The 113th playing of the U.S. Open
Championship marks the 100th anniversary of
Francis Ouimet's improbable and remarkable
victory at The Country Club in Brookline,
Mass.
Ouimet, considered the father of amateur golf
and a big reason for golf's initial interest
among
the American public, topped two of the
game's
greats in that memorable 18-hole playoff in
1913.
The U.S. Open has been won seven times
since Ouimet opened the door but it hasn't
happened since 1933. Could this, the 100th
anniversary of Ouimet's win, be the year an
amateur returns to the top of the leaderboard?
Ten amateurs will be part of the field
Thursday
when play begins at historic Merion Golf Club
in
Ardmore, Penn. Learn a bit more about these
elite players and their games below.
Amateurgolf.com will be following their
progress
throughout the tournament.
Steven Fox |
Steven Fox -
Reigning U.S. Amateur Champion
Fox, a recent graduate and top NCAA golfer at
Tennessee-Chatanooga, gained entry into the
U.S. Open with his victory over Michael
Weaver at last year's U.S. Amateur. Fox
missed the cut in his Masters appeareance
this
past April but represented the U.S. in a
victorious World Amateur Team victory last
year. Fox heads to Merion with strong play in
major amateur events but little success of
late. Fox is ranked No. 13 in the
Golfweek/amateurgolf.com World Player
Rankings.
Michael Weaver |
Michael Weaver - U.S. Amateur runner-
up
The first Cal golfer to play at The Masters,
Weaver enters the field on the merit of his
2012 U.S. Amateur runner-up. Weaver nearly
won the 36-hole final against Fox, falling in
dramatic fashion before showing resilience in
helping Cal to historic NCAA season. Weaver
enters the U.S. Open fresh off an All-American
season. Weaver is ranked No. 15 in the
Golfweek/amateurgolf.com World Player
Rankings.
Chris
Williams |
Chris Williams - 2012
Mark H. McCormack Winner
Williams, the reigning McCormack Medal
winner
given to the leading World Amateur Golf
Ranking player at year's end, recently finished
his stellar collegiate career at Washington. Set
to turn professional at next week's Travelers
Championship, was a quarterfinalist at last
year's U.S. Amateur and 2011 Walker Cup
team
member. His complete tee-to-green game
could fare well at soggy Merion in his final
event as an amateur. Williams is ranked No. 2
in the Golfweek/amateurgolf.com World
Player
Rankings.
Cory
McElyea |
Cory McElyea - T4 Newport
Beach, Calif. Sectional
An underrated amateur, McElyea is a junior at
the University of San Francisco. He gained
entry into the U.S. Open by surviving a three-
man playoff at the recent Newport Beach,
Calif. sectional qualifier. A first-team All-West
Coast Conference performer, McElyea is one
of
four amateurs from California in this week's
field.
Max
Homa |
Max Homa
- T4 Newport Beach, Calif. Sectional
Perhaps the hottest player in all of amateur
golf, Homa qualified for the U.S Open on the
strength of his play at the Newport Beach,
Calif. qualifier. In May, Homa claimed the
individual medalist honors at both the Pac-12
and NCAA Championships. His course-record
61
in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament at
Los Angeles Country Club helped him clear the
field by five shots. He finished 9-under to win
the NCAA Championship. Of all the amateurs
in
the field, Homa stands a strong chance of
remaining in contention through Sunday. His
length and accuracy from 150 yards and in
may make him a name to watch at Merion.
Homa is ranked No. 16 in the
Golfweek/amateurgolf.com World Player
Rankings.
Kevin Phelan |
Kevin Phelan - Medalist Bradenton, Fla.
Sectional
Phelan is undoubtedly rising in the eyes of
amateur golf insiders. The Ireland native who
recently wrapped up a stellar career at
University of North Florida, qualified for his
second U.S. Open. He was a four-time All-
Atlantic Sun Conference player and reached
the semifinals of the 2010 U.S. Amateur
Public
Links. Phelan is currently ranked No. 18 in the
Golfweek/amateurgolf.com World Player
Rankings.
Michael Kim |
Michael Kim - Co-medalist Ball
Ground, Ga. Sectional
Kim is arguably the most talented amateur in
the field this year. The incoming junior at top-
ranked Cal was recently named the Haskins
Award winner, given to the top player in
college golf, in addition to receiving the Jack
Nicklaus Award as Division I's top player. Kim
qualified by earning co-medalist honors at the
Ball Ground, Georgia sectional qualifier. His
consistent play and ability to withstand
pressure will undoubtedly serve him well this
week at Merion. Kim is ranked No. 18 in the
Golfweek/amateurgolf.com World Player
Rankings.
Grayson Murray |
Grayson
Murray - 3rd Ball Ground, Ga.
Sectional
Murray, a recent transfer to the University of
North Carolina-Greensboro, qualified for the
U.S. Open by placing third at the Ball Ground,
Georgia qualifier. While he hasn't had any
major
victories, Murray qualified for the U.S.
Amateur
and reached U.S. Open sectional qualifying as
a 15-year-old in 2009.
Gavin
Hall |
Gavin Hall - Co-medalist Purchase, NY
Sectional
Hall, 19, qualified for the U.S. Open by
making
birdie on his final four holes to race up the
leaderboard and take co-medalist medalist
honors at the recent Purchase, NY sectional
qualifier. The Texas-bound Hall hopes to
follow
in fellow Longhorns signee Beau Hossler's
footsteps and remain in contention throughout
the weekend at the U.S. Open.
Cheng-Tsung Pan |
Cheng-
Tsung Pan - 2nd Cle Elum, Wash.
Sectional
A sophomore at Washington, Pan reached the
U.S. Open on his strong finish at the Cle Elum,
Wash. sectional qualifier. Pan has qualified for
the U.S. amateur in five of the last six years
and became the youngest quarterfinalists
since
Bobby Jones in 2007 at age 15. Pan is
currently ranked No. 6 in the
Golfweek/amateurgolf.com World Player
Rankings.
ABOUT THE U.S. Open
The U.S. Open is the biggest of the 14 national
championships conducted by the USGA.
Open
to amateurs and professionals.
The USGA intends to make the U.S. Open
the
most rigorous, yet fair, examination of golf
skills, testing all forms of shot-making. The
USGA prepares the course after careful
consideration of 14 different factors.
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