The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced Colleton River Plantation Club, in Bluffton, S.C., as the host site for the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. This will be the first USGA championship held at Colleton River’s Pete Dye Course. The dates of the championship are July 20-25.
"The USGA is pleased to bring the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship back to the state of South Carolina for the first time in more than 30 years," said USGA Vice President and Championship Committee Chairman Thomas J. O’Toole Jr. "Renowned architect Pete Dye has often said this is the best course he has ever designed. It will test the players’ skill and help identify the best junior golfer in the United States."
Located in coastal South Carolina near Hilton Head and a short distance from Savannah, Ga., Colleton River Plantation Club is a member-owned golf community. The 1,500 acres of Lowcountry land is surrounded by water on three sides and is adjacent to Victoria Bluff Heritage Preserve. Colleton River’s Pete Dye Course opened for play in 1998. It is a links-type course with unobstructed views of Port Royal Sound and the Atlantic Ocean on 11 of 18 holes.
"I know I speak for our membership in expressing our delight and pride in Colleton’s selection by the USGA for this great event," said Rob Norton, the club’s president. "We look forward to hosting all those who will participate in many different roles in 2015."
Colleton River’s Pete Dye Course has hosted eight USGA qualifiers since 2005, including those for three U.S. Opens, four U.S. Amateurs and one U.S. Senior Open. In 2012, Colleton River served as the site for a U.S. Open local qualifier in May and a U.S. Amateur sectional qualifier earlier this month. The 2001 and 2011 South Carolina Amateurs have also been held at the course.
South Carolina has twice previously hosted the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, at Florence Country Club in 1963 and at Moss Creek Golf Club, on Hilton Head Island, in 1979.
The U.S. Junior Amateur was first played in 1948. The championship is open to male amateurs who have not reached their 18th birthday by the conclusion of the championship and who have a USGA Handicap Index® not exceeding 6.4. Tiger Woods and Johnny Miller are among U.S. Junior Amateur champions.
In 2013, the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship will be played at Martis Camp Club in Truckee, Calif., from July 22-27. The 2014 championship will be played July 21-26 at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas.