• Course: Niagara Falls Country Club
• City: Lewiston, N.Y.
• Yardage: 6,837
• Par: 70
• Format: Stroke play
• Round 1 begins: Wednesday
• Weather forecast: Rain during the first round, with cloudy skies and temperatures in the 80s for the rest of the week.
• 2009 champion: Brendan Gielow
• Why you should watch: The Porter Cup traditionally has one of the summer’s best fields. Niagara Falls CC has four par 4s that are 450 yards or longer and three par 5s, the longest at 576 yards. While players may have their eyes set on eagle, they have to make sure not to find the thick rough around the greens. Also, the last three winners of the tournament have all played for Team USA at the Walker Cup.
• Wildman’s pick: Peter Uihlein. The last time he teed it up, Uihlein dominated the Sahalee Players Championship and won by seven shots over Andrew Putnam. Whatever he was doing at Sahalee Country Club seemed to work. I expect him to continue his fine form on the East Coast. Uihlein, No. 2 in the Golfweek/amateurgolf.com Amateur Player Rankings, has had a strong summer so far, and I like him to be in the mix on Saturday for the chance to hoist another trophy.
• Sleeper pick: Tim Mickelson. The San Diego head coach was tied for first heading in to the final round last year, but stumbled with four bogeys in an eight-hole stretch. He went on to tie for eighth. Still, Mickelson knows how play Niagara Falls CC. Can he put together four straight good rounds?

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Pacific Coast Amateur

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