By Staff
BENTON HARBOR – Thirty-eight golfers qualified for the 2007 Western Amateur on Monday at Lake Michigan Hills G.C. in Benton Harbor and The Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Ind.
Steven Taylor, Canton, Ill., led the qualifiers at Lake Michigan Hills with a 5-under-par 67, tying the course record set in 1984 by Griffin Randolph.
Brandon Lawson, Elburn, Ill., was the final player to qualify, winning an eight-man playoff at Warren for one spot. Lawson sank a 40-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to match one other birdie as six players bowed out at par or higher. He then made par on the second playoff hole to advance.
The qualifiers were among approximately 260 golfers attempting to make the field in the championship, which begins Wednesday at Point O'Woods G. &C.C. in Benton Harbor.
Niles' Taylor Tisdale was among those attempting to qualify.
The nation's top amateur golfers will be competing in the 105th Western Amateur championship, playing 18 holes each day on Wednesday and Thursday followed by a cut of the 156-man field to the low 50 scores and ties. The players making the cut will play 36 holes on Friday, with the low 16 qualifying for match play on Saturday.
The championship match will be held on Sunday.
Jamie Lovemark, of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., 2005 Western Amateur champion and winner of the 2007 NCAA Championship, leads an elite field of the world's top amateur golfers. In addition to Lovemark, six of the top nine golfers in Golfweek's Men's Amateur Rankings, will be competing at Point O'Woods this week.
Monday's qualifiers and their scores were:
Lake Michigan Hills G.C. Qualifiers
67 – Steven Taylor, Canton, Ill. 67
70 – Trent Whitekiller, Sallisaw, Okla.
71 – Tommy Wiegand, Avon Lake, Ohio
72 – David Vanegas, Dania Beach, Fla.; Kenny Kim, Cerritos, Calif.; Josh Dupont, Poway, Calif.; Dillon Gooch, College Station, Texas; Ryan Linton, Pinehurst, N.C.; Andrew Green, Wellington, New Zealand
73 – Tom Hoge, Fargo, N.D.; Mark Koenes, Zeeland; Jake Yount, Danville, Calif.; Nick Killpack, St. George, Texas; Charlie Holland, Dallas, Texas; Travis Woolf , Fort Worth, Texas; Vaughn Snyder, Massillon, Ohio
74 – Joel Dahmen, Clarkston, Wash.; Brian Kim, Yorba Linda, Calif.; Clayton Parkhill, Champaign, Ill.; Billy McKay, Grand Blanc
Qualified in a five-man playoff at 74 for four spots.
Warren G.C. Qualifiers
68 – Adam Hogue, Plymouth
69 – Brooks Snyder,Williamsport, Ind.; Scott Marino, Fairfax, Va. 71 – Matthew Savage, Louisville, Ky.; Clayton Rask, Otsego, Minn.; Carlos Sainz, Elgin, Ill.; Brian Ottenweller, Grand Rapids; Alex Cook, Chesterton, Ind.; Gavin Wilkinson, Elkhart, Ind.
72 – Matthew Denison, Northbrook, Ill.; Dan Rush, Avon, Ohio; Steve Larson, Allendale; Matthew Lamb, South Bend, Ind.; Phillip Arouca, Wilmette, Ill.; Michael Slovitt, Winnetka, Ill.; Patrick Datz Bluffton, S.C.; Patrick Lynch, Naperville, Ill.
73 – Brandon Lawson, Elburn, Ill.
Qualified in an eight-man playoff at 73 for the final spot.