This article originally appeared in the September issue of NCGA Golf Magazine
It was at the recent U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club that Tyler Tharpe got one of the assignments a Rules official dreams of.
The 66-year-old Tharpe, who’s a member of the NCGA Board of Directors, was Referee for the 36-hole final match between teenagers Jackson Herrington and eventual champion Mason Howell.
Tharpe was no random pick to do the job. A member at Riverside Golf Course in Fresno, Tharpe has been a Tournament Official for the NCGA since 2003. He also has worked over 65 USGA championships, including 13 different championships in 26 different states. Just a few weeks after the U.S. Amateur, he also acted as an observer for a Saturday Singles match at the Walker Cup at Cypress Point Club.
When he’s not out on the course, he serves as a Superior Court Judge in Fresno County.
We caught up with Tharpe following the conclusion of the historic 125th U.S. Amateur and 50th Walker Cup championships.
Q: How did you start volunteering?
TT: A good friend of mine (Frank Parr) was a former board member of the NCGA, a member of my golf club and a renowned Rules official for the USGA. I had officiated basketball and football with Frank’s son. Frank knew I loved golf and sports officiating. When I retired from playing competitive golf and officiating other sports, Frank encouraged me to put the two together and become a golf official. I became an NCGA Tournament official in 2003, and a USGA Rules official in 2006.
Q: What is your background as a Referee?
TT: I officiated high school basketball, high school and Division I NCAA softball, high school baseball and high school and college football for many years. Until golf, most of my referee experience was with football - 20 years and about 550 games. I was the head referee for many San Joaquin Valley Championships.
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Q: Do you have a specific Refereeing career highlight?
TT: I have now refereed matches at two Walker Cups—2017 at Los Angeles CC and now most recently at Cypress Point. Those are definitely highlights. Other memorable occasions were walking with a group for two days at the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont that included the World No.1 AI Miyazato, World No.2 Jiyai Shin and Michelle Wie. I also refereed matches at the 2023 LPGA International Crown at TPC Harding Park and the Arnold Palmer Cup in Ireland.
Q: Did you have to make any rulings during the U.S. Amateur 36-hole final?
TT: I did, four times. One was who’s turn it was to play, one was relief from interference with sprinkler heads and twice I had to determine if a ball was embedded (it wasn’t).
Q: Anything interesting happen at the Walker Cup while being an official Observer? How were the views?
A GB&I player's ball came to rest on a spectator's jacket laying on the ground. He got free relief, but after a lot of spectator laughs. Walking the course, there were jaw-dropping views at every turn.
