Back to Where It All Began: Ed Whitman
Looking back, Ed Whitman has had one of the most spectacular careers on the golf course in New Jersey. He’s one of only three players to win the New Jersey Open four times – 1991, 1995, 1996 and 2004. As a result of his achievements, Whitman is considered one of the legends in New Jersey golf history, cementing himself as an NJSGA Hall of Famer in 2022.
This year, he returns to the place where his professional playing career kick-started – Plainfield Country Club. The Edison-based club hosted the 1975 New Jersey Open Championship - also the first year that Whitman qualified for the storied Garden State major championship.
It’s been 50 years and Whitman has played in every single Open since then – the only player to compete in that many New Jersey Open Championships consecutively. With his win, Whitman received a lifetime exemption, a criterion that was changed in 2008 to a 10-year exemption for champions.
After an 18-hole qualifier at Suburban in 1975, Whitman shot a 73 to earn a spot in the 55th Open Championship.
"It was my first time trying to qualify,” Whitman recalled. “I had never played before and I wasn't sure if 73 was good enough, so I was shaking a little bit coming down the stretch.”
Although it would be 16 more years before he would hoist the C.W. Badenhausen Trophy, he looks back at that first Open experience fondly.
“I made five birdies in my first nine holes at Plainfield,” Whitman recalled. “I shot a 41 on the back nine and ended up shooting 75 in round one. Plainfield is a great golf course. It's one of my favorite courses in New Jersey. I've been treated to play there many times. It’s always in great condition and a great test for people of our ability at the state level. I really look forward to my 50th State Open.”
In that first attempt at the C.W. Badenhausen Trophy, Whitman tied for 15th, earning $147.22. An assistant golf professional at Oak Hill Golf Club at the time, Whitman’s results progressed as did his career. He moved from his post at Oak Hill to an assistant position at Hackensack Golf Club and from there, earned a head golf professional role at Knickerbocker Country Club where he’d work for over 30 years.
When he won his first Open title in 1991, he would do so in record-setting fashion. Before the Open format shifted to 54 holes in 2001, Whitman played the 36-hole finale in an impressive 11-under par to win by a whopping 10 strokes. His 17-under par total was the lowest total in tournament history at the time, which stood until the format changed in 2000.
Many of the competitors he played alongside during his heydey – Frank Esposito, Steve Sieg, David Glenz, Mark McCormick, and Mike Burke have been along for the ride, creating stories of their own, wins of their own and many of them still competing against one another to this day.
“We're all friendly and everybody has remained friends - so it's a friendly competition,” Whitman mentioned. “We're all proud of each other at what we have accomplished. These guys have lasted quite a while and we've been lucky. It must have been something in the water back then.”
Now, at 71, Whitman is eager to head back to Plainfield, where the course has changed a bit, but his mindset hasn’t.
“I'm looking forward to trying to perform respectably,” Whitman added. “Walking around Plainfield, I'll reminisce on all my shots that I hit well or even poorly over the years, and I'll very much enjoy that. I’ll remember those times that I could reach a green or I could drive the 4th hole.”
Whitman is set to tee off in the 104th Open Championship presented by Donnelly Industries on Tuesday at 9:18 a.m. ET off No. 10 and Wednesday at 1:48 p.m. ET off No. 1.
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