Contrary to what some may believe, I did not cover the North and South Amateur at Pinehurst Country Club when George Dutton won in 1901.

I wasn't even around when Francis Ouimet won the title in 1920. There was an article in The New York Times about Ouimet entering the North and South that year, though, and my most reliable sources inform me that it may have been written by a veteran golf reporter for The Times by the name of Gordon White.

Reading through a list of the former winners of the North and South is like taking a walk though the history of the game.

Did you know that George Voight won three titles in a row in 1927, '28, '29? Or that George Dunlap won the championship seven times, including a record four years in a row? His first win came in 1931 and his seventh in 1942.

The late Harvie Ward, one of the Pinehurst legends he won back-to-back U.S. Amateurs in 1955-1956, won the North and South in 1948.

Bill Campbell became a legend in his own right when his won his fourth N&S title in 1967, 18 years after his first in 1950.

The colorful Billy Joe Patton, a North Carolina golf icon, won three times.

Jack Nicklaus won it in 1959, and Jack Nicklaus II won in 1985.

Wake Forest golfers dominated for four years, as Curtis Strange won in 1974-1975 and Gary Hallberg in 1976-1977.

Pinehurst's own Kelly Mitchum took a break from winning everything at N.C. State to claim the 1993 championship, and Paul Simson won back-to-back in 1995-1996, teaching a bunch of eager youngsters the art of scrambling.

Phillip Mollica proved the value of experience, earning qualifying honors in 2006, then returning in 2007 to claim the whole enchilada.

There was a time when the North and South, initiated by the late Richard Tufts, was rated one of the most prestigious amateur events in the country, if not the world. Golfers came from everywhere to play and walked the storied halls of the clubhouse with reverence.

But when the Tufts family sold the resort to the Diamondhead Corp., things began eroding. The parent corporation, McLean Trucking, appeared to have more interest in what it could truck out of the resort than what it could add.

As a result, tradition took a back seat to profits and it was not until 1984 when Club Corp purchased the resort that things began turning around again.

At the direction of new owner Robert Dedman Sr., Pat Corso and the late Don Padgett I put their hearts and souls into the resurrection of the Pinehurst traditions. Padgett was a familiar sight as he toured the course during the matches in his large straw hat.

The championship has been gaining renewed stature for several years now and appeared hampered only by a spring date that conflicted with several other amateur events. The dates have been moved to summer, and word is spreading among amateurs that the North and South experience is not to be missed.

The championship draws national and international media attention as well as a strong field, with college players coveting the title for their resumes.

The renewed prominence of the North and South comes as no surprise to Ehren Link, who has worked with it for the past six years, the last three as director of tournament operations

"Pinehurst has the facility and golf courses to create an experience that golfers can't get anywhere else," he said, referring to the Donald Ross-designed No. 2 Course that has hosted U.S. Opens in 1999 and 2005.

"Also, -- and I know this is an old clich -- but the golfers really enjoy the Southern hospitality. I really mean that."

Although Link is leaving Pinehurst for a public relations position in Raleigh, he cherishes the opportunity to have been a part of the resurgence of the North and South.

"For me, personally, I guess the most satisfying thing is that I have been responsible for adding two names to the list of champions on the wall," he said.

"When I'm walking through the hallway and see the plaque with those two nameplates that were added under my direction, that's special."