Walsh Qualifies For The 113th U.S. Amateur Championship
7/25/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University men's golf sophomore-to-be Sean Walsh qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship; becoming the first Zag in history to do so. The U.S. Amateur Championship is set for Aug. 12-18 at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass.
Walsh, from Keller, Texas, qualified for the championship after placing second at the U.S. Amateur Qualifying Event held at the Greater Southwest Golf Club in Grand Prairie, Texas, July 22. Walsh finished with a 36-hole 2-under par 140 (69-71).
Along with Walsh - who was named the 2013 West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year - Gregory Yates (1st; 138) and Nathan Anderson (3rd; 141) qualified for the 113th U.S. Amateur Championship during the Greater Southwest Golf Club event.
Gonzaga head coach Robert Gray couldn't be more excited and proud of Walsh.
"Any serious golfer has a desire to compete for this Championship and just to get through qualifying is a feat in itself," explained Gray. "I'm very excited for Sean and I know he's very excited to advance through the qualifying. He's been working hard on his game this summer and missed out on the USGA Public Championship in a playoff, so this takes the sting out of that a little bit."
A field of 312 players will play 18 holes of stroke play on Aug. 12 and 13 at the qualifying course of Charles River Country Club (6,574 yards, par-70). The field will then be cut to the low 64 scorers. Six rounds of match play begin on Aug. 14 and the championship concludes with a scheduled 36-hole championship match on Aug. 18 at the County Club (7,310 yards, par-70).
"As with all USGA Championships, the course will be set up to reward good shots and penalize the poor ones," stated Gray. "The first goal is to make it into match play by finishing in the Top 64 after two rounds of stroke play. From there, everyone starts back at zero. Match play is crazy format because you can play great and lose or play poorly and win."
The U.S. Amateur Championship is the oldest golf championship in the country. Throughout its history, the U.S. Amateur has been the most coveted of all amateur titles. Many of the great names of modern professional golf, such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lanny Wadkins, Craig Stadler, Jerry Pate, Mark O'Meara, Hal Sutton, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, grace the Havemeyer Trophy.
