ATLANTA – Georgia Southern senior golfer Scott Wolfes will compete in his second U.S. Amateur Championship, the oldest golf championship in the country, this week.

It's the 114th edition of the tournament, which will be played at the Atlanta Athletic Club starting Monday. Wolfes is in a field of 312 players who will play 18 holes Monday and Tuesday with 64 advancing to 18-hole match play Wed., Aug. 13. The championship concludes with a scheduled 36-hole match Sunday, Aug. 17. The Golf Channel will provide coverage of the first three days of match play, and NBC will televise parts of the semifinal and championship matches. 

Along with the prestigious Havemeyer Trophy, among the spoils for the winner is an exemption from local and sectional qualifying for the next U.S. Open, an exemption from qualifying for the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, an exemption from qualifying for the next British Open Championship and a likely invitation to the next Masters Tournament.

Wolfes advanced to the U.S. Amateur Championship by shooting 66-68 to take co-medalist honors in his qualifier. He made it to the round of 32 in last year's U.S. Amateur at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.

It will be the fourth USGA event for Wolfes, who advanced to match play in the 2010 U.S. Junior Amateur and progressed to the round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship in Kansas in July.

"I'm really fortunate to be playing in my fourth USGA event," said Wolfes. "I have the experience of being in a lot of different situations, and I know what to expect when I show up at a big event and how the course setup will be."

Wolfes posted a 71-72 to tie for 29th in stroke play at the U.S. Amateur Public Links and won his first match in 20 holes. He lost on the 20th hole in his round of 32 match, when Rico Hoey sank a 30-foot eagle putt.

"It's was a good match. We both played well and were each 5-under on the day," said Wolfes. "It's not like I gave it away; he earned it. Anything can happen in match play."

His experience at three prior USGA events will be a huge advantage as he tries to take the next step in Atlanta.

"I like being under that kind of pressure, knowing that you have to play really well," said Wolfes. "There are 312 guys in the field who are really good. You have to be patient and don't force anything. Don't try to push it too much unless you have a wedge in your hand. The rough will be up, and the greens are firm and fast so my mindset is to see how many birdie chances I can get in a round."

The Atlanta Athletic Club courses are likely to be more familiar for the St. Simons native than last year at Brookline.

"I haven't played that course, but I've played a lot of courses near there that should be similar," said Wolfes. "It should be the same kind of Bermuda grass I'm used to."

The travel will certainly be easier as Wolfes can throw his sticks in the trunk and make a leisurely 4-hour drive instead of packing everything up for a plane ride.

"It's a relatively short drive, and I'm staying with relatives who live right near the course," said Wolfes.  "I should have quite a few people watching, which will be exciting."

About the 114th U.S. Amateur
PAR AND YARDAGE: Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands Course) (http://www.atlantaathleticclub.org/) will be set up at 7,490/7,428 yards and will play to a par of 35-36–71. The Highlands Course will host all match-play rounds. The companion stroke-play qualifying course, Atlanta Athletic Club's Riverside Course will be set up at 7,381 yards and will play to a par of 36-36–72.

ARCHITECTS: Both the Highlands and Riverside courses at the Atlanta Athletic Club opened in 1964 and were designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., with Jones receiving assistance on the Highlands Course from Joe Finger. Jones' son, Rees, redesigned the Riverside Course in 2003 and three years later finished a redesign of the Highlands Course. Both courses will be used for stroke-play qualifying, with the Highlands hosting the match-play portion of the championship.

About the field
WHO CAN ENTER: The championship is open to amateur golfers who hold a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 2.4. The USGA accepted 6,803 entries in 2014. The record number of entrants is 7,920, in 1999.

THE WINNER RECEIVES: Among the benefits enjoyed by the U.S. Amateur winner are:
1)  A gold medal and custody of the Havemeyer Trophy for the ensuing year
2)  An exemption from local and sectional qualifying for the next U.S. Open
3)  An exemption from qualifying for the next 10 U.S. Amateurs
4)  An exemption from qualifying for the next British Open Championship
5)  A likely invitation to the next Masters Tournament

HISTORY: This is the 114th U.S. Amateur Championship. The U.S. Amateur Championship is the oldest golf championship in America, one day older than the U.S. Open. Other than an eight-year period from 1965-1972, when it was contested at stroke play, the Amateur has been a match-play championship.

Throughout its history, the U.S. Amateur has been the most coveted of all amateur titles. Many of the great names of professional golf, such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gene Littler, Lanny Wadkins, Craig Stadler, Jerry Pate, Mark O'Meara, Hal Sutton, Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, grace the Havemeyer Trophy.

2013 CHAMPION: Matthew Fitzpatrick, 18, of England, curled in a par putt on the 33rd hole to clinch a 4-and-3 victory over Oliver Goss, 19, of Australia, to win the 2013 U.S. Amateur Championship at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. Fitzpatrick became the first Englishman since 1911 to hoist the Havemeyer Trophy as U.S. Amateur champion.

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