Could this be the last we see of Austin Connelly as an amateur?

8/19/2015 | by Golfweek

Austin Connelly

With Connelly's round one loss to Maverick McNealy, the University of Arkansas commit weighs his career options

Story by Alex Miceli of Golfweek OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. — Austin Connelly was the higher seed in Wednesday’s Round-of-64 match at the 2015 U.S. Amateur, but lost to Maverick McNealy 1 up at Olympia Fields Country Club's North Course. Austin Connelly lost to Maverick McNealy during the round of 64 at the U. S. Men's Amateur at Olympia Fields in Olympia Fields, Ill.It was a good match and was expected to go down to the wire, but it was McNealy’s day. McNealy started it by making par on his second ball at the par-5 first, turning a likely 1-down outcome into all square and making a statement early. For Connelly, it may be the end of his amateur career. In November he signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Arkansas, but instead the 18-year-old is going to Web.com Q-School with the hopes of playing professionally next year. The only thing that would keep Connelly an Amateur would be a Walker Cup invitation. But that would be tricky from many different perspectives. After winning the Jones Cup earlier this year, Connelly looked into if he was even eligible for the Walker Cup and found he was according to the International Golf Federation. Connelly, a duel citizen, was born in Irving, Texas, and while his mother is American, his father is Canadian and Connelly has received support from the Canadian golf authorities during his career, and even during the U.S. Amateur wore Canadian logos in support of the country north of the border. “Technically, I’m eligible,” Connelly said of his Walker Cup possibilities. “Even though the USGA was never clear with me once I kind of of got in the Walker Cup contention.” In 2014, Connelly did play for the USA on the Junior Ryder Cup in Scotland, but if asked to play on the Walker Cup, Connelly is noncommittal. Maybe partly because five of the 10-man team has already been selected and with a solid group to pick from still in the mix this week, and with two mid-Am’s to be selected as well, Connelly’s chances are slim at best. “I’m playing for Canada right now,” Connelly said. “It depends, I would have to talk to some people, I would obviously love to play.”

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...

Most Popular Articles

2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced

Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing

2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING

Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year

2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Final Stage: Ewart Leads Five New TOUR Card Winners

Dec 14, 2025A.J. Ewart topped Final Stage at TPC Sawgrass, leading five players who secured PGA TOUR membership for 2026.

Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch

Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory

Inside Gil Hanse’s Restoration of Baltusrol’s Upper Course: A Return to Tillinghast’s

Dec 11, 2025Renowned architect Gil Hanse reveals how he brought Baltusrol’s Upper Course back to life by honoring A.W. Tillinghast’s original

Filters

Related Tournament

US Amateur

View Details

Loading latest news...