The Amateur Championship

[Wayne_Kozun]

Even if there isn't enough demand to show it on a TV channel in the US these are the type of events that should be broadcast over the net.

[Brian_Ewen]

FIRST ROUND
G Shaw (Lurgan) bt A Runcie (Abergele) 3 and 1.
T Sherreard (Chart Hills) bt P Baunsoe (Den) 4 and 3.
B Evans (Rye) bt S Benson (Wentworth) 2 holes.

SECOND ROUND
Upper Half
D Horsey (Styal) bt J Parry (Harrogate) at 21st.
J Shufflebotham (Prestatyn) bt P O'Keefe (Douglas) 1 hole.
J Caldwell (Clandeboye) bt B Parker (Gut Waldhof) 2 and 1.
T Glissmeyer (US) bt G Blainey (Bearwood Lakes) 4 and 3.
K Borsheim (Nor) bt C Evans (West Monmouthshire) 6 and 5.
M Kerr (Craigielaw) bt D Whiteness (Five Lakes) 2 and 1.
F Fritsch (Ger) bt G Dear (Murrayshall) 3 and 2.
R Kulacz (Aus) bt J Abbott (Fynn Valley) 1 hole.
S Ward (Co Louth) bt J Senior (Heysham) 3 and 1.
D Weaver (US) bt L Garcia (Esp) 4 and 3.
D Willett (Rotherham) bt R McIlroy (Holywood) 2 and 1.
K McAlpine (Alyth) bt L Thomas (Vale of Glamorgan) 5 and 3.
C Wood (Long Ashton) bt F De Vries (Ned) at 19th.
G Yates (Hilton Park) bt B Sigl (Ger) 3 and 2.
L Saltman (Craigielaw) bt J Wellings (Can) 3 and 2.
A Kaleka (Fra) bt M Bush (Rochester & Cobham Park) 5 and 4.

Lower Half
M Allen (North Hants) bt F Schulte (Ger) 7 and 6.
R Kellett (Colville Park) bt E Goya (Arg) at 22nd.
R Blizard (Aus) bt N Turner (Maskerry) 3 and 2.
J Moul (Stoke by Nayland) bt P Waring (Bromborough) 2 and 1.
A Dodt (Aus) bt D Corsby (Fleetwood) 5 and 4.
K Le Sager (Fra) bt V Dubuisson (Fra) 1 hole.
R Enoch (Truro) bt N Kearney (Royal Dublin) 5 and 4.
C Macaulay (Tulliallan) bt S Stuart (St Annes Old Links) at 19th.
J Campillo (Esp) bt S Mann (Carnoustie) 3 and 2.
S Uzzell (Hornsea) bt A Pavan (Ita) at 21st.
L Goddard (Henton) bt C Schwierz (Ger) 6 and 4.
A Sullivan (Purley Chase) bt W Booth (Comrie) 1 hole.
G Boyd (Cherwell Edge) bt M Kieffer (Ger) at 20th.
S Lowry (Esker Hills) bt Shaw 1 hole.
T Stewart (Aus) bt Sherreard 3 and 2.
Evans bt M Thistleton (Hayling) at 19th.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

I'm slightly involved in that my occasional fees for playing the driving range at Styal have been payed to David Horsey, who used to work on the countre and, subsequently, did awfully well in the stroke-play part of this Championship.  I doubt if I'd recognise him and he certainly wouldn't recognise me, but it's good to know that he would understand what a genuine and consistent shank is by having observed me from his cubicle.  

[RichMacafee]

Good to see 2 Aussies left in the final 8. Rick Kulacz and Tim Stewart. It has been an awfully long time since an Aussie has won the Amateur - from memory not since Doug Bachli (could be wrong).

Rick Kulacz is the best putter I have ever played with, so if he is hitting the ball well he will be tough to beat in matchplay.

Go boys.

[James Bennett]

Rich

did Jack Newton get close one year?

James B

[Chris Kane]

Kulacz and Stewart are both good blokes - would be great to see one of them holding the trophy on Sunday.

[Bill Shamleffer]

I see Drew Weaver from the US (via Virginia Tech), is in the semis.  He was 1 down after 10 holes.

[Bill Shamleffer]

I see Drew Weaver from the US (via Virginia Tech), is in the semis.  He was 1 down after 10 holes.

Congratulations to Drew Weaver.  First American in finals of Amateur Championship since Jim Holtgrieve in 1983.  This could get him on U.S. Walker Cup team.

[Brian_Ewen]

This Championship was moved to make it easier for American College Players to play .

Yet my intial thoughts were , that there was no more Americans this year , than past years.

Yes , No ? .

I am not totally up to date with US College players but where are the likes of Jamie Lovemark ?

[Doug Wright]

Nice to see local Colorado Springs bloke Tom Glissmeyer made the trip across the pond, qualified (thanks in part to back to back eagles the first round) and advanced 2 rounds. Glissmeyer qualified for the 2003 US Open at age 16.

[Bill Shamleffer]

This Championship was moved to make it easier for American College Players to play .

Yet my intial thoughts were , that there was no more Americans this year , than past years.

Yes , No ? .

I am not totally up to date with US College players but where are the likes of Jamie Lovemark ?

Unfortunately the U.S. summer amateur circuit is so strong that there is no need for an American to travel to The Amateur Championship for a single tournament.  In addition there is the expense to consider and that it will likely use up about two weeks when including all travel for a single event.

Secondly, most college golfers primary focus is to reach the PGA tour, and they see little to be gained towards this goal by going to the UK for one event.

I wish more would realize the fallacy of their thinking this event is not worth the effort.  Most college golfers will never play on the PGA Tour, and when they are older may wish they had spent part of the carefree days of summer break from college by spending a couple of weeks playing in the UK and playing in the event Bobby Jones spent many years trying to win.

It is a shame that in the years that the Walker Cup is in the UK, that it is not scheduled for the week before or after The Amateur, so that at least the full US Walker Cup team would be entered.

Also, if The Masters would honor The Amateur Championship runner-up also with an invite, just as is done for the runner-up of the US Amateur, perhaps this would lure a few mid-ams to The Amateur trying to sneak into The Masters.

[Brent Hutto]

My young friend who played in the Amateur last year wasn't inclined to return. Partly because it disrupted two weeks of his summer tournament season and partly because it was a big expense. But mostly because the courses were so much different than what he's used to that he would have to spend a lot more time over there learning to play links golf if he were to be competitive. He found the turf, the greens and the rough to all have more of an effect on his game that he would have thought going in and just a couple days of practice rounds weren't sufficient to adjust.

Of course some of us would point out that that's a good reason he should return every chance he gets but he doesn't see it that way.

[Brian_Ewen]

Thanks for the explanations . I was shaking my head reading yours Brent  

I can understand expense being a problem , but whats so strong about the US summer amateur season,[and please excuse my ignorance],that would make someone turn down a chance to play at the Masters and the Open .

[Bill Shamleffer]

Thanks for the explanations . I was shaking my head reading yours Brent  

I can understand expense being a problem , but whats so strong about the US summer amateur season,[and please excuse my ignorance],that would make someone turn down a chance to play at the Masters and the Open .

Brian,

The U.S. Publinks Championship next month also earns the winner an invite to The Masters.  A lot of college golfers do to not have memberships at private clubs, so they qualify for this event.  Qualifying has been occuring around the U.S. this week and last week for this event.  So that is another disincentive to the college golfer going across the ocean.  In addition, playing in the U.S. will better prepare these players for the U.S. Amateur, and there two spots are available.  Also the Northwest Amateur in Providence RI started this week and goes through tomorrow.  This event draws a very strong field.

[Brent Hutto]

For instance, my friend played in a tournament called the "Southeastern Amateur" played in Georgia the same week as the Amateur Championship. Using Golfweek magazine's rating scale, that tournament is worth 35 point as compared to 60 points for the British Amateur (and BTW 100 points for the US Amateur). So winning the Southeastern is equivalent to making it to the match-play semifinals at the British.

I am absolutely certain than the winning the former is easier than making the finals at the latter for this guy. And he can drive to the Southeastern one morning and play a practice round in the afternoon and drive back home (or to the next tournament) the evening after the last round. Plus it's on a course he's played before and which is very similar to the courses he plays every day.

There's also the Palmetto Amateur an hour from his house on a course his college team practices on routinely, winning it is worth 25 points. There are several tournaments with strongish fields every summer within 250 miles of where we live and a whole bunch of prestigous tournaments within a day's car driving distance.

ObGCA: Not all that many of these are on historic or architecturally distinguished courses. It's only a slight exaggeration to say that for today's top-level college golfers, those factors matter not at all.

[JESII]

The R & A have made it far more difficult for American's to justify the trip. They have trimmed down the exemptions criteria significantly in the last 10 years.

[Bill Shamleffer]

Drew Weaver is now 4 up with 12 to go.

http://www.randa.org/index.cfm?action=championship.amateurFinal&id=7

To further add to the prior discussion of lack of US golfers in The Amateur Championship.  I wonder if it would help if The Amateur Championship was moved to the week before The Open?  This would allow foreign amateurs to attempt to play in both tournments in back-to-back weeks.

[Rich Goodale]

They used to play it the week before or after the Walker Cup.  Wonder why they didn't do that this year?

[Bill Shamleffer]

Drew Weaver is now 4 up with 12 to go.

http://www.randa.org/index.cfm?action=championship.amateurFinal&id=7

To further add to the prior discussion of lack of US golfers in The Amateur Championship.  I wonder if it would help if The Amateur Championship was moved to the week before The Open?  This would allow foreign amateurs to attempt to play in both tournments in back-to-back weeks.

Weaver is dormie after 30 holes.

[Bill Shamleffer]

Drew wins The Amateur Championship!  

First American since Sigel in 1979.  He was dormie with 6 to go, and finally won 2 & 1.  What a finish.

[Bill Gayne]

A great year for Virginia Tech golf. First winning the ACC tournament and now one of their players winning the British Am. I guess the Pete Dye Course in Blacksburg is paying dividends.

[rboyce]

Cheers for Drew Weaver!

Maybe he could give a motivational speech to the next US Ryder Cup team.

[rboyce]

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2007/06/22/sportstory9893018t0.asp

After shooting 80 on Lytham in his first practice round last week, Weaver has got to grips with links golf quickly and admits he is enjoying it immensely.

“You just have to think, think, think all the time and that’s great,” he said. “There’s also the fact that I don’t know most of the guys here and there’s not that intimidation factor, although clearly both Simon and Kevin were both outstanding players.”

McAlpine certainly had no complaints that the better man on the day prevailed, in a match where only one of the 10 holes won was with a par, Weaver having five birdies and an eagle.

“I played pretty well, but Drew just didn’t put a foot wrong, so he went out and won it rather than me losing it,” said the 23-year-old from Alyth.

[rboyce]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/golf/survivor-wins-for-virginia/2007/06/24/1182623740376.html

"Weaver has loved the way that the tight links turf of Royal Lytham & St Annes has accentuated the quality of his ball-striking. Too many American tournaments are short-game contests and in that department Weaver is sometimes erratic. That was perfectly illustrated on the 21st and 22nd holes of the final. On the former Weaver putted clean off the green and into a bunker. Then at the very next hole he sunk his bunker shot for a winning birdie."