Posted: Thu, 7 Oct 2010 09:03 AM - 10,648 Readers

By: Ralph Barrera

The Harvey Penick Invitational tops the list of local tournaments this weekend. The 54-hole stroke play amateur event will be held at Austin Country Club Friday through Sunday.

The Penick is special for a number of reasons. It is the second-oldest tournament in Austin, dating to 1935. The Austin Men's City Championship began in 1928, and the Firecracker Open started in 1946. These three tournaments are still considered the traditional majors in local amateur golf.

The Penick also is distinctive because of the word invitational. No matter how good you are, you don't just call up and sign up. You have to be invited, and some very good golfers have been left out because — well, let's just say they might not be a particularly pleasant golfing companion.

The Penick is also different in that it includes golfers from outside the Austin area. Harvey Penick began the tournament as a Labor Day outing at Austin Country Club, but from the start he invited top players from around the state. For instance, Don January of Dallas won the 1954 tournament just before he began his distinguished PGA Tour career.

That tradition of reaching out around the state, and even out of state, continues today. Recent winners include Jonathan Mathias of San Antonio (2006 and 2007) and Bob Kearney of Houston (2003 and 2004). Both have conflicts this year and will not be playing.

Three Austin golfers head the list of likely favorites this weekend. Duane Miller is the defending champion, and Michael Cooper won in 2005. Nicholas Cristea, who is playing in his first Penick Invitational, is the current points leader in the Austin Amateur Golf standings.