B
etter late than never. This familiar expression actually dates back to the early part of the 13th century but still rings true some 820 years later. It’s especially appropriate as it relates to the playing of the 111th Texas Amateur at the inspired Boot Ranch Golf Club outside of Fredericksburg.
Originally scheduled for its traditional mid-June dates, the state’s oldest and most prestigious amateur championship was postponed to Aug. 6-9 after the COVID-19 crisis preempted the ability to conduct statewide Texas Amateur qualifying tournaments. Those qualifiers would’ve started in early May, but local government-issued stay-at-home orders and dramatic, yet required modifications to golf course setups, as well as the TGA’s top priority of safety, conspired to alter those plans.
Now for the good news. And there is plenty of it.
First of all, the 111th Texas Amateur will be played. That wasn’t always an absolute certainty during the confusing and highly stressful early days of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, thanks to the TGA’s hardworking Championship staff and leadership – which hustled to move the qualifying events to a workable June 29-Aug. 3 window – the stage is now set for the new Aug. 6-9 dates.
“From the onset of this unprecedented pandemic, the well-being and safety of every TGA Member and the general public has been, and continues to be, our No. 1 priority,” TGA Executive Director Stacy Dennis said. “We want to conduct the qualifying for the 111th Texas Amateur, as well as the championship itself, in the safest and most responsible manner. We also want to preserve the elite championship experience for the players.”
Just as exciting as the curtain going up on this year’s competition is the fact that Boot Ranch seamlessly accommodated the change in schedule, so the championship venue remained the same. That’s really good news, as the 7,155-yard, par-72 course designed by PGA Tour great and 2004 U.S. Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton, is considered one of the very best in the state.
Tucked away in scenic Gillespie County, Boot Ranch and its surrounding area went largely unaffected by COVID-19. The county had a total of five reported cases of the virus, and all five people fully recovered.
“We were just very blessed to be fairly remote out here, and to date we don’t have any active cases of COVID-19,” Boot Ranch General Manager Emil Hale said. “To be able to have the golf course (remain open) was significant, not only for recreational purposes but to be able to get through this difficult time.
“We’re very fortunate to have had ongoing golf for the last eight or 10 weeks,” Hale continued. “It was equally significant to be able to find another date for the championship so we could get all the qualifiers in.”
Designed by Sutton in 2006, Boot Ranch is a stunning layout that meanders through groves of trees, natural water features and along the ridges and valleys of the scenic Texas Hill Country. Sutton’s imaginative routing challenges players at every turn, with a variety of long and short holes, doglegs, sloping and rolling fairways, wind direction and undulating green complexes. It is a demanding, but fair test of a golfer’s entire skill set that places a premium on intelligent course management and confident shot-making.
Sutton put it this way: “Everything you need to know about golf, you can learn right here on this course.”
From the outset, Boot Ranch garnered rave reviews from players of all handicap ranges. It consistently has been ranked as one of the best courses in Texas by the Dallas Morning News, Golfweek and Golf Digest.
With a $2 million renovation completed in 2017 that included reconstruction of all bunkers and re-grassing every green with TifEagle Bermuda, Boot Ranch will be in superb condition when the state’s most accomplished amateur golfers gather in Fredericksburg to compete for the H.L. Edwards Memorial Trophy, the state’s most coveted amateur prize.
The starting field for the 111th Texas Amateur will include 132 players, who will earn entry into the championship through an exemption category or 18-hole sectional qualifying at one of 12 sites across the state from June 29-Aug. 3.
Format for the championship is 72 holes of individual stroke play. All contestants will play 18 holes Aug. 6-7. After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 54 players and ties heading into the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday.
Sutton’s gem is the centerpiece of a 2,080-acre private community that also boasts a sprawling 34-acre Practice Park, a 55,000-square-foot Clubhouse Village, a Lake Club with a swim beach, pavilion, treehouses and nonmotorized watercraft. The club also has athletic fields for kids, hiking trails, trap and skeet shooting and a spa.
The competitors in the 111th Texas Amateur will be treated to a first-class amateur championship at a world-class facility. To learn more about the event, click here.