PAR AND YARDAGE: The West Course at the Country Club of Birmingham (http://www.cbham.org) will be set up at 7,173 yards and will play to a par of 35-36—71. The East Course at the Country Club of Birmingham, which will serve as the companion course for the two days of stroke-play qualifying, will be set up at 6,471 yards and play to a par of 35-35—70. (Note: all yardages subject to change) 

COUNTRY CLUB OF BIRMINGAM (WEST COURSE) HOLE BY HOLE: 

COUNTRY CLUB OF BIRMINGHAM (EAST COURSE) HOLE BY HOLE:

ARCHITECT: Donald Ross designed the Country Club of Birmingham’s East and West Courses in 1926. Founded in 1898, the Country Club of Birmingham moved from its original location to farmland in Shades Valley.

WHO CAN ENTER: The championship is open to any amateur golfer who is 25 years old by Oct. 5 with a USGA Handicap Index® not exceeding 3.4.

ENTRIES: The USGA accepted 3,810 entries in 2012, 67 more than were accepted for the 2011 Mid-Amateur. The record of 5,271 entries was set in 1997. The deadline for entries is Aug. 7.

SECTIONAL QUALIFYING: Sectional qualifying, conducted over 18 holes, will be held between Aug.26-Sept 9. The number of sites has yet to be determined. (Note: Qualifying dates are subject to change)

SCHEDULE OF PLAY: Practice rounds will be held Oct. 3-4. The starting field of 264 players will play two rounds of stroke play, with the low 64 scorers advancing to match play. The schedule is as follows:
Oct. 5 (Saturday) – First round of stroke-play qualifying
Oct. 6 (Sunday) – Second round of stroke-play qualifying
Oct. 7 (Monday) – First round of match play
Oct. 8 (Tuesday) – Second and third rounds of match play
Oct. 9 (Wednesday) – Quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of match play
Oct. 10 (Thursday) – Championship match (36 holes)

ADMISSION: Admission is free, and spectators are encouraged to attend.

2012 CHAMPION: Nathan Smith of Pittsburgh became the first four-time winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, earning a 1-up victory over Garrett Rank of Canada in the 36-hole final at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill. Smith, 34, became the 15th player in USGA history to win the same championship at least four times. The list includes Jack Nicklaus, Mickey Wright, Carol Semple Thompson and Robert T. Jones Jr., for whom the Mid-Amateur trophy is named.

USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ALABAMA: This will be the fifth USGA championship held in Alabama and the first U.S. Mid-Amateur held in the state. In 1986, Buddy Alexander defeated Chris Kite, 5 and 3, to win the U.S. Amateur at Shoal Creek Country Club.         

Championship Years and Winners
1974 USGA Women’s Senior Amateur (Lakewood Golf Club, Point Clear) – Justine Cushing by two strokes over Carolyn Cudone, 231-233
1986 USGA Women’s Senior Amateur (Lakewood Golf Club, Point Clear) – Constance Guthrie by six strokes over Marlene Stewart Streit, Barbara Young, Cecile Maclaurin, 225-231
1986 U.S. Amateur (Shoal Creek Country Club) – Buddy Alexander def. Chris Kite, 5 and 3
2008 U.S. Junior Amateur (Shoal Creek Country Club) – Cameron Peck def. Evan Beck, 10 and 8

U.S. MID-AMATEURS IN SOUTH REGION          

Years, Courses and Winners
1984 U.S. Mid-Amateur – Atlantic Athletic Club, Duluth, Ga. (Michael Podolak)
1986 U.S. Mid-Amateur – Annandale Golf Club, Madison, Miss. (Bill Loeffler)
1991 U.S. Mid-Amateur – Long Cove Club, Hilton Head Island, S.C. (Jim Stuart)
2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur – Sea Island Golf Club, St. Simons Island, Ga. (Austin Eaton III)
2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur – The Honors Course, Chattanooga, Tenn. (Kevin Marsh)
2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur – Kiawah Island Club (Cassique), Kiawah Island, S.C. (Nathan Smith)

OTHER CHAMPIONSHIPS AT C.C. OF BIRMINGHAM: Country Club of Birmingham has hosted nine Alabama State Amateurs and served as the companion course to Shoal Creek Country Club for the 1986 U.S. Amateur. The course was a sectional qualifying site for last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.

EXEMPT PLAYERS: As of Jan. 1, there are 18 players fully exempt into the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur. Additional players may gain exemptions into the championship through their play in other USGA championships or via the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).     

Casey Boyns (2012 Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist)
Dennis Bull (2012 Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist)
Kenny Cook(2011 Mid-Amateur runner-up)
Austin Eaton III(2004 Mid-Amateur champion)
Tim Hogarth(2011 Mid-Amateur runner-up)
Tim Jackson(2012 Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist)
Trip Kuehne (2007 Mid-Amateur champion)
Louis Lee (2011 Senior Amateur champion)
Randal Lewis (2011 Mid-Amateur champion)
Kevin Marsh(2005 Mid-Amateur champion)
Matthew Mattare (2012 Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist)
Garrett Rank(2012 Mid-Amateur runner-up)
Corby Segal (2012 Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist)
Paul Simson(2012 Senior Amateur champion)
Nathan Smith(2003, 2009, 2010, 2012 Mid-Amateur champion; member of 2011 USA Walker Cup Team)
Todd White (2012 Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist)
Steve Wilson(2008 Mid-Amateur champion)
Dave Womack(2006 Mid-Amateur champion)

THE TROPHY: The Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Mid-Amateur Trophy was presented in 1981 by the Atlanta Athletic Club and the Georgia State Golf Association. The most famous of all amateurs, Jones won five U.S. Amateur and four U.S. Open titles.

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: This is the 33rd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. The Mid-Amateur, for amateur golfers of at least 25 years of age, provides a formal national championship for the post-college amateur, for whom the game is truly an avocation.

Played at the Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Mo., in 1981, the first Mid-Amateur drew 1,638 entries. The field included three former Amateur champions: Gary Cowan (1966, 1971), Marvin “Vinny” Giles III (1972) and Fred Ridley (1975). Jim Holtgrieve, 33, of Des Peres, Mo., defeated fellow 1981 USA Walker Cup Team member Bob Lewis Jr., 37, of Warren, Ohio, in the final, 2 up.

For more information about the history of the championship, visit

http://www.usga.org/press_room/media_guide/Media-Guides/ and click on U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.

PHOTO MEDIA SERVICE: The USGA will offer daily complimentary high-resolution photographs during the U.S. Mid-Amateur for news use only. For more information and to register, contact photorequests@usga.org.

MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Brian DePasquale of USGA Championship Communications by phone at (908) 234-2300 (office), (908) 655-8395 (cell) or via email at bdepasquale@usga.org.