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WGA photo by Chales Cherney Photo by Mike PirniqueThe Alotian Club is the site for this year’s Western Amateur Championship, which over theyears has turned out notable players like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Justin Leonard.toughest grind next to PGA Tour qualifyingschool. The 156 entrants compete intwo rounds of stroke play during the firsttwo days, then the field is cut to the top 44plus ties.After two more rounds of stroke play,the top 16 players advance to the Western’sfabled Sweet 16 for match play.The winner and runner-up of the Westernwill have played eight rounds of golfover six days.Former Arkansas Razorback golferEthan Tracy upset the heralded formeramateur turned pro Patrick Cantlay in the2011 Western Amateur.“Just think about this. We had theSouthern Amateur last year at Chenal[Country Club] and the Western is comingthis year,” said Arkansas State GolfAssociation Executive Director Jay Fox. “Ithink they say it’s the third largest amateurtournament in the United States.“Just think about the economic impactthe Southern and now this tournamentbrings to Little Rock. We get to show offthe state, the beauty of Alotian to peoplewho have probably never seen Alotian.It’s a tremendous, tremendous honor forAlotian, Little Rock and the state for theAlotian Club to be hosting the WesternAmateur.”Prepping the CourseSnider said the Alotian Club has 21committees with members and volunteersto cover the various aspects of puttingon a major tournament. The WesternGolf Association will also provide volunteerofficials for the tourney operation.All told, the number of volunteersinvolved may top 700.About 40 to 50 of the amateurs will requireprivate housing while in Little Rock,Stephens said.Committees will oversee everythingfrom tournament scoring and marshalingto security, medical, spotters, transportation,merchandise and media.Charging for admission and sellingWESTERN INFLUENCEThe Western Amateur’s Sweet Sixteen qualifiers,including such eventual winners as Tigers Woods,Phil Mickelson and Justin Leonard, have gone on toelite status in golf. Over the years, members of theSweet Sixteen have accomplished the following:• 29 of the last 35 PGA TOUR Player of the Year awards• 12 of the top 20 on the PGA TOUR career money list• 28 major championship winners for a totalof 73 major championships• 13 events on the 2010 PGA TOUR schedule• 7 participants in the 2010 Ryder Cup• 15 of the last 19 U.S. Amateur Championsadvertising to the tournament programwill offset some of the club’s cost in puttingon the tournament, Stephens said,and also any leftover money can go to theWestern’s Evans Scholarship.“We’re not really sure of the interest,”he said. “The Western would be ecstatic ifwe sold 1,500 tickets. We think there willbe a curiosity factor that people will wantto come see the tournament here. We’llhave 2,500 tickets printed, and if therewas by chance more demand, then wecould do more.”Logistics figure in limiting the crowd,and parking outside Alotian’s gates isproblematic; in early January, the clubwas still looking at four possible sites(including Pinnacle Mountain State Parkand two area high schools) to park carsand run shuttles to the club.“We wanted to make the tournamentas accessible as we could,” Snider said.Alotian members will surrender theirlockers to the competitors the week of thetournament. They probably won’t haveto give playing privileges, though, untilthe week before the event, Stephens andSnider said.July in ArkansasOne of the first concerns Stephensexpressed to the inquiring Western GolfAssociation officials was: Did they knowhow hot Arkansas can get in late July?“We will do everything we can to makesure the participants and their caddiesare well taken care of,” Stephens said.“We’ll have multiple places on the courseand concession stands for them to stayhydrated.”One of the concessions to the heat,Snider said, was adding another day tothe tournament so golfers would onlyplay 18 holes a day over thestroke-play portion of theevent.“You’ve also got to consider,though, that many ofthese players will be collegegolfers who are used toplaying many holes in oneday,” Snider said.But are they used to thewalking challenge Alotianwill present?The course will answersome of that by carting golfersbetween some extendedand hilly areas of thecourse, Stephens said.“We have some prettytough walks from the greento the next tee,” he said.With its premium air green-coolingsystem, the course should not have troubledealing with the extreme heat that hasplagued Arkansas courses in recent summers.Alotian uses a bentgrass strain, A-4,that Stephens and Snider said offers thebest putting surface available year-round.“The defense of Alotian will be thegreens and the elevation changes,”Stephens said.Contrasting Exmoor with Alotian,which he also has played, Bartlett said,“Honestly, they are as different as golf2013 / ARKANSAS BUSINESS EXECUTIVE GOLFER 15