By: Shane René, USGA P.J. Boatwright Intern
If the Idaho amateur golf community had a Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods-type figure, most would point to Scott Masingill.
The Payette native was born into one of the families that established Scotch Pines Golf Course in 1962 (then Payette Golf Course), where the seeds of his historic amateur career took root. A couple decades later he would try his hand at course architecture during the course’s expansion from nine to 18 holes, and he served as president of its board of directors. For decades, his love of golf has been rivaled only by his commitment to the communities that raised him.
“I’ve lived in Idaho my whole life,” he said. “So, anything that says it’s a state tournament, I’m interested in it.”
Golf was not always the obvious path forward for Masingill, who grew up showing talent for a variety of sports including basketball and baseball. In fact, baseball was the family sport, played by his father and uncle, and a popular pastime in the town that raised MLB legend Harman Killebrew. But as Masingill arrived at his sophomore year, Payette High School wouldn’t allow him to play both sports due to the amount of time each would force him out of classes. When his parents arranged hitting lessons with Killebrew for Masingill and his cousin Brad, the Hall of Famer suggested, on account of their slender builds, that they better stick to golf.
Today, Masingill’s legacy, which is highlighted by stunning longevity, stands on the shoulders of his unmistakable talent. After winning his first junior tournament in 1967, it wasn’t until 1999 that he endured a title-less season on the golf course. Following consecutive state titles with Payette High School, Masingill played for his beloved Oregon State Beavers, where he won the PAC-8 championship in 1971, besting the likes of Tom Watson and Craig Stadler.
In 1972, Masingill captured his first Idaho Men’s Amateur title, beginning a run across four decades that would become the flagship accomplishment of his career. Today Masingill stands alone with nine state titles, winning his last in 2001, and continues to make strong showings in the event as he wades into his 70's. In 2023, he entered the final round with just three players between him and the lead — two of them were yet to graduate high school and the third was 22 years old.
“I was a college kid trying to beat the older guys; I was the older guy trying to beat the college kid; I was the father just trying to cobble something together,” he said. “So, each of those eras was a completely different challenge.”
Masingill turned professional in the wake of his final Men’s Amateur win, at 50 years old, and spent a few years Monday qualifying into events before earning status on the Champions Tour in 2006. Across 33 appearances in Champions tour events, including a handful of Senior Major Championships, he shared fairways with many of the game’s greatest champions. But ultimately, Masingill says the magnet that drew him back to the amateur game is the people who play alongside him. They are doctors and lawyers, plumbers and schoolteachers, students and social workers; they are successful, he notes, in other parts of their lives. Their lives are enriched by the game, but never made miserable (at least, not too miserable) by the horrors of their short game. They are people for whom golf is not a matter of life and death, but a matter of heart and soul.
Masingill is drawn to them because he’s one of them; he’s one of us. He just happens to have won more times than most of us have in our dreams.
The IGA announced in 2019 that the Men’s Amateur trophy be named in Masingill’s honor and he’s handed the Scott Masingill Cup over to the winner every year since — even after being in contention to win it many of those years.
“I’m flattered that somebody feels that way about me,” Masingill said as he reflected on having his name on the Men’s Amateur trophy. “When you’re doing this, you don’t know what legacy you’re going to have. And that just embedded that all of the things that I’ve done — and what I’ve been — is worth it.”
Accomplishment Highlights:
Idaho Men’s Amateur Champion (1972, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2000 & 2001)
Match Play Champion (5-time winner)
1997 PNGA Master-40 Champion
Champion’s Tour (2001-06)