Qualifying for the 118th U.S. Amateur, to take place Aug. 13-19 at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, Calif., is winding down toward the end of July, and Georgia Tech junior Andy Ogletree became the third Yellow Jacket to join the field Tuesday when he finished third in a qualifier in Macon, Ga.
Ogletree (Little Rock, Ark.) outlasted a field of 98 players to grab one of six spots available at the Brickyard Golf Club, firing rounds of 71-67 over Monday and Tuesday to finish at 4-under-par 140, one stroke behind co-medalists Ryan Marter of Columbia, S.C., and Trent Phillips of Inman, S.C. Three birdies on the back nine Monday, including one at the par-5 finishing hole, helped assure his qualification, two shots above the cutline.
He joins rising sophomore Noah Norton (Chico Calif.), who advanced from a sectional qualifier July 9 by finishing second to capture one of three spots available in Fairfield, Calif. Junior Tyler Strafaci (Davie, Fla.) is exempt into the 312-player field for the U.S. Amateur as one of 16 players who competed in last month’s U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
43 of Top 50 in WAGR Among 7,463 to Enter 118th U.S. Amateur | U.S. Amateur qualifying results | Georgia Tech Amateur Results 2018
All three players qualified for the U.S. Amateur last summer at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., and all three advanced to the 64-player match play portion of the championship. Ogletree and Strafaci reached the round of 32, while Norton made it to the round of 16 before being eliminated.
2018 World Amateur Golf Rankings (as of July 25)
Noah Norton – 105
Tyler Strafaci – 114
Luke Schniederjans – 139
Andy Ogletree – 257
Ticket punched. Can’t wait for another US Am pic.twitter.com/odI86kFfGe
— Andy Ogletree (@andy_ogletree) July 25, 2018
SUMMER AMATEUR UPDATE
- Tyler Strafaci is warming up as the U.S. Amateur approaches. The rising junior tied for seventh place (275, -9) at the Players Amateur two weeks ago in Bluffton, S.C., then tied for second place (272, -8) last week at the Porter Cup in Lewiston, N.Y. Luke Schniederjans, who did not qualify for the U.S. Amateur Monday in Macon, tied for 11th place at the Players and for 37th place at the Porter Cup, while Andy Ogletree tied for 38th at the Players.
- All three players are in the field for the 116th Western Amateur, which takes place July 30-Aug. 4 at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield, Ill.
- Redshirt senior James Clark (Columbus, Ga.) is competing this week at the 56th Pacific Coast Amateur which began Tuesday at the famed Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. He shot even-par 71 in the opening round Tuesday.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH GOLF
Georgia Tech’s golf team recently concluded its 23rd year under head coach Bruce Heppler. The Yellow Jackets have won 17 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, made 32 appearances in the NCAA Championship and been the national runner-up four times. Connect with Georgia Tech Golf on social media by liking their Facebook page, or following on Twitter (@GTGolf). For more information on Tech golf, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
