Fact Sheet

2006 United States Mid-Amateur Championship
Sept. 9 - 14, 2006
Forest Highlands Golf Club
Flagstaff, Ariz.

PAR AND YARDAGE – The Canyon Course at Forest Highlands will be set up at 6,941 yards and par is 36-35--71. The Meadow Course, which will be used for stroke play during the championship’s first two days, will play at 7,339 yards and par 36-36--72.

ARCHITECT AT THE COURSE – Tom Weiskopf had a hand in designing both courses at Forest Highlands. He teamed with Jay Morrish on the Canyon Course, which was opened in 1988. Weiskopf was the lone architect for the newer Meadows Course, which was opened in 1999.

COURSE SET-UP – The USGA Course Rating™/Slope Rating® for Forest Highlands during the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship is: Canyon Course: 73.3/133; Meadow Course: 73.6/135
Teeing ground – Penncross creeping bentgrass; Height of grass – 0.3"
Fairways – Kentucky bluegrass/perennial ryegrass/Poa annua; Height of grass – 0.5"
Putting greens – A-1/A4 creeping bentgrass; Height of grass – 0.105 inches with a speed of 11 feet on the USGA stimpmeter
Rough – Kentucky ryegrass; Height of grass – 2.5 inches

FOREST HIGHLANDS GOLF CLUB HOLE BY HOLE:

THE CANYON COURSE – 6,941/6,928 yards, par 71

THE MEADOW COURSE – 7,339 yards, par 72

MID-AM ON THE WEB – For scores, pairings, and the latest U.S. Mid-Amateur information, log on to www.usga.org/championships/. Real-time scoring will be available via the championship Web site at www.usmidam.org.

WHO CAN PLAY – Amateur golfers who will have reached their 25^th birthday on or before Sept. 9, and who have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 3.4, are eligible.

ENTRIES – The USGA accepted 4,052 entries for the 2006 championship. The record of 5,271 entries was set in 1997.

QUALIFYING – Sectional qualifying for the U.S. Mid-Amateur was conducted from Aug. 8-17 at approximately 68 sites.

THE FIELD – The starting field will consist of 264 golfers. Each golfer will play a single round on each of the two golf courses before the field is trimmed to the low 64 scorers, who will advance to match play.

SCHEDULE OF PLAY –
(Saturday) Sept. 9 – First round, stroke play (18 holes)
(Sunday) Sept. 10 – Second round, stroke play (18 holes). After 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 64 scorers, who advance to match play.
(Monday) Sept. 11 – First round, match play (18 holes)
(Tuesday) Sept. 12 – Second round, match play (18 holes); third round, match play (18 holes)
(Wednesday) Sept. 13 – Quarterfinals, match play (18 holes); semifinals, match play (18 holes)
(Thursday) Sept. 14 – Final, match play (36 holes)

ADMISSION – Admission is free. Tickets are not needed for this USGA championship and spectators are encouraged to attend.

THE 2005 CHAMPIONSHIP – Kevin Marsh, 32, of Las Vegas, Nev., built a large lead after the first 18 holes and cruised to a 10-and-9 victory at the 25th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, held at the par-72, 7,037-yard Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tenn.

In the scheduled 36-hole final against Carlton Forrester, 29, of Birmingham, Ala., Marsh got off to a hot start, building a 3-up lead after seven holes. He built the lead to 5 up after 10, and after the two traded pars on the 11th and 12th holes and birdies on the 13th, the momentum again swung the way of Marsh, who converted a 28-foot birdie putt at the par-3 14th and then watched Forrester miss his birdie attempt from 5 feet. Marsh went on to win the next five holes and finished the morning round with a 10-up lead.

On the par-4 ninth hole, the 27th of the match, Forrester missed a 5-foot par putt that would have halved the hole and extended the match. Marsh then made his 4-footer for par to win the match and the championship.

FOR THE WINNER – The champion receives:

• A gold medal, and custody of the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy for the ensuing year.
• An exemption from local qualifying at the next U.S. Open, if still an amateur.
• An exemption from sectional qualifying at the next U.S. Amateur, if still an amateur.
• A 10-year exemption for the Mid-Amateur.
• A probable invitation to compete in the next Masters Tournament, if still an amateur.
• An exemption from sectional qualifying at the next U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, if eligible.
• An exemption from sectional qualifying at the next Senior Amateur, if eligible.

THE TROPHY – The Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Mid-Amateur Trophy was presented in 1981 by the Atlanta Athletic Club and the Georgia State Golf Association. The most famous of all amateurs, Jones won five U.S. Amateur and four U.S. Open titles for a total of nine USGA championships, more than any golfer.

THE USGA AND FOREST HIGHLANDS GOLF CLUB – This will be the second USGA championship conducted at Forest Highlands Golf Club. The club previously hosted the 1996 U.S. Junior Amateur, won by Shane McMenamy in 19 holes over Charles Howell.

THE USGA AND ARIZONA – This will be the USGA’s 13^th visit to Arizona. In addition to the previous visit to Forest Highlands, the state has hosted 11 other USGA championships. The first USGA championship to be held in Arizona was the 1966 USGA Senior Amateur, held at Tucson National Golf Club.

EXEMPTIONS TO THE 2006 U.S. MID-AM – Twenty-one players, including 10 USGA champions, are fully exempt from qualifying into the championship. On that list are seven former U.S. Mid-Amateur champs and two past USGA Senior Amateur winners:
Ken Bakst, New York, N.Y. – 1997 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion
Tripp Davis of Norman, Okla. – 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist
Josh Dennis, Birmingham, Ala. – 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist
Austin Eaton III, New London, N.H. – 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, 2005 U.S. Amateur semifinalist
Carlton Forrester, Birmingham, Ala. – 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up
Danny Green, Jackson, Tenn. – 1999 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion
Brendan Hester, Northbridge, Mass. – 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist
Tim Jackson, Germantown, Tenn. – 1994, 2001 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion
William Johnson, San Francisco, Calif. – 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist
Kenneth Kellaney, Phoenix, Ariz. - 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist
Trip Kuehne, Dallas, Texas – 2003 USA Walker Cup team member
Steven Liebler of Irmo, S.C. – 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist
Kevin Marsh, Las Vegas, Nev. – 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion
Mike McCoy of West Des Moines, Iowa – 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist
John "Spider" Miller of Bloomington, Ind. – 1996 and 1998 Mid-Amateur champion
Bryan Norton, Mission Hills, Kan. – 2003 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up
Greg Reynolds, Grand Blanc, Mich. – 2004 USGA Senior Amateur runner-up
Mike Rice, Houston, Texas – 2005 USGA Senior Amateur champion
Nathan Smith of Brookville, Pa. – 2003 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion
Wright Waddell, Columbus, Ga. – 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist
Simon Young of England - 2006 British Mid-Amateur champion

OTHER USGA CHAMPIONS IN THE FIELD – In addition to the fully exempt champions, 1996 U.S. Amateur Public Links winner Tim Hogarth of Northridge, Calif., went through sectional qualifying to make the field. Terrence Miskell of New Braunfels, Texas, who led Texas to the title at the USGA Men’s State Team Championship in 2005, also successfully qualified.

WALKER CUP REPRESENTATION – Five players in the Mid-Amateur field have played for the USA in the Walker Cup Match. "Buddy" Marucci of Malvern, Pa., the current USA Walker Cup team captain for 2007, was a team selection in 1995 and 1997. Alan Bratton of Stillwater, Okla., played the Walker Cup Match in 1995; Danny Green of Jackson, Tenn., played in 2001; Tim Jackson of Germantown, Tenn., played in 1995 and 1999; and Trip Kuehne of Dallas, Texas, played in 1995 and 2003.

ARIZONANS IN THE FIELD – Currently, there are 10 residents of the state of Arizona in the 2006 U.S. Mid-Amateur field. Ken Kellaney of Phoenix is fully exempt because he reached the quarterfinals of the 2005 championship. Morgan Brown (Tucson), Jeremy DeFalco (Tucson), Camron Howell (Thatcher), Rob McIver (Phoenix), Justin Miller (Phoenix), Rich Morrison (Marana), Paige Peterson (Chandler), Eric Rustand (Tucson), and Joe Wordon (Mesa) successfully went through sectional qualifying to advance to the championship.

WELCOME BACK TO FOREST HIGHLANDS – There is one player in the 2006 U.S. Mid-Amateur field who also played in the 1996 U.S. Junior Amateur at the club. Past U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Nathan Smith of Brookville, Pa., played in the Junior Amateur, where he failed to advance to match play.

FUTURE U.S. MID-AMATEUR SITES – The 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur will be conducted at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore., from Sept. 29 to Oct. 4. Milwaukee Country Club will host the 2008 championship, from Sept. 6-11. The 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur will be conducted at Kiawah Island (S.C.) Club, from Oct. 3-8.

MEDIA CENTER – Prior to the championship, Craig Smith and Beth Murrison, the media contacts for the 2006 U.S. Mid-Amateur, can be reached at (908) 234-2300. As of Sept. 8, they can be reached in the media center at (928) 525-5270. They can also be reached via cell phone at (908) 216-3229 (Smith) and (908) 310-5259 (Murrison).