50 and fabulous

This morning began round one of the Hornblower Memorial Tournament at Plymouth Country Club. This year marks the event's 50th anniversary, and it stands as one of the most highly regarded golf events in the Commonwealth. The list of past champions reads like a who's who of Massachusetts Golf - Fordie Pitts, Geoff Sisk, James Driscoll, Steve Tasho, Jack Kearney, John Hadges...just to name a few.

The tournament is named for Henry Hornblower, who founded Plymouth Country Club in the early 1900's. It has a pretty interesting history - the 'Hornblower Trophy' was originally a silver bowl given to Henry Hornblower as a token of thanks for his efforts to keep Plymouth CC from going under during the Great Depression. Apparently, the 'trophy' was then stored in a closet for years:

Fast forward to 1962, an old silver bowl with "Hornblower Trophy" engraved thereon was discovered in a dusty closet. With its discovery came a growing interest in the history of the Club and Mr. Hornblower's role in the development of this Plymouth hillside, and also spreading the game of golf for all. At the same time as Arnold Palmer was assembling his "army", members of Plymouth CC, under the leadership of primarily A. Linwood Ellis III (a/k/a "Skeet") were relearning the legacy of Henry Hornblower, whose original tournament had begun just about the time that Palmer was born.

Not bad!

Meanwhile, Hornblower decided to create a tournament at his beloved club that would attract top amateur talent from around the region. The first Hornblower Tournament was played in 1935, and the event took place annually until 1940, when Hornblower passed away; World War II also played a part in putting the event on hold - it wasn't resumed as an annual event until 1965. Since then it has been a staple of the Massachusetts golf season.

Read about the history of the Hornblower Memorial

Plymouth Country Club is a beautiful seaside course designed by none other than Donald Ross. The tournament is 36-holes over two days, with a cut to the low 70 and ties at the end of the day today. The field is perennially filled with the very best of the best amateur golfers from New England.

The 2013 Hornblower Memorial

This year brings a couple new things for the Hornblower - for the first time there will be a separate Senior Championship - this event will take place on August 18-19. Additionally, Plymouth CC hosted a 'Pro'-Am yesterday to celebrate the tournament. In this case, the 'pros' are competitors in this year's field, who were paired with special guests - our own Jesse Menachem was invited to take part in the event and had a great time on a perfect day!

The Hornblower Memorial is a major points event in the MGA's Player of the Year points system. The winner receives 150 Player of the Year points - and it's no surprise that Hornblower past champions have gone on to win the Richard D. Haskell MGA Player of the Year award as well.

Looking forward to seeing who will come out on top this year - the field is pretty stacked, as usual! Enjoy it, Hornblower Memorial! You don't look so bad for 50!