July 21, 2011
U.S. Amateur Qualifying Results
This Weekend’s Oglethorpe Invitational
Alpharetta, Ga. – Georgia Tech’s Seth Reeves survived a four-man playoff and earned one of the five qualifying spots Wednesday after shooting a 1-over 71 in the second round of the U.S. Amateur qualifier at the Capital City Club-Crabapple.
Reeves, who won the Grub Mart Collegiate in the spring and the Southeastern Amateur this summer, held a share of the lead after 18 holes Tuesday with a 4-under-par 66. The sophomore from Duluth, Ga., went out Wednesday and shot 3-under-par for his opening nine, but slid back with four bogeys on the incoming nine for a 71, falling into a tie at 3-under 137 with his high school teammate, Ben Greene, Scott Davenport of Marietta, Ga., and McLain Leberte of Huntsville, Ala.
Gregor Main of Danville, Calif., and Michael Johnson of Birmingham, Ala., who each posted 4-under 136, grabbed the first two qualifying spots. The four players tied at 137 went to the 17th hole for the playoff. Reeves and Leberte made par, and each earned one of the remaining three spots after Greene and Davenport bogeyed. Davenport went on to earn the last spot.
“I won the draw to tee off first (in the playoff), which I was glad about,” said Reeves. “I hit a really good drive, and a good wedge into the green to about eight feet. I missed the putt, but made my par and a couple of the others didn’t.
With his quick start Wednesday, Reeves grabbed the lead in the qualifier all to himself, but was unable to hold it as he struggled on his incoming nine. He went to the clubhouse not knowing where he stood, but he.
“I didn’t know it at the time, but I was leading the qualifier at the turn,” said Reeves, who is on his way to play in this weekend’s Oglethorpe Invitational in Savannah, Ga. “Things didn’t go my way on the back. But I just tried to keep fighting. We waited for the last group to come in before I knew what was happening. Despite a few bad holes on the back, I was really proud of the way I played, and proud that I was able to advance.”
Incoming freshman Ollie Schiniederjans shot 70-69 to tie for ninth place at 1-under-par 139, missing the playoff by two strokes.
This week’s event at Crabapple was the first of six qualifiers in which eight Tech golfers will attempt to earn spots in the field for the 111th U.S. Amateur Championship, which will be held Aug. 22-28 at Erin Hills Golf Club in Erin, Wis. Two Tech golfers have won the nation’s amateur championship – Bobby Jones in 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928 and 1930, and Matt Kuchar in 1997.
Reeves’ performance this week continues a standout summer for the red-shirt sophomore, who was unable to crack the lineup for the 2nd-ranked and ACC Champion Yellow Jackets last year, but played in two events as an individual. In addition to winning the Southeastern Amateur, Reeves tied for 5th at the Georgia State Amateur Championship in Atlanta (284, +4), tied for 12th at the Dogwood Invitational in Atlanta (277, -11), and tied for 14th at the Greystone Invitational (293, +5).
U.S. AMATEUR REMAINING QUALIFYING SCHEDULE
Aug. 1, Petersburg, Va. (Bo Andrews), Cincinnati, Ohio (Minghao Wang), Grove City, Pa. (William Miller)
Aug. 1-2, Standard Club, Duluth, Ga. (Anders Albertson)
Aug. 8, Ellington, Conn. (Richard Werenski)
Aug. 9-10, Goldsboro, N.C. (Drew Czuchry)
