99th annual Southwestern Amateur scheduled June 4-7 at Desert Mountain

The 99th annual Southwestern Amateur, which helped launch the careers of many of today’s PGA champions, will be held June 4-7 on the Nicklaus Signature Cochise Course at the Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale.

The tournament is free to spectators. “The public is welcome to watch these up-and-coming golfers who may one day be on the PGA Tour,” said John Ranslem, president of the Southwestern Golf Association, a non-profit organization that supports the tournament and promotes golf in the Southwest. Starting times each day are at 7:30 a.m. Desert Mountain is located at 37700 N. Desert Mountain Parkway (at Cave Creek Road), Scottsdale, AZ.

The Southwestern Amateur is the longest-running men’s tournament of its kind in the southwestern United States. Past tournament winners include Nick Watney, Mark O’Meara, Corey Pavin, Craig Stadler, Tom Pernice Jr., Jay Haas, Ryan Palmer and Ted Purdy.

J.T. Poston of Hickory, N.C., and a junior at Western Carolina University, was the winner of the 2013 tournament held on Desert Mountain’s Renegade Course.

This year’s 144-player field will consist of a combination of invitation and open entry applications. Invited players include the top scratch players with world amateur ranking, collegiate golfers as ranked by Golfweek , the top 25 finishers and ties at the 2013 Southwestern Amateur, and individuals selected by the tournament’s executive committee.

For more information about the tournament visit www.swga.net.