Amateur golf doesn’t get a lot of prominent national exposure, especially this time of year.
But for golf fans eager to whet their appetite for the U.S. Amateur, which this summer will be contested in Colorado for just the fourth time ever, next week provides an opportunity.
Several of the world’s most heralded amateurs will be on display as many sports fans’ attention turns to the Masters, which begins April 5 at Augusta National. Six amateurs in all have been invited to compete, including four of the top seven players in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Not all of them will be on hand when Cherry Hills Country Club hosts the U.S. Amateur Aug. 13-19, with CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora serving as the second site for the stroke-play portion of the event Aug. 13-14. But it’s a good bet some of them will be coming to Colorado.
Here’s the amateur lineup for the Masters, and what their exemptions are based upon: Patrick Cantlay (2011 U.S. Amateur runner-up), Kelly Kraft (U.S. Amateur champion), Corbin Mills (U.S. Amateur Public Links champion), Hideki Matsuyama (Asian Amateur champion the last two years), Randal Lewis (U.S. Mid-Amateur champion) and Bryden Macpherson (British Amateur champion).
Kraft is expected to turn pro after the Masters, and Macpherson is likely to follow suit.
If he hasn’t joined the professional ranks before the U.S. Amateur, Cantlay (pictured) figures to be the biggest draw at Cherry Hills. And why not, considering the way the Californian exploded on the golf scene as a teenager. Nineteen months ago, Cantlay came to Saddle Rock Golf Course in Aurora to qualify for the U.S. Amateur, and ended up sharing medalist honors with Coloradan Wyndham Clark.
At the 2010 Amateur itself, Cantlay made it all the way to the semifinals, where he lost to eventual champion Peter Uihlein. And last June, the then-19-year-old from UCLA really hit the big time by being low amateur in the U.S. Open (tying for 21st overall) and shooting an amateur-record 60 in the second round of a PGA Tour event. Later in the summer, the reigning college player of the year lost to underdog Kraft in the championship match of the U.S. Amateur.
All told, he’s made the cut in five of his six PGA Tour starts, has posted four top-25 finishes, and next week will mark his first Masters. He remains the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world.
“I was really fortunate to accomplish so many things on the course last year, but the way I look at it, it’s not too difficult to put out of my mind what happened,” Cantlay recently told Masters.com. “I always look forward to what’s coming up, like my opportunity to play the Masters Tournament, as opposed to what I have done.”
The UCLA sophomore, who turned 20 this month, has spots reserved in the Masters, U.S. Open and the British Open, provided he remains an amateur. But all those events fall before the U.S. Amateur, which means he could play in the first three major championships, then turn pro. One issue that could push Cantlay toward becoming a professional this summer is the recently announced changes to the PGA Tour qualifying process. Beginning next year, players no longer will be able to earn a PGA Tour card through Q-school, so this fall is the last chance to have that opportunity.
While Cantlay may be the amateur headliner at the Masters, Matsuyama was the low amateur at Augusta National last year. He’s currently the No. 4-ranked amateur in the world. Mills is No. 5 and Kraft No. 7
As 1954 U.S. Amateur champion Arnold Palmer noted recently, “I don’t think people understand how good some of these amateurs are.”
U.S. Amateur Looking for Volunteers: Officials from this summer’s U.S. Amateur are looking for additional volunteers, with more marshals needed than any other position.
All volunteers are required to work at least three or four shifts, and must purchase volunteer uniforms for $100. Opportunities are available at both Cherry Hills Country Club and CommonGround Golf Course. A total of about 1,000 volunteers will be needed.
Those who wish to sign up can do so at 2012usamateur.com.
Volunteers will receive a gift certificate for a complementary round of golf at CommonGround, the CGA/CWGA-owned course in Aurora.
