Championship History and Past Results

In 1997, after years of discussions, the boards of directors of the California Golf Association, Southern California Golf Association and Northern California Golf Association decided to conduct a biennial series of matches between teams from the SCGA and NCGA. Although team matches had been held in conjunction with the California Amateur Championship for many years, all three associations felt that the level of talent throughout the state warranted the introduction of a separate championship contested along the lines of the Walker Cup and Ryder Cup formats. The matches were scheduled for even-numbered years, so as not to conflict with the USGA State Team Championship, held each fall in odd-numbered years.

Charlie Seaver: Mr. California Golf
There was unanimous sentiment to name the event the Seaver Cup in honor of one of Californias legendary amateur golfers, Charles Seaver, one of just two people to hold the California Amateur, NCGA Amateur and SCGA Amateur titles at the same time.

While a student at Stanford University and a member of The Los Angeles Country Club, Seaver won the 1933 California Amateur and the 1933 NCGA Amateur (where he was the defending champion). The following year, he captured the SCGA Amateur and the timing of the tournaments meant he held all three titles at the same time (George Von Elm won all three events in 1925). Seaver and his father, Everett (who won in 1920) are the only father-son combination to win the SCGA Amateur.

Seaver competed on the 1932 U.S. Walker Cup team, going 1-0 in foursomes and 1-0 in singles play at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. as the U.S. won 8-1 over Great Britain and Ireland. In 1930, Seaver lost a U.S. Amateur semifinal match to Eugene Homans, who went on to lose to Bobby Jones in the finals, 8 & 7, giving Jones his legendary grand slam.

After graduating from Stanford, Seaver moved to Fresno where, among other things, he notes that it was at his suggestion that cereal companies add raisins into cereals. He won the Fresno City title six times in the 1940s and the 1949 Northern California Open. He also played in 39 Bing Crosby (now the AT&T) Pro-Ams at Pebble Beach, finally winning the title in 1964 while paired with Mike Fetchik, the Western Open champion.

Seaver was elected NCGA president in 1980 (his father had been SCGA president in 1928). Nongolfers know Charlie best as the father of baseball Hall-of-Fame pitcher and 300-game winner Tom Seaver. Charlie Seaver passed away on October 25, 2004 (a week before the 2004 Seaver Cup) at the age of 93.

Results