| Delaware Amateur History | Delaware Open History |
Delaware’s most prestigious championships, the Delaware Amateur and Delaware Open, are locked in for 2024.
White Clay Creek Country Club will host the 73rd Amateur for the first time on June 24-26. Fieldstone Golf Club (above) will host the 59th Open for the third time Aug. 12-13 (2003, 2009, 2024).
“We are the premier public facility in Delaware,” Ryan Kidwell, White Clay Creek’s General Manager, said. “We haven’t hosted these types of high-level amateur events in the past but we think the course will hold up. Hosting this event will help us expose the golf course to people who haven’t played or been on property before. We are committed to growing the game and making an impact.”
The Wilmington, Del. venue hosted the Delaware Four-Ball championship in 2023.
Founded in 2005, the Arthur Hills and Steve Forest design offers numerous challenges throughout its spacious layout adjacent to the Delaware Park Racetrack.
“The challenge of the golf course here is forced carries,” Kidwell, 55, of Middletown, Del., said. “It is truly a shotmaker’s golf course. The greens aren’t big but they have a bit of undulation to them. If you miss the green, scrambling for par will be a challenge. It will be a good test of golf.”
Fieldstone’s foray into the Major championship scene began in 2001 when it cohosted the Joseph H. Patterson Cup won by Jamie Slonis. It hosted the 2008 and 2013 GAP Middle-Amateur both won by Michael McDermott.
The late Chris Anderson won the first Delaware Open at Fieldstone in 2003. Justin Martinson won in 2009.
“We are very excited to host the Delaware Open for a third time,” Fieldstone’s Director of Golf Jim Larkin, 51, of Chadds Ford, Pa., said. “We are coming off another great season where the golf course was in magnificent condition. Playing well at Fieldstone requires avoiding the big miss. Many of the holes at Fieldstone turn wayward shots into big numbers. It’s likely the champion will be the player who avoids the big number and gets hot with the putter.”
The Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry design packs a punch in the rolling hills of northern Delaware.
“We are excited to bring these Championships to White Clay Creek and Fieldstone,” GAP Tournament Director Grant Morse said. “Both clubs will offer a unique challenge to our competitors and will be great hosts of its respective event.”
GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The Association’s 345 Member Clubs and 110,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
