​THE PLAYERS CUP

PLAYER'S CUP HISTORY

 

The Player's Cup, one of the greatest annual sporting events, was founded in 2009 with the concept of competition, friends, fun and prestige.

 

The founder, Nick Wurzer, wanted to put together an annual golf event that was so fun and competitive that every player would want to come back every year until you are too old to play. The vision was to bring high school friends, college friends, friends of friends, etc who enjoy the game of golf to come together as  an annual tradition to battle  for hopes to hoist the coveted Cup. 

 

The format was influenced by the Ryder Cup: Pitting two teams against each other in a match-play style tournament. The two-person teams within a match was put together as it was the most fun and competitive style of play. Originally, the three different formats were scramble, best ball and alternate shot. This format was changed slightly in 2013 as best ball was replaced with a Shamble format, which is a modified form of best ball (click here for official rules).

 

The hosting course for the Player's Cup was formerly at Mid Vallee Golf Course from 2009-2011, but was subsequently changed to Thornberry Creek at Oneida in 2012. Thornberry Creek hosted the Cup from 2012 to 2016, where then Royal Scot took over the reins in 2017 to present.

 

In 2009, 16 players were selected as the "draft class" and were divided by handicap then drafted snake style. Nick Wurzer represents Team Blue's Captain; Tyler Kohout represents as Captain for Team Red. Every year since the inaugural year, we have introduced four new members into a "draft class," where the first pick was made by the losing team's Captain from the prior year. This has continued until reaching 32 players in 2013, which was the maximum amount of participants until 2016. In 2016 the participants increased to the current maximum of 36 players.

 

Introducing new members is not an easy process and is not taken lightly. The Player's Cup goal is to keep prestigious notoriety where it is considered an honor to be invited to play. Due to this nature, members must display an unwavering commitment. The Cup is not a "come and go as you please" type of event. Therefore, it is an "unwritten rule" that if you do not participate in a Cup after receiving an invitation, your status as a member will be reviewed. The number of members in the Cup needs to be divisible by 4 for format sake, so, as one can imagine, this can make it difficult when choosing active members for the year's upcoming Cup.

 

Aside from the competition on the course, the Cup offers the ultimate camaraderie and friendship. After the matches are completed, we gather inside for food, drink and the Player's Cup raffle. Every year the raffle has improved and increased the numbers and quality of the prizes. Thus, any additional proceeds that are raised above the costs are donated every year to The Make A Wish Foundation or other local charities. We hope that every year this amount will increase and our tournament can help children within the community fulfill their dreams and wishes.

 

The goal for the Player's Cup is to continue to be one of the most anticipated events of every year. The Cup would not happen if it wasn't for all of the player's dedication and commitment year in and year out. Let's continue to make history! Cheers!