Celebrating a Legacy: The Journey of the Porter Cup
From Humble Beginnings to a Premier Amateur Golf Event
The Porter Cup Story
The Porter Cup was first staged in 1959. It was originally known as the International Invitational at Niagara Falls Country Club and consisted largely of businessmen and college students from Western New York and Southern Ontario. John Konsek a Purdue University senior overcame a three stroke deficit on the back nine to beat his arch rival Ward Wettlaufer of Buffalo by one shot to claim the title.
The following year the tournament was expanded from 54 to 72 holes and renamed the Porter Cup after prominent local businessman Alex Porter.
Prior to his death in 1978 the tournaments original director Dick Harvey passed the torch on to his friends and assistants, Dr Willian McMahon and Dr. Edward Rozek and they continued to grow the tournament into one of the premier events in amateur golf. Following his death in 1995 McMahon’s favorite spot on the course where the third, fourth, six and seventh holes are clustered was dedicated as “Doc’s Corner” where a small monument was placed along the cart path to mark the spot.
Since then the Porter Cup is proud to have hosted over 67 Major winners on PGA, LIV and LPGA tours including the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Brian Harman, Brooke Henderson and many other greats.
A group of senior golfers competed in the tournament from 1978 until 2008 when 27 time NFCC Club Champion Fred Silver started a separate tournament for the seniors that now includes a Senior, Super Senior and Legends Division.
In 2013 a women’s tournament was added with Casey Cathrea the winner of the inaugural event. Among the other women’s winners throughout the tournament’s history is LPGA star Brooke Henderson who won the event in 2014.
In 2023 both men’s and women’s event were combined making the Porter Cup only the second amateur event to combine both fields.
As always, the Porter Cup Executive Committee would like to extend it’s thanks to the volunteers, outstanding membership, Board of Governors and our sponsors and advertisers without whom this tournament would not exist.
Over the years, the Porter Cup has been a stage for many who would go on to become major winners and PGA Tour stars. Names like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Scott Verplank, and Ben Crenshaw are etched in its history, each having honed their skills on the challenging greens of the Niagara Falls Country Club.
A Legacy of Champions
Past Champions
The Porter Cup has been a pivotal stepping stone in the careers of many golfing legends. This prestigious tournament not only tests skill and endurance but also serves as a launchpad for future success on the global stage. The list of past champions is a testament to the tournament's role in shaping the journeys of some of the most celebrated names in golf
Tournament Recaps
In these special year-by-year men’s tournament recaps, historians of the Porter Cup have
meticulously documented the tournament since its debut in 1959. Included in the recaps are
the original newspaper headlines published by the Niagara Gazette, Buffalo News or Courier
Express along with the final results.
