match-play brackets.
The top 16 get into the championship bracket where two rounds of match play occur on days two and three. Behind them are five other brackets that are filled out depending on how well the player did in stroke play: a 16-player match-play bracket for the Devereux Emmet Cup; an eight-player bracket for the Charles B. MacDonald Cup; an eight-player faceoff for the Robert T. Jones Cup; and another eight-player bracket for the William H. Taft Cup. The sixth bracket is the senior division, which has a 16-player battle of its own.
The conclusion of the tournament results in six winners, as each finals match takes place on Sunday afternoon. Because of how volatile one round of stroke play can be, winning one of the non-championship brackets is still seen as a big accomplishment. Looking at the quality of player in some of the brackets makes it hard to tell which one is which – this year there was an Emmet Cup first-round match between stalwarts Garrett Engel and Darin Goldstein, while two other strong players, T.J. Shuart and Tug Maude, competed in the Jones Cup.
That dynamic makes the event a blast and a true festival for amateur golf lovers.
“Rehashing memories and so many familiar faces, that is the best part of the weekend and what this experience is all about,” Griffin McQuilling said.
Next year, the Travis is moving back to its May date and the tournament is scheduled to go on as it always has without such a lengthy delay.
Christmas, as participants affectionately refer to the Travis, will come again soon.
Top: Garden City Golf Club
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