Ryan Moore, the Pierce County native who is establishing himself among the best professional golfers in the world, has agreed to serve as Honorary Chairman of the 2010 U.S. Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay.
Moore is a Cascade Christian High School graduate who won the U.S. Amateur in 2004. He has hosted two charity golf events at Chambers Bay, and he welcomes the opportunity to help Pierce County present a successful championship on its publicly owned course.
“The golf courses that host this championship are among the most historic, memorable and challenging in the game, and to have the opportunity to showcase our very own Chambers Bay on this stage is a rare opportunity for all of us who call the Northwest home,” Moore said.
Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy said she appreciates Moore’s desire to support his hometown, particularly in attracting corporate hospitality partnerships that will help pay for the Championship.
“I am excited to have Ryan Moore join our team as we prepare to host the U.S. Amateur,” McCarthy said. “Ryan is enthusiastic about promoting world-class golf here in the Pacific Northwest. His offer to help us is a very generous gesture.
“He knows that a successful U.S. Amateur in 2010 will set the stage for an outstanding U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in 2015,” she added.
The 26-year-old Moore is having an outstanding 2009 season on the professional golf circuit. Last month, he earned his first PGA Tour victory at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. Earlier in the summer, he tied for fourth at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut and he tied for 10th at the U.S. Open Championship at Bethpage Black in New York.
He had a remarkable career as an amateur. In 2004, during the summer before his senior year at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Moore won the U.S. Amateur, the Western-Amateur, the U.S. Amateur Public Links and the NCAA individual championship.
Better than most, he understands the significance of the U.S. Amateur, the most coveted amateur championship in the world.
“I can tell you from personal experience that it is a tremendous thrill to just play in it, let alone the honor of having my name inscribed on the perpetual trophy along with many of the greatest players in history: Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Justin Leonard, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and so many others,” Moore said. “This event will give people in the Pacific Northwest a chance to see up close the best amateur golfers in the world, some of whom will be stars in the coming years.”
Moore was born in Tacoma and grew up in Puyallup. He is a 2001 graduate of Cascade Christian, which did not have a golf team, so he competed for Puyallup High School.
The 2010 U.S. Amateur will be held Aug. 23-29 at Chambers Bay and the nearby Home Course in DuPont. Information about tickets, hospitality packages and volunteer opportunities is available at www.2010usamateur.com.