U.S. AND BRITISH AMATEUR CHAMPIONS PREPARE FOR THE GEORGIA CUP

ALPHARETTA, GA (March 7, 2018) – On Sunday, March 25, the annual Georgia Cup match will be held at The Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta. The event pits the reigning United States and British Amateur champions in a head-to-head match prior to their appearance at the Masters. This year Doc Redman, U.S. Amateur champion, will face Harry Ellis, British Amateur champion. The club has hosted this unique and prestigious golf event since 1998 and is free and open to the public. The match will begin at 12:30pm and will be played on the club’s Lakeside Course, ranked number 13 in Georgia by Golf Digest.

Redman, 19, a sophomore at Clemson University, won the 117th U.S. Amateur championship in dramatic fashion as he overcame a two-hole deficit with two holes to play, then added a conceded birdie on the 37th hole to defeat Doug Ghim and claim the title at famed Riviera Country Club in California last August. By winning the U.S. Amateur, Redman has been invited to play in this year’s Masters and has earned exemptions to appear in the 2018 U.S. Open and 2018 Open Championship.

“It's an honor to follow in the footsteps of so many great golfers and be able to represent the United States and the USGA as their amateur champion,” said Redman. “I hope the U.S. Amateur and Georgia Cup will be a launching pad for a great professional career like Sergio (Garcia) and Matt Kucher among others. I have played at The Golf Club of Georgia in competition as part of the Collegiate Invitational each fall and the courses there are outstanding and will be a true test of golf.”
Ellis, 22, a senior at Florida State University, from Southampton, England, won the British Amateur title last June with a similar comeback to Redman’s to claim victory. Ellis was down three holes with three to play. He managed to force a playoff and eventually won the title on the 38th hole at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in England. By winning the British Amateur, Ellis not only will play in this year’s Masters, but also earned a spot later this summer to compete in The Open at Royal Birkdale and the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.

“The Georgia Cup is well known back in England and I have friends like former British Amateur champion Scott Gregory (2017 Georgia Cup champion) who have played in this event,” said Ellis. “It is a prestigious event and I look forward to a great one-on-one match with Doc. Both of us played at The Golf Club of Georgia a few months ago in the Collegiate Invitational. I’m looking forward to competing there, then heading to the Masters.”
This year, The Golf Club of Georgia has expanded its charity aspect to the event as it has partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to benefit from all proceeds collected during the Georgia Cup competition.

At St. Jude, donations from events like this help fuel the pioneering research and lifesaving care for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, so every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists in Georgia and beyond can use that knowledge to save thousands more children.

“We invite everyone to come out to celebrate the Georgia Cup and support these incredible amateur champions,” said Jacqueline Welch, general manager at The Golf Club of Georgia. “This is a great opportunity to see these awesome amateur golfers as they compete for the Georgia Cup before they head to Augusta to compete for low amateur at the Masters.”

The 2018 Georgia Cup will be the 21st edition of the event with the British Amateur champion holding an 11-9 edge in the series. The British Amateur champion has won five of the last six matches with Gunn Yang (2015) the last U.S. Amateur champion to win the Georgia Cup.

The Georgia Cup presents a special opportunity for spectators. Spectators are invited to spend the day with the two finest amateur golfers in the world. In the spirit and intimacy of the Walker Cup matches, fans can walk with the players, unhindered by gallery ropes and able to enjoy a unique perspective. Over the years, The Georgia Cup has grown from an intimate club event to a unique amateur championship known on both sides of the Atlantic.

Amateur competitors in the Georgia Cup are filled with players who advanced to careers on the PGA TOUR including Matt Kucher who defeated Craig Watson in the inaugural edition of the 1998 event. The following year, present Masters champion Sergio Garcia topped American, Hank Kuehne for the right to claim the Georgia Cup. Since then, familiar names like Ricky Barnes, Ryan Moore, Danny Lee and Bryson DeChambeau and other notable players have competed for the Georgia Cup.

The Golf Club of Georgia is home to the Lakeside and Creekside courses, both ranked among the Top 20 Best Courses in the state by Golf Digest. After a recent $40 million renovation, The Golf Club of Georgia is recognized as one of the premier private golf clubs in the Atlanta area. The courses were originally designed by Arthur Hills with refinements made in recent years by Bob Cupp. This spring, The Golf Club of Georgia will debut the Cupp Golf Academy, a state-of-the-art golf instructional facility featuring the latest technology to improve golf performance.

Admission to the Georgia Cup is complimentary. The Golf Club of Georgia is located off Windward Parkway in Alpharetta at 1 Golf Club Drive. The match will take place on Sunday, March 25 with an estimated start time of noon. While admission is free, sponsorship packages to support the event and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital are available by contacting The Golf Club of Georgia at 770.772.8160.

All-Time Georgia Cup Results
1998 Matt Kuchar (U.S.) def. Craig Watson (British)
1999 Sergio Garcia (British) def. Hank Kuehne (U.S.)
2000 David Gossett (U.S.) def. Graeme Storm (British)
2001 Mikko Ilonen (British) def. Jeff Quinney (U.S.)
2002 Michael Hoey (British) def. Bubba Dickerson (U.S.)
2003 Ricky Barnes (U.S.) def. Alejandro Larrazabal (British)
2004 Gary Wolstenholme (British) def. Nick Flanagan (U.S.)
2005 Ryan Moore (U.S.) def. Stuart Wilson (British)
2006 Brian McElhinney (British) def. Edoardo Molinari (U.S.)
2007 Richie Ramsay (U.S.) def. Julien Guerrier (British)
2008 Colt Knost (U.S.) def. Drew Weaver (British)
2009 Danny Lee (U.S.) def. Reinier Saxton (British)
2010 Matteo Manassero (British) def. Byeong-Hun An (U.S.)
2011 Peter Uihlein (U.S.) def. Jin Jeong (British)
2012 Bryden Macpherson (British) def. Kelly Kraft (U.S.)
2013 Alan Dunbar (British) def. Steven Fox (U.S.)
2014 Garrick Porteous (British) def. Matt Fitzpatrick (U.S.)
2015 Gunn Yang (U.S.) def. Bradley Neil (British)
2016 Romain Langasque (British) def. Bryson DeChambeau (U.S.)
2017 Scott Gregory (British) def. Curtis Luck (U.S.)

About The Golf Club of Georgia
The Golf Club of Georgia is a private golf club located in Alpharetta, GA, just off the expanding 400 Corridor. The club opened in 1991 and features the Lakeside and Creekside courses, both consistently ranked annually by Golf Digest as two of the Top 20 Courses to Play in Georgia. In 2016, the club unveiled a $40 million renovation with improvements throughout the entire property, including additions to the 53,000 square foot clubhouse. The Golf Club of Georgia is home to the prestigious Georgia Cup, an annual golf match pitting the reigning United States and British Amateur champions prior to their appearance at the Masters. The club is also home to the Collegiate Invitational hosted by Georgia Tech which annually brings 15 of the nation's top college teams to the club for a three-day, 54-hole tournament that has been called "the Masters of college golf.” For more information, visit: www.GolfClubofGeorgia.com.

The Golf Club of Georgia
1 Golf Club Drive
Alpharetta, GA 30005
Phil Werz, director of membership and advertising
770.772.8160

This release was published on openPR.