Matt Younts and Will Bowman earn spots in U.S. Amateur Championship
ADVANCE, N.C. – UNCG rising sophomore Matt Younts and alumn Will Bowman grabbed two of three qualifying spots at a sectional qualifier for the 2010 U.S. Amateur Championship on Tuesday.
Bowman and Younts tied for second with a 36-hole score of six-under 138 to earn spots in the championship field. The 2010 U.S. Amateur Championship will be played at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash., from Aug. 23-29, 2010.
Harold Varner of Gastonia, N.C., won the qualifier by one shot over Bowman and Younts. Younts, a Stokesdale, N.C., native, was the leader at the midway point with an opening-round 66. He carded a 72 on Tuesday to earn a spot in the field.
Bowman, a native of Greensboro who completed his eligibility last season, carded identical rounds of 69 to earn his bid.
Several other current and former Spartans were in the qualifier. Ryan Heisey tied for fifth, narrowly missing an alternate's slot, while Kyle Sonday and Justin Clement tied for 12th.
This year's championship will mark the first time the U.S. Amateur has been played at Chambers Bay, which will also host the 2015 U.S. Open. It will be the third municipally owned course to host a U.S. Open when the tournament visits in 2015.
Only eight months after Chambers Bay opened for public play in 2007, the USGA announced it was taking the 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2015 U.S. Open to the facility. The course, measuring at 7,742 yards, received rave reviews, including being named the best new public course for 2008 by Golf Digest magazine.
Chambers Bay was built entirely on fescue grass and features exactly one tree on the entire layout. Created from a former gravel mine, the course features wide fairways, large dunes and the kind of wispy rough one might encounter on the famous links venues in Scotland and Ireland. The course is designed to play firm and fast, a philosophy the USGA adheres to in its championship setups.
The Amateur Championship is the oldest golf championship in this country - one day older than the U.S. Open. Except for an eight-year period, from 1965-72, when it was stroke play, the Amateur has been a match-play championship.
Over the years, as interest in the game grew and the number of quality players increased, it became necessary to establish a national handicapping system to determine who was eligible to compete in the Amateur. The USGA's first national handicap list, which was published for the 1912 Championship, was the forerunner of the present-day USGA Golf Handicap System.
Throughout its history, the U.S. Amateur has been the most coveted of all amateur titles. Many of the great names of professional golf, such as Gene Littler, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lanny Wadkins, Craig Stadler, Jerry Pate, Mark O'Meara, Hal Sutton, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, grace the Havemeyer Cup.
It was, however, longtime amateur Robert T. Jones Jr. who first attracted media coverage and spectator attendance at the Amateur Championship. Jones captured the championship five times (1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1930). His 1930 victory was a stunning moment in golf history when, at Merion Cricket Club in Ardmore, Pa., Jones rounded out the Grand Slam, winning the four major American and British championships in one year.
|
Place |
Competitor |
Score |
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Qualifiers |
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|
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1 |
Harold Varner III, Gastonia, NC |
69-68--137 (-7) |
|
|
T2 |
William Bowman, Greensboro, NC |
69-69--138 (-6) |
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|
T2 |
Matthew Younts, Stokesdale, NC |
66-72--138 (-6) |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
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Alternates |
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|
|
1st Alt. |
Rob McRae, Augusta, GA |
69-70--139 (-5) |
|
|
2nd Alt. |
Johnny Kyger, Salisbury, NC |
69-71--140 (-4) |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Failed to Qualify |
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|
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T5 |
Ben Karns, Columbia, SC |
68-72--140 (-4) |
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|
T5 |
Ryan Heisey, Greensboro, NC |
72-68--140 (-4) |
|
|
T5 |
Steve Harwell, Mooresville, NC |
69-71--140 (-4) |
|
|
9 |
Quinn Rogan, Columbia, SC |
70-71--141 (-3) |
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T10 |
Daniel Meggs, Charlotte, NC |
70-72--142 (-2) |
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T10 |
Curtis Brotherton, High Point, NC |
71-71--142 (-2) |
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T12 |
Lance Wheeler, Claremont, NC |
69-74--143 (-1) |
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T12 |
Kyle Sonday, Greensboro, NC |
74-69--143 (-1) |
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T12 |
Cliff Benson, Raleigh, NC |
73-70--143 (-1) |
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|
T12 |
Kyle Wilson, Mount Airy, NC |
70-73--143 (-1) |
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|
T12 |
Justin Clement, Lexington, NC |
71-72--143 (-1) |
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|
T17 |
Adam Webb, Ridgeway, VA |
73-71--144 (Even) |
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|
T17 |
Ryan Sullivan, Winston-Salem, NC |
72-72--144 (Even) |
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T17 |
Mitchell McGlamery, Morganton, NC |
71-73--144 (Even) |
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|
20 |
Lon Eskind, Weddington, NC |
71-74--145 (+1) |
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T21 |
Ben Pulliam, Winston-Salem, NC |
74-72--146 (+2) |
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T21 |
Brandon Coggins, Gaffney, SC |
71-75--146 (+2) |
|
|
T23 |
James Chapman, Gastonia, NC |
73-74--147 (+3) |
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T23 |
Evan White, Hilton Head Island, SC |
72-75--147 (+3) |
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|
25 |
Christopher Rollins, Harrison, NY |
73-75--148 (+4) |
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|
26 |
Christian Hawley, Winston-Salem, NC |
74-76--150 (+6) |
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|
27 |
Sam Pressley, Knoxville, TN |
74-77--151 (+7) |
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T28 |
Zach Beard, Marvin, NC |
73-79--152 (+8) |
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T28 |
Daniel Barrett, Advance, NC |
74-78--152 (+8) |
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|
30 |
Ben Schlottman, Advance, NC |
74-82--156 (+12) |
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|
|
MISSED THE CUT |
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|
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T31 |
Nathan Barker, Lexington, NC |
75--75 (+3) |
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T31 |
Robert Womble, Raleigh, NC |
75--75 (+3) |
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T31 |
Rhyne Jones, Blowing Rock, NC |
75--75 (+3) |
|
|
T31 |
Jason Gallimore, Advance, NC |
75--75 (+3) |
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|
T31 |
David Pickering, South Africa, |
75--75 (+3) |
|
|
T36 |
Daniel Walsh, North Wilkesboro, NC |
76--76 (+4) |
|
|
T36 |
Terrance Stewart, High Point, NC |
76--76 (+4) |
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|
T36 |
Andrew Shiflet, Asheboro, NC |
76--76 (+4) |
|
|
T36 |
Ryan Crum, South Salem, NY |
76--76 (+4) |
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T36 |
Danny Dippel, Mills River, NC |
76--76 (+4) |
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T36 |
Thomas Ferguson, Taylorsville, NC |
76--76 (+4) |
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T42 |
Nelson Nance, Elon, NC |
77--77 (+5) |
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T42 |
Hogan Nance, Elon, NC |
77--77 (+5) |
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T42 |
Preston Yates, Winston-Salem, NC |
77--77 (+5) |
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T42 |
Thomas Bass, Holly Springs, NC |
77--77 (+5) |
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T42 |
Alex Simmons, Lenoir, NC |
77--77 (+5) |
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T42 |
Michael Rasmussen, Prospect, CT |
77--77 (+5) |
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T48 |
Larry Han, Raleigh, NC |
78--78 (+6) |
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T48 |
Craig Wood II, Siler City, NC |
78--78 (+6) |
|
|
T48 |
Josh Nichols, Greensboro, NC |
78--78 (+6) |
|
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T48 |
James Moore, Winston-Salem, NC |
78--78 (+6) |
|
|
T48 |
Brian Kanzigg, Strongsville, OH |
78--78 (+6) |
|
|
T53 |
Ren Schiffman, Greensboro, NC |
79--79 (+7) |
|
|
T53 |
Jeremy Rudock, Winston Salem, NC |
79--79 (+7) |
|
|
T53 |
Josh Nichols, Kernersville, NC |
79--79 (+7) |
|
|
T56 |
Nick Capra, Advance, NC |
80--80 (+8) |
|
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T56 |
Brandon Wilkerson, Winston Salem, NC |
80--80 (+8) |
|
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T56 |
Jackson Griffin, Davidson, NC |
80--80 (+8) |
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T56 |
Austin Inman, Lynchburg, VA |
80--80 (+8) |
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T56 |
James Kim, Winston Salem, NC |
80--80 (+8) |
|
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T61 |
Eric Appleby, Westborough, MA |
81--81 (+9) |
|
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T61 |
Mike Tyner, Omaha, NE |
81--81 (+9) |
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T61 |
Preston Lilly, Lexington, NC |
81--81 (+9) |
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T64 |
Anthony Capra, Advance, NC |
82--82 (+10) |
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T64 |
Jonathan McDonald, Tega Cay, SC |
82--82 (+10) |
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T64 |
Dane Voss, Jonesborough, TN |
82--82 (+10) |
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T67 |
Kevin Womack, Burlington, NC |
83--83 (+11) |
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T67 |
William Moreland, Mount Airy, NC |
83--83 (+11) |
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|
T67 |
Matthew Perry, Weddington, NC |
83--83 (+11) |
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|
- |
Ray Grant, Charlotte, NC |
DNS--DNS |
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|
- |
Colin Hobbs, Boone, NC |
DQ--DQ |
|
|
- |
Joe Agee, Advance, NC |
NC--NC |
|
|
- |
Darrell Craft, Roanoke, VA |
WD--WD |
|
|
- |
Isaac Spencer, Winston-Salem, NC |
WD--WD |
|
|
- |
Wil Brown, Statesville, NC |
WD--WD |
|
|
- |
Thomas Chapman, Gastonia, NC |
WD--WD |
|
|
- |
Thomas Todd, Laurens, SC |
WD--WD |
|
|
- |
Sean Raynor, Wake Forest, NC |
WD--WD |
|
|
- |
Greg Earnhardt, Greensboro, NC |
WD--WD |
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