Merion’s U.S. Amateurs: The Vietnam Vet, The Masters Marker and the Runner-Up

ARDMORE, Pa.—After John Capers III qualified for the 1966 U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club, his family’s home course, he rushed home to tell his mother the good news. She congratulated her son, then handed him an envelope. The return address was from the U.S. Army. Capers had been drafted to serve in Vietnam. He was 21 years old.

“I did not play in that one,” Capers says, a hint of melancholy in his voice, “but if you listen to the opening line that Byron Nelson did for the preamble to the Amateur, it said, ‘Welcome to Merion, where 320 people are marching around the golf course, but one, who should be here, is marching at Fort Knox.’ That meant a lot.”

The through lines between the U.S. Amateur and Merion run deep, from Capers to Bobby Jones securing the single-season grand slam on the 11th hole here to another Merion member nearly beating Tiger Woods in this very tournament.

Now, a new chapter in that history will be written as the U.S. Amateur returns to Merion for a record seventh time from August 10-16. Defending champion Mason Howell is playing. So is junior sensation Miles Russell and World Amateur No. 1 Preston Stout. Yes, a Merion member, Drue Nicholas, also qualified.

As much as this tournament is always about showcasing the future stars of the game, the 2026 U.S. Amateur is equally about the course, its history with this tournament, and the members who take pride in their role supporting the amateur game.

“This is part of our DNA. It’s who we are,” says Bill Lynch, the General Chair of the U.S. Amateur from Merion. “When someone joins Merion, they know about its rich golf history and they know that the potential lies to host more tournaments and they really relish that. Members love the fact that Merion has the history that it has and they like being part of that.”

No one more so than Capers.

The Vietnam Vet

For roughly the last 40 years, Capers has spent countless hours curating Merion’s archives. What started as an unorganized mess in a storage room in the pro shop is now a temperature-controlled museum in the basement showcasing Merion’s vast history.

Merion’s famous wicker basket flag pins, called standards, hang on a wall alongside golf clubs and “Merion” license plates from various states around the country. Coffee cups, beer mugs, plates, silver serving trays and all sorts of enamelware adorned with Merion’s logo line the shelves. There are thousands of books and magazines down here, pins and patches from past USGA championships, belts and balls. Really, anything to do with Merion over the last century.

As Merion’s historian and archivist, this is Capers’ domain. He takes pride in his work. The aesthetics are exquisite. Ironically, you can’t write Merion’s history without Capers or his family.

“John has a very special place in this club,” Lynch says. “The history of Merion is part of who he is and he’s also part of that championship history.”

Capers is the only Merion member to win the junior club championship (twice), the club championship (seven times), the senior club championship (five times) and the super senior club championship (five times). In all, he’s won 19 club championships in his 70-plus years at the club.

“The key to that is really simple,” Capers says, a wry smile coming over his face. “You just gotta live long enough.”

Capers is also the first to remind you of his mother’s success at the club.

“Mother was the player in the family,” he says. “She had seven [women’s club championships].”

Capers served his year tour in Vietnam. After returning, he qualified for the 1968 U.S. Amateur at Scioto Country Club. It was a four-round stroke play tournament at the time. He played poorly in the first round, but went out early in the second round and led the tournament.

“It didn’t last long,” he jokes. “Maybe three or four groups.”

Though he missed the U.S. Amateur at his home course and didn’t feel he played his best in his second appearance, Capers's passion for this event and all the USGA events Merion hosts is as evident as his passion for Merion’s history. It flows through his veins, bubbling close to the surface. You can feel it in the air when he speaks.

“The Merion experience is giving back to the game of golf, whether it’s in the archives or out on the course,” Capers says. “The membership thinks they owe it to the game. We’ve got 120 acres out there, which needs to be shared with the world. Whether it’s a men’s tournament, a women’s tournament, an amateur or a professional, it is part of the game, and we enjoy doing it.”

The Masters Marker

Michael McDermott has played in five U.S. Amateurs. He’s also played in the Masters twice as the club’s marker. But when asked what he remembers from his impressive U.S. Amateur career, another moment comes to mind:

An out-of-bounds ball on the 36th hole of qualifying that derailed his chances of playing in the 2005 U.S. Amateur.

The Am was at Merion that year. McDermott joined the club the year before. He qualified for the previous five U.S. Amateurs. In 2003, he advanced to the final 16 of match play, beating eventual PGA Tour winner J.B. Holmes on the way. Certainly, there was an expectation, internally and externally, that he would qualify for the tournament at his home club.

One OB ball after 35 steady holes in the July heat derailed that dream.

“To call that a heartbreak would be an understatement,” McDermott says.

It’s one of the things that impresses McDermott most about fellow Merion member Drue Nicholas, 23, qualifying for this year’s U.S. Amateur. As the best player at the host site, especially one with as many talented players as Merion, there’s an expectation you’ll qualify and represent the club in the U.S. Amateur.

“The biggest challenge or stress is actually qualifying to play,” McDermott says. “Drue brilliantly qualified and that took away a lot of pressure. Now I think Drue has the ability to play rather free. Kudos to him for making it because I know how difficult it is.”

Nicholas, who has won two straight Philadelphia Open Championships, secured his spot in the U.S. Am with a 2-under 69 at the Llanerch Country Club qualifier. He also played in the U.S. Amateur last year at the Olympic Club.

“I take a lot of mentorship from Michael McDermott and Cole Berman,” Nicholas says. “I know the golf course pretty well, but they know it better than I do.”

McDermott thinks that could be critical at Merion.

“Merion could be a course for a Mid-Am to find success if they do get into match play because it's more of a thinking course,” McDermott says. “It doesn't necessarily favor just a bomber. It requires such elevated thinking to properly work your way around the golf course.”

That mental fortitude helped McDermott win a Pennsylvania Amateur Championship, three Philadelphia Amateur Championships, multiple Philly Mid-Ams and two Crump Cups, Pine Valley’s prestigious amateur invitational. It’s also undoubtedly helped in his role as Augusta National’s marker, which is a non-competing playing partner for a single competitor when there are an odd number of players who make the cut at the Masters.

McDermott has filled that role twice since 2023, playing alongside the pros in the most prestigious major of the year. Right now, he's focused solely on the Am.

“There’s one thing that’s absolutely clear: the next Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler or Jordan Spieth is going to be playing in this tournament,” McDermott says. “We don't know who they are yet. We don't know how good they'll be. But the stars of the future will be at Merion.”

The Runner-Up

Everyone remembers their biggest loss in golf. It’s natural. As in life, the near misses tend to occupy a larger portion of our brain than the triumphs. When that loss comes against Tiger Woods, the reminders are a little more prominent.

For the last 31 years, George “Buddy” Marucci has been asked about his 1995 loss to Woods in the U.S. Amateur championship match at Newport Country Club. It was David vs Goliath; the then 43-year-old lifelong amateur Marucci against the transcendent prodigy taking over golf, Woods. Goliath won that day, but David took him the distance.

It would be easy for Marucci, a member at Merion since 1991, to be bitter about that loss; to look back and think, ‘what if?’ He was 3 up on Woods through 12 holes. He was 1 up after the first 18. He made a birdie on the 35th hole to extend the match. Then Woods stuffed one to a foot on the last hole to win 2 up.

Rather than lament what could have been, Marucci recognizes and appreciates what that loss meant for him.

“The U.S. Amateur changes somebody's life every year. It did for me and I finished second,” says Marucci. “1995 was a Walker Cup year. That was the way I made the team, which was one of the most significant moments of my career.”

This year is a Walker Cup year. Someone could play their way onto the team based on their finish at Merion. Who knows where that could lead.

Marucci parlayed his Amateur runner-up into two Walker Cup appearances as a player and two as a captain, including in 2009 when the match was hosted at Merion. He won the 2008 U.S. Senior Amateur and four Pennsylvania Amateur Championships. He’s played in over 55 USGA events, including 23 Amateurs. He played in the Masters, the Crump Cup and all the biggest Amateur tournaments in the nation.

“Playing in the U.S. Amateur is the pinnacle of any amateur's career,” he says. “Just participating in the Amateur is quite an accomplishment. I really appreciate what all these young men have done to get there.

“The feeling around the club hosting an amateur, where people are playing for tradition and the pure sport of the game, really resonates with our membership. They rally around the kids. Because of the tradition and because of the history and how far it goes back with the USGA, they feel more a part of it.”

The Disciple

Noel Volpe once played a match against Marucci in the North and South Amateur. Marucci beat him with relative ease. Volpe told Marucci that story soon after becoming a member in 2011. Marucci didn't remember the match.

“He looked at me like I was roadkill,” Volpe says with a joking laugh. “Of course, he beat a million people like me. But for me, playing against Buddy was significant.”

Volpe played in the 1993 U.S. Amateur. He was the first alternate in 1992. He played collegiately at Duke. After graduating, he played in some mini tour events as an amateur to see how he fared. After a year, he took his parents' advice.

“Get a real job.”

Volpe’s father, Ray, was the first LPGA commissioner. Volpe grew up in New York City and went into finance after the mini tours. He’s fared quite well professionally. He’d likely joke he’s done better there than as an amateur golfer. He’s self-deprecating about his game like that, though he still carries a 3 handicap.

Yet for all his success, for all the experiences life has afforded him, his real passion shines through when the subject of Capers is broached.

“I’m definitely a Capers disciple,” Volpe says. “Every time I’m in town, I always reach out to John and have dinner with him. It’s one of my favorite things to do at the club.”

They talk about a lot of things, but the history of Merion invariably comes up. Capers and Volpe have stories for days.

There’s the one about Merion’s famous logo and how then head professional Bill Kittleman painted it himself and incorporated Scotch Broom because other people wanted to remove the invasive weed from the course.

“He won that argument."

There’s the story of Merion course architect Hugh Wilson booking passage on the Titanic’s fateful return trip from England, but staying overseas at the last second, “to see a few more courses.”

“Merion wouldn’t even exist as it is today if it wasn’t for that.”

But the best story is about what happened after Francesco Molinari won the 2005 U.S. Amateur at Merion.

“He (Molinari) didn’t pack enough clothing because he didn’t think he would advance as far as he did,” Volpe says. “So he goes into the pro shop and buys the white shirt with horizontal stripes you see in the championship photo. He had to buy four of them. After he won, John rips the shirt off his back and gets him to sign it for the archives. He had to buy him another one.”

There might be one story Volpe doesn't know. Capers wouldn't shirk his service requirements with the army, but then Pennsylvania governor Bill Scranton, who was a family friend, would have wanted to help.

"When the governor found out [I was drafted] later, and it was quite a while later, he got very upset with my mother," Capers says. "He said, 'why didnt you call me? All you had to do was call me and I could have changed it.'"

We can't rewrite history, but we can imagine Capers playing in the U.S. Amateur at Merion. Instead, as Lord Byron said, he was marching at Fort Knox.

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