Wolfes Qualifies for U.S. Amateur in Dramatic Fashion
7/24/2013 11:05:00 PM | Men's Golf
ATLANTA – Georgia Southern golfer Scott Wolfes knocked in a 20-foot putt to birdie the fifth playoff hole and qualify for the U.S. Amateur Wednesday afternoon at the Capital City Club Crabapple Course.
Wolfes, a rising junior for the Eagles, shot a 139 (69-70) in the 36-hole qualifier, which holds five automatic qualifying spots to the U.S. Amateur. He tied Victor Perez of France, a member of the University of New Mexico golf team, and the final qualification spot had to be determined by a playoff.
Wolfes left a 20-foot birdie putt hanging on the edge of the cup on the first playoff hole (#17) as the duo both posted par. Back and forth they went between holes 17 and 18 until finally, on the fifth playoff hole back on the par-4 17th, Wolfes hit a 7-iron within 20 feet on his second shot. Perez left his third shot four feet from the hole, and Wolfes rolled in his putt to clinch the final automatic spot into the U.S. Amateur Championship. Perez finished as first alternate.
"It was a battle," said Wolfes. "I was a little disappointed because I three-putted on 18 at the end of my round. Then, I left the long putt on the first playoff hole hanging on the lip. We were matching shot for shot from there until I got the 20-footer to go back on 17."
Qualifiers advance to the 113th annual U.S. Amateur Championship, which will be held at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., August 12-18, 2013. Entries were open to any amateur golfer with a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 2.4. The U.S. Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the USGA.
A field of 132 players competed in the qualifier, with 48 players advancing at 4-over-par 74 to the final round after the 18-hole cut.
A PING all-region selection, the Southern Conference Golfer of the Year and an All-SoCon selection for the second consecutive season, Wolfes won two tournaments, placed first or second in five events and posted seven top-10 finishes for the Eagles in 2012-13.
Earlier this summer, Wolfes advanced to Sectional Qualifying, the final stage for U.S. Open hopefuls, by winning his local qualifying tournament May 13.
He will be competing in the Oglethorpe Invitational in Savannah this weekend.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics, and its new "Eagles GATA" mobile app for Android and iOS.
