Aussies continue to rule the golf world!
Two days after Jason Day won a first Major Championship and about three hours drive south to suburban Chicago and 19-year old Victorian Brett Coletta posted a 36-hole total of 7-under-par 133 to win medalist honours in the weather-delayed stroke-play qualifying of the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club.
Coletta’s 4-under-par 66 on the North Course Tuesday placed him one stroke ahead of David Oraee, of Greeley, Colo., who shot 67 on the South Course for a 134 total.
Rain delayed the start of the second round of stroke play by 90 minutes on Tuesday morning and 54 players did not complete 36 holes. Play was halted because of darkness at 7:13 p.m., and the second round of stroke play was completed on Wednesday morning.
Brett Coletta wins 2015 U.S. Amateur Medallist rounds ahead of the match-play stages in suburban Chicago. (Photo – www.usga.org)
An 18-for-10 playoff for the final match-play berths started on the South Course at 9:15 a.m.
Jake Knapp, 21, of Costa Mesa, Calif., earned the No. 3 seed in match play after a score of 65 – the lowest recorded in stroke play on the North Course – gave him a total of 135.
Lee McCoy, 21, of Athens, Ga., a 2015 United States Walker Cup Team member, shot 70 on the North CourseTuesday to place him at 4-under 136.
“There were two goals today,” said McCoy, who played in the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay and was co-medalist at the 2014 U.S. Amateur. “It would have meant a lot to me to medal, but as long as I have a tee timetomorrow, I’m a happy guy. There were 64 winners today, and I’m just happy to be one of them.”
Coletta, who placed fifth in the recent Porter Cup and is playing in his first USGA championship, made just one bogey in 36 holes.
“At home, everyone says this is the tournament to get into,” he said. “This is the tournament to win. This is the biggest experience you’re going to get, and it’s hyped up to be what it is. So I’ve come here, and all the stands are up, all you guys out here, the TV cameras will be out [on Wednesday]. This is a great experience for me, coming to play this event, and to play well is even better.”
A member of the Australian national squad, Coletta tallied five birdies against one bogey on the course that hosted the 1928 and 2003 U.S. Opens.
“I’m hitting my driver unbelievable,” said Coletta, who won the 2014 Victorian Junior Masters. “So having that extra distance and hitting it straight, having those short irons in really helps. I thought I played really well and really solid.”
Coletta was more focused on earning a match-play berth than a No. 1 seed and the stroke-play medal.
“That’s just a bonus,” said Coletta, who placed fifth in the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics. “My goal this week was to get into match play, so I’ve already achieved my first goal.”
Matt NeSmith, a senior at the University of South Carolina who won The Players Amateur earlier this year and was the first-round leader with a 65 on the South Course, shot 73 on Tuesday for a 138 total.
Defending champion Gunn Yang of the Republic of Korea shot 69 for a total of 142 to advance to match play.
The 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship consists of 36 holes of stroke play (18 holes on each of Olympia Fields’ North and South Courses), followed by six rounds of match play (all on the North Course), with the championship scheduled to conclude with a 36-hole final on Sunday.
George Cunningham, of Tucson, Ariz., scored a hole-in-one on the 138-yard, par-3 14th hole of the South Course with a pitching wedge for the first ace in the Amateur since 2013. He shot 66 for a 137 total.
The U.S. Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
For interview transcripts of selected players: https://asaptext.com/asap_
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Results from Tuesday’s second round of stroke play at the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship, played on the 7,234-yard, par-70 North (NC) and the 7,045-yard, par-70 South (SC) Courses at Olympia Fields Country Club.
# = in playoff
Brett Coletta, Australia 67 SC-66 NC–133
David Oraee, Greeley, Colo. 67 NC-67 SC–134
Jake Knapp, Costa Mesa, Calif. 70 SC-65 NC–135
Lee McCoy, Athens, Ga. 66 SC-70 NC–136
George Cunningham, Tucson, Ariz. 71 NC-66 SC–137
Robby Shelton, Wilmer, Ala. 68 NC-69 SC–137
Maverick Antcliff, Augusta, Ga. 72 NC-65 SC–137
Ryan Ruffels, Australia 66 NC-72 SC–138
Josh Munn, New Zealand 70 NC-68 SC–138
Matt NeSmith, North Augusta, S.C. 65 SC-73 NC–138
Adam Ball, Glen Allen, Va. 68 SC-70 NC–138
Jake Staiano, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. 71 SC-67 NC–138
Sepp Straka, Valdosta, Ga. 67 SC-71 NC–138
