Regional Amateurs Set for Aug. 4-6

Thorntree Golf Club in DeSoto and The Wilderness Golf Club in Lake Jackson will be the host sites for the North Amateur and South Amateur, respectively. The championships will be held concurrently from Aug. 4-6.

Built by the Richard Mai family, Thorntree Golf Club opened in 1983. The parkland-style course features a number of elevation changes, mature trees lining the fairways, and contoured greens guarded by deep bunkers. The Wilderness Golf Club opened in 2004 and was designed by Jeffrey Brauer. Recognized as an Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary, the scenic layout weaves through and around hardwood forests, streams, marshes, and protected wetlands.

First played in 2003, Regional Amateur entries are open to male amateur golfers who have an up-to-date WHS Handicap Index® not exceeding 8.4 issued through a member club of the TGA, and reside in the region relative to their respective championship. The delineation between the North and South regions is the 31st parallel in Salado.

The format for the 84-player starting field in both Regional Amateurs is 54 holes of individual stroke play with no cut. The top three finishers and ties receive automatic exemptions into the 2024 Texas Amateur. Additionally, the top two mid-amateur (age 25 and older) finishers and ties earn exemptions into this year’s Texas Mid-Amateur to be held Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at Midland Country Club.

Starting times and pairings for the first and second rounds of both championships will be posted on the TGA website no later than Aug. 1. Live scoring updates and daily recaps will also be available online once the action gets underway from Thorntree Golf Club and The Wilderness Golf Club.

At the 2022 championships, Jason Schultz of Allen successfully defended his North Amateur title with rounds of 72-69-67 at Harbor Lakes Golf Club in Granbury. His 8-under-par 208 total was good for a two-stroke margin of victory over Joe Seth Murphy of Flint. It was the third TGA title of the season for Schultz, who earlier in the year won the North Mid-Amateur and Texas Mid-Amateur Match Play. Brian Comegys of Austin carded rounds of 67-71-68 at Victoria Country Club for a wire-to-wire victory at the South Amateur. Comegys finished at 10-under 206 and five strokes ahead of runner-up David Harrison of San Antonio.