Foursomes Championships

Started in 1954 by Jack and Fred Brand Jr. in honor of their father, Fred Brand Sr. – a long-time golf professional at Allegheny Country Club and winner of four WPGA Open Championships – the WPGA Brand Memorial Foursomes Championship has become an early season staple in the West Penn Golf schedule.

The competition, which features 36 holes of foursomes stroke play, has been held at Longue Vue Club each year since 1983, except for 2025 due to course construction at Longue Vue. 

Traditionally, the competition has brought out some of the top amateur competitors for the team competition and has been won by some of the key local figures in the game.

Throughout its history, one man succeeded above the rest, doing so on two different teams. Sean Knapp, a 9-time winner of the WPGA Amateur Championship, claimed eight titles with teammate Jeff Schroeder, including four-straight between 1998 and 2001. He then won six additional times with Nathan Smith, a three-time U.S. Walker Cup player and eventual U.S. Walker Cup captain. Knapp’s first two wins in the Brand Foursomes came in 1987, when he teamed up with Steve Fuhrer for the first of back-to-back wins.

In all, Knapp took home a trophy from the Fred Brand Foursomes a remarkable 17 times between 1987 and 2015.

The winner of the Fred Brand Memorial Foursomes Championship received the XXXX Trophy. 

The WPGA Semple Century Foursomes Championship was added in 1997 in honor of Bud and Dick Semple of Allegheny Country Club. The competition has, throughout history, been played concurrently with the Fred Brand Foursomes and as its own competition, primarily at Allegheny Country Club. It is currently run concurrently with the Brand.

The Semple Century Foursomes require both participating team members to be age 50 or older.

One team has stood out from the rest during the Semple Foursomes’ history, as the duo of Jim Crawford and Perry Graciano have combined to win five titles, including three straight from 2017 to 2019.

The winners of the Semple Foursomes Championship receive the XXXX Trophy.

Longue Vue Club, host of the 2026 WPGA Foursomes Championships.