Jerry Courville, Jr. (1997)

From the beginning, 1997 promised to be a special year for Jerry Courville Jr. He was named to the 1997 Walker Cup team and the Matches were be played right in the Met Area at Quaker Ridge Golf Club.

Coincidentally, because of his Walker Cup commitments, Courville had decided to curtail some of his playing schedule that season, especially around the time of the Matches in August. But all that changed in June when Courville ran away with The Ike Championship. At the awards ceremony, MGA president Marty Connelly announced that the MGA’s Player of the Year Award was being permanently remained for Jerry’s father, the late Jerry Courville Sr., a six-time winner of The Ike who passed away the previous November. Then and there Courville decided he wanted to be the first to win the renamed award and adjusted his playing schedule to fit in one more event, The Met Amateur.

From then on, a very determined Courville managed to almost lock up the top spot in the standings before the Walker Cup Matches began. His outstanding play throughout the season included three victories – The Ike, Met Amateur, and the Boff Invitational – top 10 finishes in the Hochster, New York City Amateur and a semifinal finish in the U.S. Mid-Amateur, Courville accumulated a total of 1353 points for the season.

Jerry Courville Jr. became the first recipient of the MGA Jerry Courville Sr. Player of the Year Award – a touching tribute to his father.