Greystone Invitational
In only its 14th season, the Greystone Invitational has quickly become one of the world’s premier amateur golf championships.
The Greystone Invitational began in 2000 with a mission to become a top-tier golf tournament with a strong mix of non-exempt and exempt players of various ages that would draw contestants from across the world and to contest the event on a well-
prepared championship golf course.
The tournament field annually reads like a Who’s Who of collegiate, local, national and international amateur golfers as they make the Greystone Invitational a key event on their summer competition schedule.
Past GI champions include present PGA Tour members Michael Thompson (2007) and Lee Williams (2001 and 2003) and Emerald Coast tour winner Glenn Northcutt (2010).
2004 champion Jonathan Dismuke is now golf coach at the University of Houston, and 2002 GI champion Zane Goldthorp has numerous top-10 finishes in amateur events, including a fourth-place finish in the 2012 Georgia Mid-Am.
Many other contestants have moved on to domestic and international pro tours around the globe. One recent GI participant, Will Wilcox, is now playing on the PGA Tour and competed for the lead in this year’s Sony Open and won on the Web.com tour in 2013.
Michael Thompson is so far the most decorated GI champion, finishing as runner-up in the 2007 U.S. Amateur the same summer he won the Greystone Invitational on Greystone’s Legacy Course. Thompson attended Tulane University for two seasons before Hurricane Katrina would force The Green Wave to disband their golf team. After transferring to the University of Alabama, Thompson’s play earned him the 2008 SEC Player of the Year.
As a finalist in the 2007 U.S. Amateur, Thompson earned invitations to the 2008 Masters Tournament and the 2008 U.S. Open. While he missed the cut in the Masters, he went on to finish as low amateur in the Open at Torrey Pines, finishing in 28th place.
Thompson would once again finish as a runner-up in a USGA event, but this time it was in the 2012 U.S. Open, losing by only one shot to eventual winner Webb Simpson at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
Feeding off a successful 2012 season, Thompson had his best season on the PGA Tour, including a win at the 2013 Honda Classic. With his win, he would reach a career-high 45th in the Official World Golf Ranking and finish the season at 39th in FedEx Cup points. Thompson has already earned more than $4.5 million in his pro career.
Last year’s 2013 champion, Tyler Hitchner, is the youngest GI champion ever, winning during his junior year of high school at age 17.
“I am totally amazed that I won, and I’m so excited to win the Greystone Invitational as my first major amateur event,” Hitchner said after the trophy presentation.
Hitchner added how excited he and his family were with the win.
“We feel like we’ve won the Masters,” he said.
Make your plans now to see golf’s future stars shine during the 14th annual Greystone Invitational, held June 19-22 at the Greystone Golf and Country Club Founders Course.
You might just catch a glimpse of the next Tiger, Bubba, Phil, Gary, Jack or Arnie.
For more information, visit the invitational website at greystone
invitational.com.
– Submitted by Greystone YMCA
