Twenty years ago, David Nelson, then a top mid-amateur, developed the idea for the East West Matches, a Walker Cup-style event pitting the top senior amateurs and mid-amateurs from opposite coasts against each other. The inaugural edition was to be played in 2001 at Bandon Dunes, but 9/11 forced the cancellation of the event, and several later attempts to revive the event failed.
“It was something that the players were really hungry for, but nothing ever came to fruition,” said mid-amateur Scott Harvey, who last year decided to lead the effort in finally getting the East West Matches off the ground.