While competing in the 1999 US Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach, former US Walker Cup Team members, Duke Delcher and Tom McKnight discussed the formation of a premier amateur golf tournament. The inaugural Players Amateur was held the next summer. Former British Open Champion, Ben Curtis, was the winner of the 2000 event.
In 2004, Delcher, McKnight and the Heritage Classic Foundation decided to give control of The Players Amateur to the Heritage Classic Foundation.
The Heritage Classic Foundation was formed in 1987 as a 501 (c) (3), not-for-profit organization, it serves as the operational and financial oversight group for The Heritage, the PGA TOUR event on Hilton Head Island.
The Foundation distributes all charitable funds generated from the tournaments. Donations have grown from $139 thousand in 1987 to $1.3 million in 2009 — close to $20 million in all.
The winner of The Players Amateur receives a playing spot in The Heritage.
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