Hosting the tournament is a big win for Gold Mountain, which was selected as this year’s host by the USGA back in 2002. This will be the first national championship event the USGA has held in Washington in a decade, and the first Public Links tournament in the Puget Sound area since 1968.

The USGA conducts 13 US championship tournaments each year, including 10 tournaments exclusively for amateurs. The U.S. Amateur Public Links tournament, started in 1922, is open to any amateur, public-course player with a USGA Handicap Index 8.4 or less. Interested players must apply to participate, and the application form will be available on the USGA Web site, www.usga.org/championships, starting the second week of March.

The application period will close May 24 and initial qualifying rounds for an expected 6,000 players will be held across the country June 17-25. Gold Mountain will host one of these qualifying rounds on June 19. Scott Alexander, Gold Mountain’s director, expects about 120 players to participate in the round hosted at Gold Mountain, which should result in four area players winning spots in the national championship.

“You get spots in the championship based on the number of qualifying players,” said Alexander.

The qualifying rounds will eliminate all but 156 players, who will play the majority of the tournament in threesomes. Gold Mountain’s Olympic course will close to the public the Thursday evening before the championship tournament, to give participating players the opportunity for practice. July 10 and 11 will be stroke play days, and then the tournament will switch to match play for the next three days. Saturday, the final day of the tournament, the two highest-ranking players will face off for the championship and the coveted Master’s invitation.

Although the USGA administers the rules for the tournament, Alexander and his Gold Mountain crew are fully responsible for organizing the event, from obtaining funding to recruiting the 300 to 350 volunteers needed to run the event.

“We’re most of the way there,” he said.

The tournament is free and open to members of the public who wish to attend the event as spectators, and Alexander encourages people who are interested to come down and be a part of the gallery.

“That’s one thing that adds excitement and atmosphere,” he said.

Corollary events to the tournament are also being planned and will include a Kid’s Day at the Championship. Updates on the tournament are available at Gold Mountain’s Web site, www.goldmt.com.