Author: Savannah Snowden
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After a seven week run of historic elite men’s amateur summer competitions beginning with the Sunnehanna Amateur in mid-June and culminating with the Western Amateur on Saturday, the inaugural 2022 Elite Amateur Cup standings were completed capping off the first year of the Elite Amateur Golf Series (EAGS).
Using World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) points earned from competing in the seven EAGS member events (Sunnehanna Amateur, Northeast Amateur, North & South Amateur, Trans-Mississippi Amateur, Southern Amateur, Paciï¬c Coast Amateur and the Western Amateur), the top five finishers earned multiple exemptions into future USGA, PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour events.
More: Final Elite Amateur Cup Standings
First Place – Caleb Surratt, USA
Finishing atop the standings is 18-year-old Caleb Surratt of Indian Trail, N.C., a rising freshman at the University of Tennessee, as the first Elite Amateur Cup Champion with a final total of 75.5607 points earned by competing in six EAGS events, four of which were top five finishes.
“The Elite Amateur Cup Series, since announced, has been my primary goal of the summer and ‘22 season,” said Surratt. “I was excited to go head to head with the nation’s best amateurs, many of whom I’d be competing against this coming college season. It truly felt like a series, on an array of different courses, with different weather conditions, and even different styles of golf that proved to be a great litmus test for me to assess my game, and discover areas to work on for the upcoming college season.”
Surratt began the 2022 series tying for fourth at the Sunnehanna Amateur. Following a third-place finish at the Northeast Amateur and after advancing to the second round match play at the North & South Amateur, Surratt ascended to the top of the Elite Amateur Cup standings in week 3 and remained in the number one spot for the remainder of the series.
Consistent performances through his next two EAGS starts with a fourth place finish at the Southern Amateur and T2 at the Pacific Coast Amateur vaulted him into a nearly insurmountable lead heading into the series finale – The Western Amateur.
Surratt arrived at Exmoor Country Club after a tight travel turnaround from an incredible run in the U.S. Junior Amateur at Bandon Dunes where he advanced to the championship match falling to Wenyi Ding of China by a 3 and 2 score. He posted rounds of 75-70 to miss the 36-hole cut at the Western Amateur but already had the Elite Amateur Cup title secured.
“I’ve learned a lot this summer, and plan to take these lessons into future events, including the future opportunities afforded to me by the EAGS,” said Surratt. “It has just hit me this week that in just over two months, I’ll be competing against the world’s best in the PGA TOUR’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship.”
As the 2022 Elite Amateur Cup Champion, Surratt has been awarded the following exemptions:
- 2022 PGA TOUR Butterfield Bermuda Championship Exemption
- (1) 2023 Korn Ferry Tour – Start of his choosing from the five available events
- 2022 U.S. Amateur Exemption
- 2023 U.S. Open Championship – Final Qualifying Exemption (must remain an amateur)
Second Place – Jiri Zuska, Czech Republic
Jiri Zuska of Kladno, Czech Republic finished second in the Elite Amateur Cup standings 16.0288 points behind Surratt with a 59.5319 point total. The rising junior at the University of Louisville competed in five of the seven aligned championships, finishing second at the Southern Amateur, tied for fourth at the Sunnehanna Amateur, tied for 15th at the Northeast Amateur, and tied for tenth at the Trans-Mississippi Amateur Championship. The Pacific Coast Amateur was Zuska’s final event of the series where he tied for sixth.
“Playing in a PGA TOUR event has always been my dream, can’t believe that’s about to come true,” Zuska said.
Zuska has been awarded the following exemptions for the second place finish:
- 2022 PGA TOUR Puerto Rico Open Exemption
- (1) 2023 Korn Ferry Tour – Start of his choosing from the remaining four events
- 2022 U.S. Amateur Exemption
- 2023 U.S. Open Championship – Final Qualifying Exemption (must remain an amateur)
Third Place – Bryce Lewis, USA
Bryce Lewis of Hendersonville, TN closed the Series in third place with 56.5319 points after competing in four EAGS events. Lewis began his summer performance with a one stroke victory at the Sunnehanna Amateur vaulting him into the early Cup standings lead. The University of Tennessee graduate (2022) tied for fourth at the Northeast Amateur, finished fifth at the Southern Amateur and missed the 36-hole cut at the Western Amateur still earning enough points to hold the third position.
Lewis receives the following exemptions for his third-place finish:
- (1) 2023 Korn Ferry Tour – Start of his choosing from the remaining three events
- 2022 U.S. Amateur Exemption
- 2023 U.S. Open Championship – Final Qualifying Exemption (must remain an amateur)
Fourth Place – Tommy Morrison, USA
Tommy Morrison of Dallas, TX finished the Series with 52.0393 points to take fourth place. The 17-year-old University of Texas commit competed in six of seven EAGS events, making the cut in five of them.
Morrison advanced to the final match at the North & South Amateur losing 1 down to Luke Clanton in a thriller at Pinehurst No. 2. He tied for 23rd at the Sunnehanna Amateur, tied for 40th at the Northeast Amateur, tied for 28th at the Southern Amateur, finished 25th at the Pacific Coast Amateur and just missed the 36-hole cut at the Western Amateur.
“The Elite Amateur series truly rewards players who are playing high-level golf and gives me a chance to create momentum and confidence with my golf game,” said Morrison.
Morrison earned the following exemptions for finishing fourth place:
- (1) 2023 Korn Ferry Tour – Start of his choosing from the remaining two events
- 2022 U.S. Amateur Exemption
- 2023 U.S. Open Championship – Final Qualifying Exemption (must remain an amateur)
Fifth Place – Karl Vilips, Australia
Karl Vilips of Perth, Western Australia, rounded out the top five with 50.9137 points. The rising junior at Stanford University tied for 19th place at the Sunnehanna Amateur to begin the Series. Vilips finished in second place at the Northeast Amateur, earned medalist honors and advanced to the second round of match play at the North & South Amateur falling to eventual champion Luke Clanton. Vilips tied for 21st at the Southern Amateur and.
Vilips receives the following exemptions for fifth-place:
- (1) 2023 Korn Ferry Tour – Last remaining event
- 2022 U.S. Amateur Exemption
- 2023 U.S. Open Championship – Final Qualifying Exemption (must remain an amateur)
A “draft” will be held in the near future to determine the Korn Ferry Tour exemption placements with Surratt holding the first selection of the five available opportunities then proceeding forward according to final Cup position with Vilips receiving the last remaining event.
The 2022 Elite Amateur Cup awards ceremony will take place at the Ridgewood Country Club clubhouse in Paramus, N.J. on Friday, August 12, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. ET. Credentialed U.S. Amateur media is invited to attend.
The Elite Amateur Golf Series would like to thank Titleist and FootJoy as the “Premier Equipment Partner of the Elite Amateur Golf Series” for their support this year in addition to the USGA, WAGR and our tour affiliated event partners.
For more information about the Elite Amateur Golf Series, the Elite Amateur Cup and the seven individual championships is available at eliteamateurgolfseries.org. Follow @eliteamseries on Twitter and Instagram as well as @EliteAmateurGolfSeries on Facebook.
About the Elite Amateur Golf Series
Formed in 2021 to challenge “The Best of the Best” in amateur golf, the Elite Amateur Golf Series (EAGS) aligns the top amateur championships in a collective competition, the Elite Amateur Cup. In addition to hosting the best players, Elite Amateur Cup events are contested at renowned venues and have the longest history of identifying the next great champions of the game. EAGS events hold a proven track record of conducting the most challenging competitive tests, making the championships among the majors of amateur golf. The seven founding championships that comprise the series have a distinguished history hosting the top talent and competitive play in amateur golf. These championships are the Sunnehanna Amateur, Northeast Amateur, North & South Amateur, Trans-Mississippi Amateur, Southern Amateur, Paciï¬c Coast Amateur and the Western Amateur.
For more information, please visit www.eliteamateurgolfseries.org
About the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association
The Trans-Mississippi Golf Association is one of the oldest and most prestigious golf organizations in the United States. Established in 1901, the Trans-Mississippi is composed of over 200 member clubs located throughout the country. The Association is governed by a board of independent directors and is headquartered in Dallas, TX.
Address
4475 Trinity Mills Road, Suite #702526
Dallas, TX 75287