Charles Seaver took his first golf lesson at age nine from his father and 1920 SCGA Amateur Champion, E.H. Seaver. With the game in his DNA and an elite golfer as a role model, young Charles grew up rubbing shoulders with the greats, such as Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen and Bobby Jones.

Only six years after learning the game, he captured the 1926 Southern California Junior Amateur Championship and The Los Angeles Country Club Invitational. Charles later reached the semifinals of the 1930 U.S. Amateur, all before the start of his college career.

It was not until 1932 when Charles truly became a household name. While a member of the Stanford University golf team, Seaver earned a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team, winning the biennial competition, 8 to 1. Charles went undefeated in both his singles and foursomes matches.

His run from 1933-34 cemented him as one of the greatest amateur golfers to ever grace California’s fairways. In 1933, Charles picked up victories at the California Amateur as well as the Northern California Golf Association Amateur Championship. In 1934, he won the SCGA Amateur, joining George Von Elm as one of only two players to hold all three major California amateur titles.

Father to Baseball Hall-of-Famer Tom Seaver, Charles had success off the golf course as well. He worked in the food industry after moving to Fresno, where he introduced raisins into breakfast cereal. His lucrative career allowed him to play in what is now the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 39 times, winning in 1964 with Mike Fetchick.

The Seaver Cup, named after Charles, was created in 1998 by the NCGA and SCGA to bring together the best players in the golden state to compete against each other. This biennial competition continues to honor Charles’ accomplishments and passion for the game.