SLIPPERY ROCK The Butler Eagle Amateur Open is keeping the same location for the first time since 2002.

The 15th annual golf event, designed to crown the best amateur golfer in Butler County, will take place Aug. 9 at Oakview Golf Club. Oakview also hosted last year's tournament.

No course has held the Eagle Amateur in consecutive years since Lake Arthur Country Club in 2001-02.

"Oakview strongly indicated to us that they wanted us back," said Eagle Amateur committee member John Carpenter. "They loved last year's tournament and are accommodating us in every way."

There were 135 golfers in the field last year. Sean Knapp, one of the top amateur players in Western Pennsylvania, carded a 2-under-par 68 to win the event.

Mark Young is the only golfer to win the Eagle Amateur twice in the past 15 years. No one has won it in consecutive years.

"With so many good golfers in the county and a one-day, 18-hole format ... this is what you're going to get: unpredictability," Carpenter said.

Carpenter is a longtime member of Oakview, which played a factor in the event returning to the course.

"When a member is involved in an event like this, we want to host it," said first-year Oakview general manager Jesse Horner. "This is a chance to showcase our course to a lot of the top players around.

"We have to close the course to our membership for a day to host this event, but a lot of our members will be playing in it anyway. And we may be able to attract more prospective members."

Joining Carpenter on the Eagle Amateur committee are Bill Black, Tom Righi, Rob Voltz, Tom Sheehan and Jay Frederick. Voltz (2007) and Black (1997) are former champions.

"Oakview is bringing the course back to its membership," Carpenter said. "I think that's one of the reasons they wanted our tournament so badly.

"I take it as a positive for our event, what the Eagle Amateur has grown into."

The Eagle Amateur consists of a championship flight, three other flights and a seniors division for players age 50 and older. The seniors division winner received a separate trophy for the first time last year.

Carpenter said a separate women's division might be added this year.

"We're trying to get a lot more women to play in the tournament and presenting a separate trophy might be the way to do that," he said.

Knapp had never played Oakview's course before winning last year's Eagle Amateur. He beat out former Oakview club champion and Grove City resident Cameron Peterson by two strokes.

"Sean was impressed by the course," Horner said. "He described it as a challenging test. There's no water hazards on the course, but you can get a lot of bogies out there.

"We've had golfers play all year out here and they don't lose a ball. At the same time, the course plays tough if you miss greens."

Horner played golf for Slippery Rock University from 1985-88, with Oakview serving as The Rock's home course. The best round he shot at Oakview during his college years was 67.

"I grew up on a 9-hole course in Foxburg and I always wanted to play in the Butler County Open," he recalled. "This (Eagle Amateur) is a spinoff of that."

<B>Year Winner Course Score</B>2008 Sean Knapp Oakview 68 (-2)2007 Rob Voltz Hiland 65 (-5)2006 Nathan Bilski Lake Arthur 69 (-3)2005 Doug Knox Oakview 70 (E)2004 Mike Toubakaris Pheasant Ridge 70 (-2)2003 Chris Marron Hiland 68 (-2)2002 Mark Young Lake Arthur 67 (-5)2001 Chuck Young Lake Arthur 67 (-5)2000 Greg Minda Oakview 71 (+1)1999 Sean Swidzinski Oakview 72 (+2)1998 Dave Hungerman Hiland 64 (-6)1997 Bill Black Hiland 66 (-4)1996 Jim Hepler Hiland 68 (-2)1995 Mark Young Lake Arthur 68 (-4)