Mike McCoy (right) and Gene Elliott (left) have been longtime forces in the amateur game both as teammates and foes. The pair has battled it out for years in Iowa Golf Association events and also on the national stage.

The prestigious and unique 3rd Annual East West Matches are scheduled for Nov. 1-3, 2024, at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrolton, Texas.

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Since 2020, the East West Matches at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrolton, Texas, have attracted some of the best amateur golfers in the United States to play in the Ryder Cup-style team event. The unique format allows top senior, mid-amateur and college golfers to play together and represent their geographic locales while building relationships and lasting bonds.

The 3rd Annual East West Matches are scheduled for Nov. 1-3, 2024, at Maridoe Golf Club in Carrolton, Texas. Each team consists of 18 players: six seniors, at least 10 mid-amateurs and up to two amateurs who have not yet reached the age of 25. The event is played every two years. Iowa amateurs Dennis Bull, Gene Elliott and Mike McCoy will play for the West team.

“We are committed to fielding the best West team we can for the upcoming prestigious East West matches,” said West Captain Brady Exber. “And we know there are some very, very good players in Iowa and we are thrilled to have Mid-Amateur Dennis Bull, and senior amateurs Mike McCoy and Gene Elliott. They will be a big part of our West team.”

Exber will look to McCoy and Elliott for their leadership in addition to their talent.

“I feel the same about both Gene and Mike,” Exber said. “They are the Mount Rushmore of amateur golf and the top of the mountain. They are, and have been, a great example of what amateur golf is all about, and I really wanted them on the West team for their leadership on and off the course. They were great players as younger amateurs and now they are great senior players. I am thrilled to have them on the West team.”

Bull (right) and his experience will also be a key part of the West’s attempt to win the event after a loss in 2022.

“We are so happy to have Denny on the team,” Exber said. “He is a returning player who had a winning record the last time we played. In addition, he will be a valuable influence in the team room. He’s a guy who everybody likes.”

LIV Golf League player and former Univ. Tennessee star Caleb Surratt played in the 2022 East West Matches and verifies the quality and prestige they have.

“Getting to play with different players in a different age group is a neat part about the East West Matches,” Surratt said. “It was cool to see how everybody plays the game and it makes it a little more fun than just watching guys hit it 350 yards and straight all day. I think the format goes back to a little bit of what golf is all about. It includes everybody and brings back a lot of the tradition of the sport.”

The East West Matches feature teams from the East and West regions of the United States.

Nathan Smith will captain the East while Exber will captain the West.Smith will also be the 2025 United States Walker Cup captain. Exber is a member of the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame, the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame and the National Senior Amateur Hall of Fame.

The teams are selected via qualifying events and also captain’s picks. For complete information about the process, visit www.eastwestmatches.com. You can view the events that will earn points for Mid-Ams and Senior Ams in addition to viewing the updated standings.

The unique makeup of the East West Matches is what initially attracted Maridoe Golf Club Owner Albert Huddleston to the event.

“I view Maridoe as a sandbox of fellowship, and we are always thrilled to open it up to the East West Matches because they epitomize exactly what golf should be all about,” Huddleston said. “I don’t know of any other opportunity where you have this amalgam of silos of golfers that actually have any connectivity. College players never play with the seniors or the mid amateurs in a competitive team environment. What the Matches also do is encourage those golfers that are younger that if they don’t play professional golf, there is a robust amateur circuit with a lot of talent with events like this to keep their competitive drive alive.”

Scott Harvey is one of the event’s original visionaries, and understands how the support of Huddleston and Maridoe Golf Club allows the East West Matches to be successful.

“The East West Matches are indebted to Mr. Huddleston, who is one of the nation’s most prominent supporters of amateur golf and continues to do more and more each year,” Harvey said. “Maridoe Golf Club is a world-class test of golf, and the staff assures that the players, captains, and volunteers are treated with the best service, hospitality, and food. The best players are very interested in qualifying for the East West Matches, and we are sure we will have another competition that features the highest-level of golf.”

About the East West Matches

The East West Matches started in 2020 and are played every two years. The three-day amateur golf competition features a Ryder Cup-style team format for American amateur, mid-amateur and senior competitors. The competition is currently tied 1-1.

The vision of the competition is “promoting the amateur game by bringing the best amateurs in the United States together for highly competitive matches and camaraderie in its purest form.”

The Mississippi River is the dividing line between East and West teams, each of which is made up of 18 players: six seniors, at least 10 mid-amateurs, and up to two amateurs who have not yet reached the age of 25.

Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas, is the bi-annual host. In the three days of competitions, there are nine 18-hole four-ball matches on Day 1, nine 18-hole foursome matches in the morning of Day 2 and nine 18-hole foursomes in the afternoon of Day 2 with 18 singles matches on Day 3.

www.eastwestmatches.com