Sugrue, Kanaya come up one short of Open Championship cut

It was a promising start for James Sugrue, but a lackluster finish. After impressing in his first-round pairing alongside Northern Irishman Darren Clarke, the 22-year-old Sugrue posted a second-round 73 that wasn’t quite enough to get him to the weekend at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Sugrue has plenty of company in that, however. Of the six amateurs who teed it up this week in the year’s final major, not one will play the weekend.

Sugrue, the Amateur Championship winner, and Takumi Kanaya, the Asia-Pacific Amateur champion, came the closest. Both finished 36 holes at 2 over and missed the cut by one shot.

Matthias Schmid, the European Amateur winner, was 5 over for 36 holes.

As for American Brandon Wu, the recent Stanford grad, rounds of 73-76 left him 7 over and well back.

Curtis Knipes was 9 over while Thomas Thurloway was 14 over.

ROUND ONE RECAP It has been quite a month for James Sugrue, the 22-year-old Irishman. Not quite a month after winning the Amateur Championship – and in front of a home crowd, no less, at Portmarnock Golf Club – Sugrue had a spot in the starting group at Royal Portrush for the Open Championship.

Northern Irishman Darren Clarke, a man instrumental in bringing the Open Championship back to Portrush, hit the opening shot. Sugrue and Charley Hoffman were next.

Sugrue parred that first hole and went on to birdie the par-5 second. He played the opening round in even-par 71 and is tied for 42nd. That was the best showing among the six amateurs in the field.

Here’s how the other amateurs ended up:

Curtis Knipes, 1-over 72, T-54
Brandon Wu, 2-over 73, T-72
Takumi Kanaya, 2-over 73, T-72
Matthias Schmid, 5-over 76, T-128
Thomas Thurloway, 12-over 83, T-153

Sugrue talked about his experience in an article for the Open Championship site.

“It's cool, really, to just be in the locker room,” he said of being at Portrush. “There’s this little corner where it's like the champions corner and Tiger's locker is behind mine and Ernie Els is next to me. It's a bit surreal.”