Atlanta Athletic Club gets 2014 U.S. Amateur to follow hosting 2011 PGA

The Atlanta Athletic Club has been selected to host the 2014 U.S. Amateur, U.S. Golf Association officials have announced. It will be the sixth time the USGA has brought one of its tournaments to Atlanta Athletic Club, home course of Bobby Jones. That includes the 1976 U.S. Open won by Jerry Pate. The Atlanta Athletic Club more recently has been involved with the PGA of America. David Toms won the PGA Championship in 2001 by one shot over Phil Mickelson. The PGA Championship will return to the club in 2011. The dates of the 2014 U.S. Amateur will be Aug. 18-24. Along with the 1976 U.S. Open and 2001 PGA Championship, the Atlanta Athletic Club has hosted the 1981 PGA Championship (won by Larry Nelson and the 1963 Ryder Cup, as well as the 1984 U.S. Mid-Amateur (won by Michael Podolak); the 1990 U.S. Women’s Open (won by Betsy King); and the 2002 U.S. Junior Amateur (won by Charlie Beljan) at its Duluth, Ga., location. It was also the host of the 1950 U.S. Women’s Amateur (won by Beverly Hanson) on its original course known as East Lake. “Atlanta Athletic Club is proud to continue its tradition of hosting national championships,” said AAC General Manager Chris Borders. “With a long history of Atlantic Athletic Club member amateurs who have played in the U.S. Amateur, such as Bob Jones, Charlie Yates, Watts Gunn, Charlie Harrison and Tommy Barnes, it is a pleasure for us to play host to this prestigious championship.” The Atlanta Athletic Club was founded in 1898 and was the home club of legendary amateur Jones, who won the U.S. Amateur in 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928 and 1930, and the U.S. Open in 1923, 1926, 1929 and 1930. Jones defeated fellow AAC member Watts Gunn in the 1925 U.S. Amateur Championship final. The club’s Highlands Course and Riverside Course were designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., with Joe Finger assisting on the Highlands Course, and opened in 1964. The Highlands Course hosted three of the previous USGA championships; the 1990 U.S. Women’s Open was hosted by the Riverside Course. Rees Jones redesigned the courses, completing his work on the Riverside Course in 2003 and the Highlands Course in 2006. Both courses will be used for the 2014 U.S. Amateur. Prior to 2014, the championship will be contested at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash., on Aug. 23-29, 2010; at Erin Hills in Erin, Wis., in 2011; at Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colo., in 2012; and at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., in 2013. The Associated Press contributed to this report.