[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 105 (Wednesday, September 8, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CONGRATULATING TODD HAMILTON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 7, 2004

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to congratulate Illinois 
native Todd Hamilton on his win at the 133rd British Open Championship 
on Sunday, July 18, 2004.
  Born on October 18, 1965 in Galesburg, Illinois, Todd Hamilton was 
raised in the town of Oquawka. He practiced golf at Hend-Co Hills Golf 
Club in Biggsville and attended Biggsville's Union High School. At 
Union, he petitioned the school to create a golf club, and then went on 
to win the Illinois state high school golf championships during his 
junior and senior years. Next, Todd was an All-American golfer at the 
University of Oklahoma.
  Todd Hamilton went pro in 1987, and then spent 11 years golfing in 
Asia between 1992 and 2003, where he won tournaments such as the 
Thailand Open, Singapore Masters, Korean Open, and the Japan Golf 
Tour's Acom International. However, the esteemed PGA Tour eluded him. 
He finally made the PGA Tour in December 2003 on his eighth attempt, 
tying for 16th in the qualifying tournament at the age of 38.
  The four most important tournaments in golf are known as the 
``majors.'' They are the British Open, the U.S. Open, the Masters, and 
the USPGA championships, which make up the most important events in the 
golfing calendar. The British Open is golf's oldest national 
championship and the only one of the majors that is played outside the 
USA.
  When Todd Hamilton was given the opportunity to compete in the Open 
Championship, as the British Open is known in the United Kingdom, he 
defeated some of golf's best and most wellknown players, including 
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Winning this competition has elevated 
Todd Hamilton to rank among the world's best golfers.
  I am proud to represent the place where Todd Hamilton learned to play 
golf, and I think I speak for everyone in Oquawka and throughout 
Illinois when I say that we are so proud of Todd's remarkable 
achievement in the Open Championship. Todd Hamilton has demonstrated 
the tenacity, perseverance, and skill of a champion in his long journey 
to the top, and I wish him and his family the best of luck in this new 
chapter of his career.

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