U.S. Amateur Preview: Contenders and sleepers, history & more
8/9/2013 | by Benjamin Larsen of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for US Amateur, Merion Golf Club - East Course
See our full preview coverage and follow scores as the U.S. Amateur tees off at The Country Club
BROOKLINE, Mass. (Aug. 9, 2013) -- The 113th
U.S. Amateur Championship tees off Monday
from The Country Club, home to many of
golf's
greatest and most historic memories.
Amateurgolf.com will have full coverage of the event from start to finish, including plenty of preview coverage to get you ready for the paramount event in amateur golf. For our full preview slate, use the links to the right.
Yet again, the Amateur will bring the game's top amateurs to its field. Adding to the overall championship is the event's Walker Cup implications. With five slots already taken, two mid amateurs and three others still up for grabs, there is plenty at stake in addition to the top prize.
Here's a look at the contenders and sleepers to watch during the week:
CONTENDERS:
Patrick Rodgers: According to
Walker Cup captain, Rodgers, a junior at
Stanford,
is the best amateur in the world. A two-time
Walker Cup selection, Rodgers won the
stroke-
play
portion of the Western Amateur last week and
is undoubtedly a player to watch in Brookline.
Max Homa: The NCAA
Champion
and another early Walker Cup pick, Homa is
the
complete package. He won the Pac-12
conference title and the NCAA in succession
and was a
key cog in the Cal Bears' record-setting
season.
Jordan Niebrugge: If not for
his
win at the Western Amateur, Niebrugge, a
sophomore at Oklahoma State, would have
been in the 'sleeper' category. But wins at the
U.S.
Public Links, Wisconsin Amateur and the
Western Amateur --- in succession --- puts
him in
position to contend as the hottest player
anywhere.
Justin Thomas: Steady,
steady,
steady. The 2011-2012 collegiate player of the
year, Thomas is among the game's top
amateurs. He'll turn pro after the Walker Cup
in
September and has turned in two terrific
performances using PGA Tour exemptions.
Thomas, who
recently completed his junior year, was a key
piece to Alabama's NCAA Championship this
past
spring.
Cory Whitsett: Another piece
of
Alabama's NCAA Championship team, Whitsett
has also won one of the game's best individual
events. Whitsett shot a final-round 63 to
come-
from-behind and win the Northeast Amateur in
June and has the makeup to win in multiple
formats. Whitsett was also an initial selection
by the USGA and will represent the U.S. in the
Walker Cup.
SLEEPERS:
Tyler Dunlap: If not for
Niebrugge, Dunlap may be the hottest player
in
the game.
Dunlap took second place at the prestigious
Porter Cup and, the very next day, took
medalist
honors at a U.S. Amateur qualifier. With
plenty
of confidence and a steady game, the Texas
A&M junior, could turn heads.
Matthew
Fitzpatrick: Fitzpatrick took
low amateur honors last month at the British
Open. Last week, he lost in the final match of
the English Amateur Championship. He can
play
well under pressure, in the toughest of
environments and in a match play format.
Watch out for
the incoming freshman at Northwestern.
Cory McElyea: McElyea has
had
quite the summer. The University of San
Francisco golfer reached the U.S. Open and
the next week, won the California Amateur.
He's
logged Top 5s at the Trans-Mississippi and
Pacific Coast Amateur and reached match play
at the
Western Amateur.
Brady Watt: Watt
is
the top-ranked
player in our Golfweek/amateurgolf.com
World
Rankings. While his game might not warrant
notice as a 'sleeper', the Australian isn't well
known
among U.S. fans. Watch for Watt, who tied for
third at the Porter Cup, next week at the U.S.
Amateur.
Jim Liu: A highly-ranked
junior,
Liu will start his collegiate career at Stanford
in
just a few weeks. Liu, a former U.S. Junior
winner, reached the semifinals of the British
Amateur
Championship earlier this summer.
Amateurgolf.com will have full coverage of the event from start to finish, including plenty of preview coverage to get you ready for the paramount event in amateur golf. For our full preview slate, use the links to the right.
Yet again, the Amateur will bring the game's top amateurs to its field. Adding to the overall championship is the event's Walker Cup implications. With five slots already taken, two mid amateurs and three others still up for grabs, there is plenty at stake in addition to the top prize.
Here's a look at the contenders and sleepers to watch during the week:
CONTENDERS:
 |
Patrick
Rodgers
|
 |
Max
Homa
|
 |
Jordan
Niebrugge
|
 |
Justin
Thomas
|
 |
Cory
Whitsett
|
SLEEPERS:
 |
Tyler
Dunlap
|
 |
Matthew
Fitzpatrick
|
 |
Cory
McElyea
|
 |
Brady
Watt
|
 |
Jim Liu
|
Results: US Amateur
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | , England | 2000 | ||
| Runner-up | , Australia | 1500 | ||
| Semifinals | , Canada | 1000 | ||
| Semifinals | , Australia | 1000 | ||
| Quarterfinals | , England | 700 |
About the US Amateur
The U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship, was first played in 1895 at Newport Golf Club in Rhode Island. The event, which has no age restriction, is open to those with a Handicap Index of .4 (point four) or lower. It is one of 15 national champ...
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