Hosting national tournaments is nothing new for superintendent Chris Gaughan and Eugene Country Club
Lawrence, Kan. (May 17, 2016) – The last time the NCAA Division I Golf Championships were held at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club, in 1978, Chris Gaughan was a 19-year-old caddie. Now he is the golf course superintendent preparing his tournament-tested club for the best collegiate players in the country.
The women’s championship will be contested May 20-25, and the men’s championship will follow the next week. Both championships will use a stroke play/match play combination. The eight teams with the lowest combined scores after 54 holes will advance to a match play format. An individual champion will also be crowned after the stroke play competition.
“I have been here 41 years,” said Gaughan, who is a long-time member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America who has earned distinction as a certified golf course superintendent “I have been here since I was a sophomore in high school, and I have done just about every job you can think of on this course. When the Championship was here in 1978, I was mowing in the morning and caddying in the afternoon.”
The only time Gaughan took a break from Eugene CC was to caddie for his sister, Cathy, when she played on the LPGA Tour in the early 1980s. After that, Gaughan went back to Oregon State and learned the details of turfgrass and golf course management. Then he came back home.
This will be the 10th national-scale event for Eugene, and the winners have included Johnny Miller (1964 U.S. Junior Amateur) and JoAnne (Gunderson) Carner (1961 Women’s Trans-Mississippi Championship). But this will be the first time the club will hold back-to-back championships. And Gaughan has been asked to deliver different specifications for each week.
“The NCAA wants the green speeds a bit faster and the rough a bit higher for the men’s event, but that won’t be a problem,” said Gaughan. “What I am concerned about is having enough space to handle all of the divots on the practice range. And, I think we do.”
About GCSAA and the EIFG
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is a leading golf organization in the United States. Its focus is on golf course management, and since 1926 GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the U.S. and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to nearly 18,000 members in more than 78 countries. The association’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf. Visit GCSAA at www.gcsaa.org or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
The Environmental Institute for Golf is the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA. Its mission is to foster sustainability through research, awareness, education, programs and scholarships for the benefit of golf course management professionals, golf facilities and the game. Visit EIFG at www.eifg.org. or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
Contact:
Craig Smith, Director, Communications and Media Relations
Phone: 800-472-7878, ext. 4431 or 785-691-9197 (cell)
csmith@gcsaa.org
