U.S. Senior Open: Green is the low amateur

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Aug. 3, 2008)--Tennessee native Danny Green was the low amateur at the U.S. Open for third time in his career after finishing at 12-over 292, tied for 37th. Green was the low-amateur along with George Zahringer in the 2007 Senior Open at Whistling Straights and took the honor in 2005 at the NCR Country Club in Ohio. Zahringer missed the cut this year. Green won the 1999 U.S. Mid-Am, and was the runner up in the '89 U.S. Amateur and 2001 U.S. PubLinx. The Tennessee native has won his state championship three times and was a member of the 2001 Walker Cup team. He also won the Western Amateur in 1998. Six of the 30 amateurs in the starting field of the U.S. Senior Open made the cut at the Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado, with Rick Cloninger carding the second best score of the ams, a 13-over 293, good for a tie for 40th. Cloninger, the 1999 Georgia State Amateur champion, fired an impressive 2-under 68 in the first round to put himself near the top of the leaderboard, but followed that up with a 4-over 74 on Day 2 to fall into a tie for 12th. He finished up with a 72 and a 79. Cloninger plays out of Fort Mills, S.C., and is a graduate of Wofford College in South Carolina and has represented three different states at the U.S. State Team Championship (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina). Bert Atkinson was next at 296 (+16), followed by three-time Texas Amateur champion Tom Doughtie, who carded a 301 (+21) in his third Open. Reigning Senior Amateur champ Stan Lee checked in at 303 (+23), with Bob Stephens rounding out the group at 304 (+24).