Smith adds to Western Pa. golf lore with Mid-Amateur triumph

Mike Dudurich

Posted 2009-10-19

Pardon me while I wax parochial for a few words.

I am a life-long resident of western Pennsylvania, an area of the world that lacks the sunshine and warm weather of some parts of the world, but has earned a reputation of being a steel-producing, blue collar area that is the home of perhaps the best-run franchise in all of professional sports, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

We’re also proud to be the home of some of the best golf courses in the world and some very good golfers, too.

The latter was brought to the forefront this summer by the performance of 31-year-old Nathan Smith, an investment adviser by trade, an elite amateur golfer.

Coming into 2009, Smith had a goal of making the Walker Cup team, but knew he needed to have a special summer in order to do that.

So what did he do?

-- Tied for 4th in the Sunnehanna Amateur

-- Tied for 16th the in Monroe Invitational

-- Tied for 7th in the Northeast Amateur

-- Tied for 13th in the Porter Cup

-- Lost in the quarterfinals of the Western Amateur

-- Won the Frank B. Fuhrer Invitational

-- Won the West Penn Amateur

-- Won the Pennsylvania Amateur

-- Was a member of the Men’s USGA State Team championship squad from Pa. His performance in those elite amateur events earned him a spot on that prestigious Walker Cup team and he was a solid member of that winning U.S. team in September.

But that wasn’t enough for the soft-spoken Smith. The U.S. Mid-Amateur (for players 25 and over) remained on the schedule and Smith knew that having won it in 2003, getting a second would put him in elite company.

So what kind of tribute to a guy would it be if he didn’t win? No much obviously, but that wasn’t the case with Smith. He absolutely hammered Tim Spitz, 33, of Rochester, N.Y., 7 and 6, in the scheduled 36-hole final match at the 6,964-yard Cassique Course at The Kiawah Island Club.

“This was harder,” Smith said, comparing 2009 with 2003. “I had just turned 25. I was still in grad school. I was a naïve kid. I thought this was easy. But you go through five or six years and you realize how tough it is. The first time is great but this is definitely up there.”

In addition to joining Jay Sigel (1983, 1985, 1987), Jim Stuart (1990, 1991), Tim Jackson (1994, 2001), and John “Spider” Miller (1996 and 1998) as the only multiple winners of the Mid-Am, his margin of victory was the third-largest since the championship match was lengthened to 36 holes in 2001.

Smith most likely will get an invitation to play in the 2010 Masters. He missed making the cut in 2003 at Augusta National, thanks to a double bogey at the 18th hole on Friday. He played in the Par 3 Tournament with Phil Mickelson, who went on to win that week. And his partner for the first two rounds was none other than Arnold Palmer, who was competing in his final Masters.

“I don’t know if it could get more special than that,” Smith said. “It’s hard for me to think about that. But, you know, that’s a dream.”

And another addition to the great golf history of western Pennsylvania.

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About Mike...
As a sports writer for over 35 years, Mike Dudurich has seen a lot of great things, covered spectacular events, but his passion is, and has been golf. He recently ended a 29-year career at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and will now be a frequent contributor on GolfGearReview.com. Mike hosts a weekly golf radio show on 1250 ESPN in Pittsburgh from the beginning of April through the end of August. The show airs Saturdays from 8-9 a.m. and can be heard online at http://stations.espn.go.com/stations/espnradio1250/show?showId=insidepghgolf - Listen to Mike Here!.

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