Jones Cup kicks off 2015 Walker Cup cycle
It’s perhaps fitting that the event that
officially kicks off the two-year Walker
Cup cycle was founded to showcase the
event.
Starting in 2001, the Jones Cup served to
showcase the world’s top amateurs at
Ocean Forest Golf Club just months before the
Walker Cup would be played at
the same course.
All these years later and the Walker Cup is still
a big part of the Jones Cup with the event
serving as the unofficial kickoff to the two-
year Walker Cup team selection cycle. This
past weekend’s results are a testament to
that.
Mike
McCoy put the mid-amateur contingency
on notice after a tie for fourth
place, just two shots behind the winning
score. Following his breakthrough at last
year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur, McCoy -- who also
won the George C. Thomas
Invitational and the Coleman Invitational in
2013 -- is a serious contender for one
of the U.S. squad’s two roster spots reserved
for mid-amateurs.
Todd White and Nathan Smith, the 2013
squad’s mid-amateurs and among
McCoy’s likely competitors for the 2015 spots
didn’t fare too well at Ocean
Forest. Smith shot 73-76-79 to finish tied for
42nd along with White, who shot
72 in the final round but couldn’t bounce back
from his 77-79 start.
The event featured seven former Walker Cup
players -- including Alabama’s Cory
Whitsett (T-21) and Bobby Wyatt (T-21), Cal’s
Brandon Hagy (T-48) and Michael
Weaver (T-57), and Garrick porteous (T-42)
and Gavin Moynihan (T-57) from the
Great Britain & Ireland squad. In total, the
group as a whole didn’t play well but
perhaps left the door open for upcoming
contenders.
LSU’s
Curtis Thompson, ranked No. 24
in the
Golfweek/amateurg
olf.com U.S. Player Rankings,
continued to add to his resume with a Top 10
finish. The recent two-time Dixie
Amateur winner shared the lead on Friday and
finished tied for sixth after rounds
of 70-76-75. Auburn’s
Michael
Johnson, another first-round co-leader
and highly-ranked American (14th),
tied for 10th in his first start on U.S. soil since
the Porter Cup as he’s battled
back from a hip injury.
Bryson
Dechambeau grabbed a share of the lead
Saturday and finished tied for
14th. While he may have slipped in the final
round, the 2013 Trans-Mississippi
winner no doubt is a player to watch.
Other players likely to remain on the USGA’s
radar include:
Robby
Shelton (T-17),
Tyler
Dunlap (T-26) and Scottie Scheffler (T-
35).
Recent South Beach International champion
World No. 28
Greg
Eason is making his case for the Great
Britain & Ireland squad. The Brit, who
plays collegiately at Central Florida, held a
share of the lead after the first two
rounds and has shown he can win.
ABOUT THE Jones Cup
The Jones Cup is probably the biggest of the
springtime
amateur majors in the United States, and the reason
is the venue and the strong U.S. and
international field. The past champions list is littered
with PGA Tour stars, including Justin Thomas,
Patrick Reed, Luke List, Kyle Stanley, Beau Hossler
and
several others.
This 54-hole individual stroke-play event,
inaugurated
in 2001, is played at Ocean Forest Golf Club.
The Rees Jones design opened in 1995 and has
hosted
the Georgia State Amateur Championship, the
Southern Amateur Championship and the 2001
Walker
Cup Match. The Jones Cup brings together
many of the finest amateurs from the United States
and abroad for a three-day competition.
The Jones Cup was born from a deep commitment to
amateur golf by the A.W. Jones family, who
founded the Cloister and Sea Island Golf Club in
1928.
The Sea Island Golf Club has played host to
seven USGA championships. The Jones Cup is yet
another extension of the family's strong
involvement in amateur golf.
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