BN Special Edition: The Upper Course

SPECIAL EDITION: THE UPPER COURSE

SPRING 2025

What’s Inside Notes from Course Architect Gil Hanse........................... 4 History of the Dual Courses............................................. 6 1936 U.S. Open.................................................................. 12 1985 U.S. Women’s Open..................................................16 2000 U.S. Amateur.......................................................... 20 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur................................................ 22 Baltusrol and the MGA.............................................................. 24

NOTES FROM THE COURSE ARCHITECT

Restoring Tillinghast’s Vision

By Gil Hanse

T

he reopening of the restored Upper Course marks the end of an extraordinary journey at Baltusrol and provides the Club’s members with an opportunity to experience the Dual Courses as A.W. Tillinghast originally intended.

When we were retained by the Board to begin consulting on both courses for Baltusrol, I was quite adamant that we would only agree to work on this project if the Club desired to support a restorative approach to the golf courses.

It is our firm belief that this approach to the great classic courses of our country yields the best results in the long run because of the ge-

4 BALTUSROL NEW

S

nius of original designers like Tillinghast and their respect for the land upon which the courses were built.

While using this as our guiding principle, we also recognize that the game has changed dramatically since Tillinghast’s design became reality. The technology of the equipment for the game is not the only area where improvements have been achieved. I believe that the continued advancements in how we maintain our courses has been the biggest cause for change in designs of this era. Our approach at Baltusrol set out to balance the advancements in technology and maintenance, with a respect for the original Tillinghast design. I believe that, as a group, we struck a wonderful balance on the Dual Courses.

The Upper and Lower Courses at Baltusrol are distinct in their design and strategy but equal in their conditioning and playability.

More layout changes were made to the Lower than the Upper over the years, but the infrastructure beneath the surface was consistent throughout the property. That consistency has been preserved and improved with new drainage and irrigation systems on both courses as well as PrecisionAire technology beneath all greens. These improvements allow Greg Boring and his team to provide Baltusrol’s members with near-championship conditioning on a daily basis.

Above ground, all greens have been reconstructed to USGA

specifications. Green surfaces were expanded by over 25% on average, and subtle contours were restored through advanced Greenscan 3D mapping to allow for more pinnable locations which had been lost over time. In addition, all tee complexes and green approaches were rebuilt, and roughly 260,000 square feet of bunkers were rebuilt using the Better Billy Bunker system. New tees have also been built to provide more opportunities for players of all skill levels to enjoy the course.

Together, the restoration of the Dual Courses marks the most significant investment in Baltusrol’s golf infrastructure since Tillinghast arrived on property over a century ago. And with it, the Club is poised to continue its legacy as a preeminent dual course facility in America. The results are a testament to the unwavering support and vision of the Board of Governors and the Master Plan Committee, the diligence and technical expertise of Greg Boring, Kevin Vitale, Ryan Fountaine, and the entire

Baltusrol staff, and the resolute commitment of the membership. Your belief in this project and reverence for the genius of A.W. Tillinghast made a project of this scale possible despite frequent challenges and disruption.

As the Upper Course reopens and we celebrate the Dual Championship Courses, I hope you take great pride in what has been accomplished.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work on these great golf courses, and I hope the membership continues to enjoy the magnificence of what A.W. Tillinghast created at Baltusrol for many years to come.

SPRING 2025 THE UPPER COURSE

5

History of Baltusrol’s Golf Courses

THE DUAL COURSES

A.W. Tillinghast’s bold vision sets the standard for golden age course design.

6 BALTUSROL NEW

S

A BOLD NEW JOURNEY

The End of the Old Course

W

By Rick Wolffe

hen Baltusrol Golf Club was founded in 1895, Americans were just discovering their passion for golf. There were fewer than 80 courses in the country and the United States Golf Association was not yet a year old.

Nearly all of the early courses were primitive, laid out and built by men with no experience.

The greens were often indistinguishable from the fairways, and the most fashionable hazards were steep earthen berms, cop bunkers, fences, and other man-made obstacles. The Old Course at Baltusrol had all of those features, but the rapid, dramatic changes to the golf course provide a perfect illustration of the trial-and-error methods that led to modern principles of course design, construction, and conditioning.

Louis Keller, founder of Baltusrol, engaged George Hunter to lay out Baltusrol’s original nine-hole course in 1895. To meet the needs of its members and to keep its place as a leading tournament site, Baltusrol expanded its course to 18 holes in 1897. Over the next two decades, the golf holes were continuously modified and improved almost to the day when work commenced on the Upper and Lower courses. This course, which today is referred to as the “Old Course,” hosted five national championships; the first being the 1901 U.S. Women’s Amateur and its last the 1915 U.S. Open. In its prime, the Old Course was widely regarded as one of America’s finest courses. Its most famous and perhaps one of the most photographed holes was the 10th, which featured what is believed to be the first “island green” in the United States.

Shortly after the 1915 U.S. Open, the Board of Governors began discussions on the merits of acquiring or building a second golf course to meet the demands of the growing membership.

Over the next three years, various possibilities were explored. During this time, several newspapers reported that Baltusrol was considering a second 18-hole course to complement its highly rated and famous Old Course.

This was a dynamic time in the Club’s history. In April 1917, the U.S. entered World War I in Europe, and over 50 Baltusrol members served in the armed forces. War times were tough, and coal shortages forced the Clubhouse to close for the winter months. The Board, admirably, waived the dues for members serving in the military. The Influenza epidemic of 1918 also took its toll. But Baltusrol continued on, and its leadership pressed forward in planning a second golf course.

As time went by, the Green Committee studied various possibilities for a second golf course, but with no real option in sight. To move things along, Keller purchased or optioned several large parcels of land surrounding the Old Course. Then

SPRING 2025 THE UPPER COURSE

7

in October of 1916, Keller presented a letter to the Board of Governors suggesting they choose the site for the new course.

In 1917, the Board authorized the hiring of golf architect Seth Raynor to evaluate options for the site of the course. On the advice of Raynor, the Committee determined that some 140 acres adjacent to the Old Course would be best suited for the new golf course.

The New York Times reported on Baltusrol’s proposed plans and wrote that two nine-hole courses were planned on adjacent land, and each of the new nines would be linked to nine holes from the Old Course, thus forming an East Course and a South Course.

In 1918, Baltusrol began a lengthy process of assembling and taking title to various parcels of land adjacent to the Old Course. Baltusrol also retained A.W. Tillinghast to design the new courses. At the time, Tillinghast was an up-and-coming golf architect who did not carry the prominence of Raynor, Donald Ross, or C.B. Macdonald. Tillinghast was in the early stages of his career with just a few designs under his belt.

Tillinghast’s original mandate was to retain the Old Course and design a second course adjacent to it and of similar variety of layout.

However, rather than designing and connecting two nine-hole courses to the Old Course’s nines, Tillinghast recommended two new courses be constructed and the Old Course be abandoned.

This was a bold recommendation indeed, for Tillinghast could have simply followed his original charge to simply build a second course.

Tillinghast’s recommendation was first presented to the membership at the Club’s annual meeting held in November of 1918. This may be one of the most important annual meetings in the Club’s history, but was only attended by 25 members, a small fraction of the membership.

In building any new golf course, the first major design challenge is the routing of the golf holes within the constraints and terrain of the

8 BALTUSROL NEW

S

given property. At Baltusrol, the challenge was compounded in routing two golf courses versus just one, which prior to this time had never been done before in America. Tillinghast also had two unique considerations: first, the clubhouse was located at the extreme end of the long, essentially rectangular property; and second, the terrain was part gently rolling farmland and part rugged forest that ran along the southeasterly slope of a ridge known as Baltusrol Mountain.

For Tillinghast, this shape lent itself most naturally to the traditional St Andrews configuration of holes, with an outward nine carrying a golfer to the far end of the course, and the inward nine bringing him home.

Tillinghast’s plan tucked the Upper Course into the slopes of Baltusrol Mountain and spread the Lower Course out on the flatter land below it.

By routing the golf holes to play at different angles, the greatest variety of design was possible.

This proposed routing determined the character of each course. They were to be “Dual Courses,” substantially different from each other in beauty, but “equally sought after as a matter of preference.” Both courses were expected to give pleasure in member play and meet the standard to serve as tournament sites.

At the next Board meeting in December of 1918, Tillinghast’s plans were reviewed at length.

One can only speculate on the debate that ensued, for no club before had embarked on such a bold plan. However heated the discussion may have been, a month later the Board approved Tillinghast’s plans and construction of the Dual Courses commenced on January 24, 1919. The courage of the Board’s decision to accept Tillinghast’s plans can hardly be overstated, for no club with a comparable history had ever undertaken a challenge like it. For one of the most recognized clubs in the country, home to a golf course that already had hosted five USGA national championships, to essentially start over was an enormously bold bet. But the bet was placed.

A.W. TILLINGHAST, CREATOR OF BALTUSROL

Building the Dual Courses

A

By Rick Wolffe

.W. Tillinghast was a hands-on builder with the style of a Wall Street tycoon. He arrived on site in a chauffeur-driven limousine and oversaw the dirty work in polished shoes and a silk shirt. Tillinghast brought not only architectural brilliance but also flair and personality to a job that would transform Baltusrol’s landscape and future.

The construction of the Dual Courses was a massive job, requiring the clearing of dense woodland during a snowless winter and preserving as many specimen trees as possible. Tillinghast’s appreciation for natural beauty shaped the strategy, using trees to frame fairways, create doglegs, and define vistas; always with playability in mind.

Construction was led by foreman Tom Murphy and supervised closely by Tillinghast, who even shaped greens by hand rake. Despite labor shortages, World War I, and relentless rain that turned the course to muck, work continued with resolve. The fairways were seeded with soybeans and cowpeas in a failed experiment to accelerate turf growth. Grub infestations and poor drainage slowed progress further, pushing the opening date two years beyond the original target.

Despite the challenges of designing and constructing two courses simultaneously, Tillinghast was able to keep 18 holes in play during construction for members. Various composite courses were made up, and as new holes were completed, Old Course holes were taken out of play. As would be expected, Baltusrol was not a happy place for its members during the construction years.

As the courses neared completion, financial strain became evident. The original budget of $100,000 ballooned to over $169,000, excluding land acquisition. Tillinghast’s intricate bunkering, which was considered “elaborate” by club standards, was cited as a major driver of the overages. Nevertheless, the Board stood by Tillinghast’s vision.

On June 17, 1922, the Dual Courses officially opened to celebration, despite the fact that many key contributors – including founder Louis Keller – had passed away before completion. Baltusrol had weathered years of setbacks, internal frustration, and budget overruns to achieve a remarkable feat: two 18-hole courses designed by a master architect, ready to host golf’s most prestigious championships.

SPRING 2025 THE UPPER COURSE

9

True to form, the Dual Courses wasted no time establishing their reputation. In 1926, the Lower held the U.S. Amateur Championship, where George Von Elm defeated Bobby Jones in a thrilling final. The event drew rave reviews for the course’s challenge and conditioning. Tillinghast was in attendance and took immense pride in the reception of his design.

Following the Amateur, Baltusrol’s national profile soared. Additional refinements were made to both courses and preparations were made for future tournaments. Several changes were made to the Upper Course, including the construction of a second green on No. 14 to address drainage concerns on the original green. The new green was utilized during the 1936 U.S. Open on the Upper Course, but the two greens stood side-by-side for several years before the original green was removed.

The 1936 Open earned high praise for the event’s organization and course quality. The decision to hold the Open on the Upper was controversial at the time, but validated Baltusrol’s belief in the quality of its two “separate but equal” courses and set the stage for many more championships to be played on the Dual Courses.

Despite the myriad challenges Baltusrol faced in constructing the Dual Courses, their legacy endures as testament to the bold thinking that has defined the Club since its founding. Baltusrol remains the only club in America to have hosted a U.S. Open for men and women on both courses.

10 BALTUSROL NEW

S

NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK

Tillinghast’s Legacy at Baltusrol

W

By Rick Jenkins

hen Baltusrol hired A.W. Tillinghast in 1918, his credentials as a golf architect were scattered across the country, having built courses from Shawnee in Pennsylvania to Brackenridge Park in Texas. His reputation was gaining a following with his frequent contributions to the most widely read golf magazines of the day, American Golfer and Golf Illustrated. Between designing and writing, Tillinghast was becoming an influential voice in the game.

In the metropolitan New York region, Tillinghast had designed courses at Shackamaxon, St Albans, Quaker Ridge, and Somerset Hills, but none had the reputation of Baltusrol. Tillinghast’s retention by Baltusrol was a rare opportunity for a golf architect, and both Baltusrol’s and Tillinghast’s reputation would be made or broken by the result.

When the courses were completed and opened for play, both the architect and the Club emerged as big winners. Tillinghast’s grand vision for Baltusrol placed him securely in the upper-echelon of golf architects in the United States. Two months after the opening of the Dual Courses, Golf Illustrated declared Tillinghast to be a “Creator of Golf Courses” and the “Dean of American Born Architects.” In subsequent advertisements for his services, Tillinghast proudly billed himself as the “Creator of Baltusrol.”

Baltusrol also marked a turning point in the evolution of Tillinghast’s design style. In his early years, Tillinghast’s creativity was evolving rapidly. Early designs featured mounding and bunkers raised from the natural grade of the ground. After his design style changed, Tillinghast criticized

these features for not following nature and labeled them as artificial. On many of these early courses, Tillinghast also built copies of the great golf holes of Scotland, such as the Redan, and the notable features found on those courses. In later years, he railed against that practice.

At Baltusrol, Tillinghast’s style departs markedly from his earlier designs. There is no mounding above grade, nor are there any copies of famous golf holes. Rather, his golf holes are shaped into the surrounding terrain in an attempt to impart his own originality to each design.

Many of the design features at Baltusrol appear repeatedly in later course designs. Other practicing golf architects of Tillinghast’s generation, and future generations, emulated and embraced his principles of golf course architecture.

In 2014, Baltusrol was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service.

The Club is one of just five golf course properties in America to have earned the distinction. The Department of the Interior recognized Baltusrol as “arguably the most important and influential design of leading early-20th-century golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast, one of the first American golf architects to integrate a golf course into nature.”

SPRING 2025 THE UPPER COURSE

11

Championships on the Upper Course

U.S. OPEN 1936

Tony Manero captures the Upper Course’s first major championship.

12 BALTUSROL NEW

S

1936 UNITED STATES OPEN

Tony Manero’s Surprising Victory

A

By Rick Jenkins

fter a stunningly successful debut of the Lower Course at the 1926 U.S. Amateur, both the Club and the USGA wanted to bring an Open to Baltusrol. The Board of Governors believed the Upper would be a worthy test, and wanted it to have the opportunity to shine on the national stage like the Lower. Quietly, and for several years, the Club had been working on improving the Upper: adding bunkers, renovating greens that drained poorly, and strengthening several holes into sterner tests.

Bobby Jones, who briefly was a Baltusrol member from 1936-37, had been asked by the USGA to opine on the Upper’s suitability as a U.S. Open venue. He liked it, but he wasn’t enamored with the finishing hole, and wanted to substitute 18 Lower – one of his favorite golf holes in all of America – for 18 Upper. This suggestion caused a tempest in a teapot, as most Board members were firmly behind playing the Upper in its entirety. But with several modifications to 18 Upper agreed on by the parties, the matter was resolved, and in late 1935 the USGA confirmed that the Open would be played entirely on the Upper.

Jay Monroe, Baltusrol’s Green Chairman and General Chair for the ’36 Open, wrote in a letter to John Jackson, vice president of the USGA, that the changes to 18 Upper were being implemented in November 1935. One of those changes was moving the left greenside bunker away from the green by about 50 yards, and another was filling in the swale fronting the green in order to improve visibility for the players and allow more room for spectators.

Golf championships in that era did not require the planning we see today on such a massive scale. Preparing the golf course was the major focus, along with ticket sales. The purse for the ’36 Open was $5,000, with the winner receiving a check for $1,000.

The stars of the game in 1936 were the likes of Byron Nelson, Gene Sarazen, Henry Picard, Paul Runyan, Denny Shute, Johnny Goodman, Harry Cooper, Horton Smith, and Craig Wood, among others. The sparkling era of Bobby Jones was over, with his retirement from competitive golf in 1930. The career of Walter Hagen was winding down; the ’36 Open at Baltusrol was his last appearance in this event. Johnny Farrell, the host professional and U.S. Open champion from 1928, was in the field but did not contend. The era of Ben Hogan was just beginning; he played in the ’36 Open but missed the cut. In any event, one would not find the name Tony Manero on this list.

Manero could properly be described as a “journeyman” golfer. He competed on the nascent professional tour and had some victories under his belt, but he was not a prolific winner and cer-

SPRING 2025 THE UPPER COURSE

13

tainly not a “big name.” He had seven wins to his credit prior to the ’36 Open, with the biggest of them being the Westchester Open.

Manero was born in New York City in 1905, grew up in Westchester County, and learned the game in the caddie yard at Fairview Country Club in Elmsford. His closest friend from their caddie days together was Gene Sarazen, born Eugenio Saraceni. Manero was not exempt for the 1936 U.S. Open; he had to qualify. His best finish in the Open had been a tie for 19th in 1931 at Inverness. He played the sectional qualifier in Charlotte, N.C. and had to survive a playoff just to make the Open field.

At Baltusrol, the headlines became Harry Cooper, called “Lighthorse” for his fast play, Henry Picard, Denny Shute, Ray Mangrum, and the Deal Golf Club professional Vic Ghezzi. At 142 (-2) through two rounds, Manero stood in seventh place. In spite of shooting a 73 in the third round, Manero made up a little ground and stood in a tie for fourth place (-1) entering the final round. His good friend Sarazen was well back and not in contention.

Lighthorse Cooper entered the final round as the leader at -5, two strokes ahead of Ghezzi and three ahead of Shute. Cooper was an experienced winner, he was playing well, and the press was ready to crown him the champion. Born in England, Cooper moved to America at a young

14 BALTUSROL NEW

S

age when his father, who learned the game under Old Tom Morris, accepted a head professional job in Dallas. With 36 professional wins ultimately to his credit, Cooper was considered one of the tour’s best ball strikers in the 1930s.

The ’36 Open at Baltusrol was all about the final round, played on the afternoon of Saturday, June 6. In those days, the Open’s final two rounds were played in one day, on a Saturday. The weather was fine, but the golf less so. Many of the contenders fell away, with the exception of Cooper and Manero.

Picard, Shute, Mangrum, and Ghezzi, all in contention at the start of the round, went backwards; they shot a combined +20 in the final round.

Cooper was playing solidly, recording a 35 on the Upper’s front nine after eagling the first hole. He made the turn with a two-stroke lead.

But Manero was playing better; he made birdies at holes 1, 4, and 8 and shot 33 going out. The contest had become a two-horse race. With a birdie on 12, Lighthorse continued his steady play. But thoughts of previous stumbles on the closing holes entered his head: The Masters just two months before, the 1927 U.S. Open at Oakmont. He would bogey three of the final five holes to leave the door open. Still, his 284 (-4) was a U.S. Open scoring record to date. He composed a telegram to tell his parents he won but waited to send it.

Tony Manero – and Gene Sarazen – had other ideas, though. Manero was playing the round of his life on the biggest stage of his life, and Sarazen was keeping him calm. Sarazen knew he was going to win. Manero made back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13, pulling to within one stroke of Cooper. A small blip occurred on 15, when Manero hit his tee shot in a greenside bunker and made bogey, his only one of the round. A birdie putt of 10 feet on 16 quickly righted the ship. Meanwhile, Cooper went on to bogey holes 14, 15, and 18 for a back nine score of 38 and final round score of 73.

On the closing holes, Manero’s thoughts were wandering. He was chatting away and reminding Sarazen how he had finished second to Cooper at the St. Paul Open a few years back. “Gene told me to cut out the ancient history and play the hole I was on. Sarazen is the golf businessman, all right, and that advice of his...kept me right on my knitting,” Manero remarked after the round.

Manero came to 18 needing no worse than a bogey to win. There was a problem, however.

Play had slowed and there were two groups on the 18th tee still. Manero was jittery; he went into the woods and paced. Sarazen tried to keep his tense friend calm. “Gee, Gene, they tell me I have a five left to win. What must I do?” Manero asked Sarazen. After what must have seemed like an interminable wait, Manero striped his drive down the middle on the 465-yard par 4. He and Sarazen walked down the fairway side by side.

“Just keep on playing golf,” Sarazen encouraged

his friend. In the words of New York Times writer Lincoln Werden, “And then, with some 12,000 or 15,000 spectators forming an oval that extended from behind him [Manero] to the back edge of the green almost 200 yards away, the man who will be known as champion for at least another year... hit a screaming iron shot that just managed to get over the bunker on the left-hand side of the fairway, and left his ball on the magic carpet 15 yards or so from the pin, but as safe as Gibraltar, unless he were to four-putt.”

Minutes later, Manero made a five-footer for par; Sarazen raced over to collect the ball from the hole before Manero was engulfed by spectators and swept off the green. His final round 67 (-5) set a new course record on Baltusrol’s Upper and his 282 total established a new U.S. Open scoring record, about 30 minutes after Lighthorse Cooper had done the same thing.

But wait, would Manero’s victory stand?

At least one reporter had submitted to the USGA that Sarazen had provided advice to Manero during the final round, a violation of the Rules of Golf. It also was alleged that Sarazen had requested the pairing with Manero in order to keep his friend calm under the Open pressure. USGA officials spoke to both players and huddled in a closed-door meeting for about 30 minutes; in the end, they determined that any emotional support or encouragement that Sarazen had offered or Manero had elicited did not constitute advice.

The trophy was Manero’s!

At “Tony Manero Day” in Greensboro a few weeks later, Manero’s triumphal win was celebrated. O.B. Keeler, the famous golf writer from Atlanta who chronicled the career of Bobby Jones, was present in the crowd. He told the audience, “There is no sporting event in the books as grueling as a National Open. It takes a wonderful fighting heart, a great competitive spirit, the ability to stand the hard knocks. This is what Manero had and did at Baltusrol.”

SPRING 2025 THE UPPER COURSE

15

Championships on the Upper Course

U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN 1985 Kathy Baker outshines a star-studded field to win on the Upper Course.

16 BALTUSROL NEW

S

1985 UNITED STATES WOMEN’S OPEN

Kathy Baker’s Triumph on the Upper

O

By Linda Peck

ne of the most iconic championship performances at Baltusrol took place during the 1985 U.S. Women’s Open on the Upper Course, when 24-year-old Kathy Baker stormed past a star-laden field to earn her first professional victory and lone major championship.

In 1985, Nancy Lopez came to Baltusrol as the favorite having won the Women’s PGA Championship earlier in the season as well as a handful of other LPGA events. Lopez headlined a strong U.S. Women’s Open field that included Betsy King, Amy Alcott, and Hollis Stacy.

The event marked the first major championship on the Upper Course since 1936 and would be the first women’s major held on the Upper, as the 1961 U.S. Women’s Open – won by Mickey Wright – was played on the Lower Course.

Kathy Baker was born in 1961 in Albany, New York, and moved to South Carolina at the age of 10. A natural at golf from a young age, Baker credits her father for recognizing her potential in the sport. “My Dad loved golf and was driven. He recognized my talent and pushed me in that direction. We were in Florida for a Christmas break and played golf. I had a good time. I asked myself why I fought this so much. I felt that maybe the Lord wanted to use me for something in the game. I wanted to do what God wanted me to do.

My heart was really more into the ministry. I now realize the avenue that God opened for me.”

Baker attended Charlotte Latin School and later attended the University of Tulsa and South Florida Bible College and Theological Seminary where she received a master’s degree in biblical

studies. While at the University of Tulsa, she won the 1982 NCAA women’s golf title. She was also a member of the United States Curtis Cup team that was victorious against Britain. In addition, she was a two-time NCAA All-American. Baker withdrew from college one semester early to join the LPGA Tour in August of 1983.

Baker was not set on playing full-time on Tour. As she stated to the New York Times, “It was not the type of lifestyle I saw myself in. For the longest time, I did not have a tremendous love for the game. All that changed when I decided to play in my junior year of college.”

Two years later, after turning professional, Baker was still searching for her first career win.

She arrived at Baltusrol as a relative unknown, but a hot start to the week put her in contention entering the weekend. A sterling 68 in round three would give Baker a one-stroke lead entering the final round, but she was one of five players within two strokes of the lead and would need a strong performance on the biggest stage to claim the victory.

SPRING 2025 THE UPPER COURSE

17

On the morning of the final round, Baker went to church. “I didn’t count on there being traffic getting to the Club” she said in an interview with the Baltusrol News. “I arrived 20 minutes prior to my tee time and was able to hit a few balls on the practice range. I fortunately did not have enough time to overthink it.

For the final round, the pins were not in difficult places, but the greens were hard and fast.

As the round progressed, a few of the players in contention faltered, setting up a showdown between Baker and Judy Clark, who pulled into a tie with Baker through six holes.

“It wasn’t until the I saw the scoreboard on No. 6 Upper that I realized how close the leaderboard was,” said Baker. “My level of focus was very high. I concentrated and focused on one shot, one hole at a time.”

Clark, who had tied the Open single-round record of 65 the prior day, was thought to have the advantage down the stretch. But Baker birdied the par 3 seventh to regain the lead. She hit a 3-iron within 15 feet of the cup and sank her putt for birdie. Baker posted another birdie on No. 15 to extend the lead to two and followed

18 BALTUSROL NEW

S

with a birdie on No. 16 Upper as Clark sputtered with a bogey. “On No. 16, the pin placement was just past a swale,” recalled Baker. “I hit the ball thin, and it landed on the swale and bumped up to within three-and-a-half feet from the pin. Judy’s shot landed on the swale and rolled backwards off the green. It was a major turning point.” Baker parred the last two holes to finish with an impressive 8-under-par score of 280 and a three-shot victory.

With the win, Baker earned $41,975 and became just the 10th woman in history to achieve her first professional victory in a U.S. Open. Asked what her favorite memory of the week at Baltusrol was, Baker remarked that, “the whole week was memorable and unforgettable. A few weeks before the tournament, I listened to a song from Morris Chapman. There was a lyric in the song that said, ‘God is going to do his greatest work in you.’ The Saturday before the Open, I was up at 1:00 am and prayed. God reminded me of the lyric and gave me the confidence to play well.”

Cindy Ferro, a former teaching professional at Baltusrol, remembered this about Baker: “Kathy joined the Tour in 1983, and I can remem-

ber her presence at events. She came to the LPGA Tour after a very successful amateur career, playing on the Curtis Cup and Women’s World Cup teams in 1982. She was very active in the LPGA Fellowship Group which met most weeks that we played. I also attended the Fellowship meetings regularly, and Kathy was a woman of great faith. She was often a small group leader. I remember Kathy being tall and very statuesque and she had the look of a model. She was very warm and friendly and had a great smile.

Kathy was very competitive, but I do believe that through her career, her faith was her top priority.

Her hard work and success were a way for her to show her faith and shine through that. I believe Baltusrol has a wonderful U.S. Women’s Open Champion representative in Kathy Baker.”

Baker later married and changed her name to Kathy Baker Guadagnino. She played professionally until 1999. During her career, she had one other win on the LPGA Tour. As a playing professional, she juggled competitive golf with raising three children; two daughters and one son.

“I discovered I was pregnant with my first child, Nikki, while in Japan for a tournament and could not confirm the pregnancy until I returned to America,” Baker remembered. “While on the Tour, I used the daycare for the players and sometimes would bring a nanny with me, especially by the time I had my second daughter, Megan. Megan did not travel as well as Nikki. I would sometimes travel for a week with one daughter, and then my husband would come out the second week with the other one. Once I had my third child, Joe, it became a little more challenging to juggle golf and touring with children. Golf is such a mental game. My priorities at that point then started to shift.”

She currently lives in Florida with her husband and enjoys crafts and reading.

Her victory at Baltusrol remains an iconic chapter in the championship legacy of the Upper Course.

SPRING 2025 THE UPPER COURSE

19

Championships on the Upper Course

U.S. AMATEUR 2000 Jeff Quinney wins a thrilling final match with James Driscoll.

20 BALTUSROL NEW

S

2000 UNITED STATES AMATEUR

High Drama on the Upper Course

T

By Alex Cohen

he 100th playing of the National Amateur Championship was another historic one. The qualifying rounds were contested over both the Lower and Upper courses, with the match play rounds on the Upper. Televised in 41 countries, the golfing world again focused its gaze on the famed Upper Course at Baltusrol.

The field included several future PGA Tour winners, but it was Oregon native Jeff Quinney and James Driscoll of Massachusetts who successfully navigated the match play bracket. Quinney’s run featured a come-from-behind trademark and included wins over 2009 U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover, as well as multiple Tour winners Ben Curtis and Hunter Mahan. Driscoll, a three-time All-American at the University of Virginia, never trailed beyond the ninth hole in any of his five matches prior to the final. His tightest victory came in the semifinals when he outlasted future PGA Player of the Year Luke Donald 2 and 1.

The final round between Quinney and Driscoll was another historic battle at Baltusrol. Quinney, a senior at Arizona State University, took an early lead in the morning round and was 2 up after 18 holes. A pair of bogeys from Driscoll gave Quinney a 4-up lead through 20 holes, and as the competitors approached the tee on No. 16 Upper, Quinney was 3 up with three holes to play.

In need of a miracle, Driscoll staged an amazing comeback that rivaled Tiger Woods’ legendary come-from-behind win over Steve Scott at the 1996 Amateur.

Driscoll won holes 16 and 17 with birdies and sank a clutch par putt on 18 to send the match to extra holes. Both players parred the next two holes before play was

halted due to an impending thunderstorm.

That night, Quinney spent much of the night in his hotel room rolling out of bed and thinking about the par 3 that would greet him in the morning. He also thought about every stroke and hole that had taken place that day on the Upper Course. Quinney later remarked that he “wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if I hadn’t pulled it out.”

The next morning, on the 39th hole of the match, Quinney sank a 20-foot downhill speedy putt on the third hole of the Upper to become the 100th Amateur Champion. The 39-hole match tied the longest final in U.S. Amateur history with the 1950 championship.

Quinney would go on to represent the United States at the 2001 Walker Cup before turning professional later that year. He earned three professional victories in his career. Driscoll also turned professional in 2001 and notched a pair of victories on the Nationwide Tour.

The 2000 U.S. Amateur was a tremendous showcase for the Dual Courses at Baltusrol and further cemented the Upper Course as a premier venue for major championship golf.

SPRING 2025 THE UPPER COURSE

21

Championships on the Upper Course

U.S. JUNIOR AMATEUR 2018 Michael Thorbjornsen comes from behind to defeat Akshay Bhatia.

22 BALTUSROL NEW

S

2018 UNITED STATES JUNIOR AMATEUR

Thorbjornsen’s Duel with Bhatia

I

By Spencer Brown

n July of 2018, 156 of the best junior amateurs in the world descended on Baltusrol and put on a thrilling show that stood alongside many of the great championships at the Club. Similar to the U.S. Amateur in 2000, the stroke play portion of the tournament was played on both courses, while the Upper Course held the match play rounds.

In what has become a custom at the U.S. Junior Amateur, the field featured several future PGA Tour stars including the finalists, Michael Thorbjornsen and Akshay Bhatia. At the time, Bhatia was the top-ranked high school golfer in the country, while Thorbjornsen was building a strong amateur record of his own.

Thorbjornsen shot rounds of 70 (Lower) and 67 (Upper) in stroke play, earning him the seventh seed in match play. He dispatched his first four opponents with relative ease, never needing to play holes 17 or 18 until his semifinal match, in which he needed 21 holes to defeat Cameron Sisk. Bhatia advanced to the final match by edging out Alejandro Madariaga in the quarterfinals before defeating Cole Hammer, one of the pre-tournament favorites, in the semifinals.

The 36-hole final match was a tight one that saw Bhatia in control most of the way. He took an early 3-up lead through six holes and was 2 up after the morning session. Thorbjornsen clawed back on the second 18 and eventually pulled even with Bhatia on No. 12 Upper with a birdie after his hooked tee shot hit a tree and landed in the fairway.

If momentum began to tilt toward Thorbjornsen on No. 12, it shifted emphatically in his favor on No. 14, a beautiful par 4 played uphill toward Baltusrol Mountain. The hole was set up as drivable

for the final round with forward tees playing just 302 yards to the green. Thorbjornsen ripped a drive to the middle of the green for a stress-free birdie while Bhatia’s drive found an awkward lie between two greenside bunkers and he failed to get up and down. Thorbjornsen had his first lead of the match with four holes to play.

Bhatia had a great chance to square the match on the 35th hole with a four-foot birdie putt.

But from above the hole, the putt was slick and tricky, and he missed it. On the final hole, Thorbjornsen blasted another drive over 300 yards and calmly hit the green with his approach, while Bhatia lost his drive to the right and had to execute a brilliant long approach from the edge of the trees to find the front of the green. Each player would two-putt from long distance, ending the match and securing the victory for Thorbjornsen.

The win qualified Thorbjornsen for the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach where he made the cut, the first U.S. Junior Amateur champion to do so since the exemption was introduced. He went on to have an All-American career at Stanford before turning professional in June of 2024. Bhatia turned professional in 2019 and already has two PGA Tour victories to his name.

SPRING 2025 THE UPPER COURSE

23

Championships on the Upper Course

THE CARTER CUP

The MGA’s premier junior stroke play event is held annually at Baltusrol.

24 BALTUSROL NEW

S

METROPOLITAN GOLF ASSOCIATION

A Legacy of Championship Golf

A

By John Kimball

s a founding member of the Metropolitan Golf Association, Baltusrol has served as the site of several MGA major championships including the Met Amateur and the Met Open. Since 2002, Baltusrol has also played host to the Carter Cup, the MGA’s premier junior stroke play championship. The event honors Michael P. Carter, an accomplished junior player and standout member of the Delbarton School golf team. Carter was a junior club champion at Baltusrol and was a promising player on the Penn State University golf team when he tragically died in a car accident in 2002.

The Carter Cup is for amateurs who are 18 years of age or younger and who have not yet matriculated at college. The field contains the region’s top rising stars, who earn entry into the event based on their performance in notable Met area competitions. The tournament is highly competitive and capturing the cup is a coveted achievement.

The 36-hole event is played over both the Upper and Lower Courses in the same day. In its history, the Carter Cup has produced an impressive list of champions, including Cameron Young (2011), Cameron Wilson (2009) and Morgan Hoffmann (2005).

Barnes Blake became the first Baltusrol junior member to win the Cup, doing so in 2023 in record-setting fashion. Blake posted an outstanding two-round score of 133, clearing the field of 46 players by eight strokes. Blake followed up a morning 69 on the Upper with a course record-tying 64 on the Lower, and his

final score of 11-under-par was a new Carter Cup scoring record.

Mary Lou Carter, Michael’s mother and an active Baltusrol member, has stated that, “The Carter family is grateful to Baltusrol for supporting the Carter Cup since its inception. Mike came up through the Junior Golf program at Baltusrol and loved playing these courses. It has been truly gratifying to see the Carter Cup become a premier event for the best young golfers in the New York Metropolitan area.”

The cup itself has an interesting history. It was made by Tiffany, probably in the 1930s. The cup is made of sterling silver and originally was a gift given to an executive for his 35 years working for a railroad. It is believed the original recipient’s name started with a “C” and the trophy was reengraved to become the Carter Cup. With the Upper Course closed for its restoration, the 2024 Carter Cup was played at Winged Foot Golf Club, where Michael Carter was also a junior club champion. The Cup returns to Baltusrol in 2025 and will again be played on the Upper and Lower Courses. For the first time in 2025, a girls’ division has been added to the event.

SPRING 2025 THE UPPER COURSE

25

BALTUSROL NEWS Communications Chair: Spencer Brown Communications Staff: Tim Hipszer, Amanda Lorenzo Editorial Staff: Mark Adelman, Dick Brown, Bob Cahill, Jay Caldwell, Tony Cicatiello, Alex Cohen, Rodger Herrigel, Hank Humphrey, Rick Jenkins, John Kimball, Jessica Lemkau, Lisa Mirsky, Doug Rotatori, Lee Shavel, Edie Tato, Bill Tansey, Dana Turk, Rick Wolffe, Stuart Wolffe Design & Layout: Tim Hipszer © 2025 Baltusrol Golf Club

Special Thanks: The Baltusrol Board of Governors, Master Plan Committee, Green Committee, Golf Committee, Gil Hanse and the entire Hanse Design team, Total Turf, Landscapes Unlimited, Golf Water, Ewing Irrigation, Mitchell Products, PrecisionUSA, Coombs Sod Farm, Rain Bird, Kevin Vitale, Greg Boring, Ryan Fountaine, and the entire Baltusrol staff and membership for their support and commitment throughout this project.