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Next in our series of Western PA’s greatest amateurs is arguably the greatest. To see what inspired me to start this series featuring some of the greats from this region, [click here to read that story].
Sean Knapp’s journey to becoming Western Pennsylvania’s most decorated amateur golfer didn’t begin in childhood, nor did it follow the traditional path of early lessons and junior tournaments. In fact, if you’d told a young Knapp, who was more focused on basketball at Plum High School and later at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), that he’d one day be the winningest amateur in the region’s history, he might have laughed. But golf has a funny way of pulling people in, and for Knapp, it was love at first loop.
The Accidental Golf Legend
Knapp didn’t even take up golf until he was 19, an age when many elite players are already entrenched in the game. But after college, he caddied at Oakmont Country Club to make some extra money, and that’s where the magic started. Mondays were for caddies, and Knapp took full advantage, sometimes playing 54 holes in a day.
“I don’t know that I’d be playing golf if it wasn’t for that opportunity to caddie and fall in love with the game,” Knapp recalled. “It was everything.”
Fast forward to today, and Knapp, now 62, has rewritten the record books. With more than 40 tournament victories, 14 Player of the Year awards, and titles spanning five different decades, he’s the undisputed king of amateur golf in Western PA. He’s played in 18 U.S. Amateurs, 17 Mid-Amateurs, won the 2017 U.S. Senior Amateur, and faced some of golf’s biggest names, including a young Tiger Woods in the 1995 U.S. Amateur. (Knapp took one match that day, but ultimately fell to Woods). On that same day, he also defeated Notah Begay, marking a moment in history that any amateur would dream of.
A Game for a Lifetime
Unlike most sports, golf offers competitors a chance to stay in the game well beyond their prime athletic years. And if anyone embodies that reality, it’s Knapp. Just a short time ago, at age 61, he outlasted a field of players decades younger to win a record ninth Western Pennsylvania Amateur at Hannastown Golf Club. That victory solidified his place in history, surpassing William C. Fownes’ previous record of eight titles.
“Golf is a game for your lifetime,” Knapp emphasized. “It’s also a game about relationships. The friendships you build through golf are just as important as the trophies.”
The Stories You Can’t Make Up
Spend a few minutes with Knapp, and you’re bound to hear some great stories of his days caddying at Oakmont CC. Like the time a frustrated golfer at Oakmont ran up the hill on the ninth hole, half-jokingly trying to give himself a heart attack because he was playing so badly. Or the Monday when a guest bet Knapp his caddy fee that he couldn’t par the fourth hole. Knapp took the bet, finished the third hole, played the fourth and made bogey. No money for him that day.
Then there’s the story of playing in the Palmer Cup at Latrobe Country Club with his daughter Kensey on the bag. It was an incredibly hot September day, and after the round, she asked to use the women’s locker room to shower. While Knapp sat at Arnold Palmer’s table as he did every year, Palmer scolded him for not inviting his caddie inside. When Knapp explained that it was his daughter in the locker room, Palmer insisted she come into the Men’s Grill to meet him, despite the club’s no-female rule. “Nobody tells Mr. Palmer no twice,” Knapp joked. That moment was captured in a special photo, one that his daughter treasures to this day.
Playing alongside legends is something Knapp has experienced more than once. At Indianwood Golf & Country Club, he was paired with Tom Watson in the US Senior Open in 2012. The atmosphere was electric as they stepped onto the first tee, with a large crowd that had gathered primarily to watch Watson. Knapp said a quick prayer, hoping for a strong first shot, and was thrilled to launch a perfect drive down the fairway on the par-5 first hole. Then, Watson holed out for eagle from off the green, igniting cheers of “Tom! Tom! Tom!” from the crowd. Knapp followed up by sinking his own 20-foot eagle putt in dramatic fashion. “That’s a moment I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” he said.
Another career highlight came when he secured a tee time at one of golf’s most sacred grounds, Augusta National Golf Club. Knapp and his best friend, Nathan Smith, were invited to play with a member and none other than Phil Mickelson. “What an incredible experience,” Knapp said. To make it even more surreal, Tiger Woods was playing in the group behind them just days before the Masters. Mickelson didn’t just play with them; he spent hours after the round swapping stories, making an unforgettable day even more special.
What’s Next for Knapp?
If you know Knapp, and knowing he lives only a few blocks from Oakmont Country Club, you most certainly know he’s going to take a shot at qualifying for this year’s highly anticipated U.S. Open. “I’m headed to the Country Club of York to give it a go,” Knapp said with a smile. “If you don’t try, you definitely have no chance.” How exciting would it be for magic to happen one more time for this incredible local amateur golf legend?
With an exemption into the British Senior Amateur, Knapp still has competitive golf to look forward to on an international level. But for him, the game has never been solely about trophies. It’s about the camaraderie, the love of competition, and the challenge of always getting better. Whether it’s at his home club, Hannastown, or out on the national stage, you can bet Sean Knapp isn’t done making history just yet.
And in Western Pennsylvania golf, his name will always be legendary.
