Foursomes

9.00 a.m. – Tom Lewis & Michael Stewart vs. Peter Uihlein & Harris English

This will be the marquis match between the hometown favorite and one of America’s best. With the crowd rooting for Lewis and Stewart, look for USA to silence them early with a morning victory from Uihlein and English.

9:10 a.m. – Jack Senior & Andy Sullivan vs. Russell Henley and Kelly Kraft

Jack Senior was a Walker Cup killer at the U.S. Amateur. That trend may continue with the help of Andy Sullivan to give GB&I its first point of the day.

9:20 a.m. – Paul Cutler & Alan Dunbar vs. Nathan Smith & Blayne Barber

Smith and Barber are nice guys, but do they have that killer instinct? At the Walker Cup you have to be mentally tough. For some reason, I’m thinking nice guys finish last in this one. Cutler and Dunbar score the point.

9:30 a.m. – Steven Brown & Stiggy Hodgson vs. Patrick Cantlay & Chris Williams

Cantlay and Williams are two of the top amateurs in the world being paired with one another. They both are quiet on and off the course. This pairing seems like the lock of ...

As the summer rolls on, the best American amateurs are playing well and have to be making GB&I guys a bit worried about the Walker Cup in September. Here are five reasons why:

1. The 1-2 punch: Who would you say is the best amateur in the world? Is it Peter Uihlein, who won the Sahalee and U.S. Amateur last year, along with the Northeast Amateur this past weekend? Or, is it Patrick Cantlay, who not only made a name for himself at the U.S. Open, but also at this past week’s Travelers Championship, where he was in contention? Either way, the top two amateurs in the world of amateur golf will be playing for the U.S. this summer at the Walker Cup, and it may be the strongest 1-2 punch the Walker Cup will ever see. It will be up to captain Jim Holtgrieve on how he plans to use his top two players, but American golf fans have to be thrilled they are on their side. As the Walker Cup gets closer, the big question from across the pond will be who will want to step up to the challenge and try to ...

This week, the Northeast Amateur and Rice Planters are on the amateur schedule. Let’s see who is playing where, then break down the fields.

Tournament: Northeast Amateur Invitational

Course: Wannamoisett Country Club

City: Rumford, R.I.

Length: 6,732

Par: 69

Round 1 begins: Wednesday

Format: 72-hole stroke play, with tournament ending on Saturday

2010 champion: Joseph Bramlett

Previous champions include: Vinnie Giles (1971), Ben Crenshaw (1973), Scott Hock(1977), John Cook (1978-79), Hal Sutton (1980), Brett Quigley (1988), David Duval (1992), Jonathan Byrd (1999), Luke Donald (2000-2001), Anthony Kim (2004) and Dustin Johnson (2007)

• • •

The scoop: This is the 50th anniversary for the Northeast, which started back in 1962. Looking at a list of the previous champions, one would assume that a victory here can lead to greater things later. Also, with this being a Walker Cup year, the winner of this tournament (if American) usually gets a big boost in his stock for making the team. This year, the tournament features champions of all sorts. In the field is the U.S. Amateur champion, Peter Uihlein; this year’s British Amateur winner, Bryden Macpherson; Mid-Am champion Nathan Smith; Senior Am champion Paul Simson; and the reigning Public ...

With several of the top-ranked American amateurs playing at Congressional for the U.S. Open, there were a few other tournaments across the country. Walker Cup hopefuls had a great opportunity to steal headlines in their respective fields without the names of Patrick Cantlay, Russell Henley or Peter Uihlein. Shockingly, no one rose to the occasion.

A Canadian won the Monroe Invitational, eh? Last week, the Monroe was the premier amateur tournament in the States, but no American won. N.C. State’s Albin Choi, a Toronto native, won the tournament in a playoff over Chase Wright. There were a handful of “bubble” guys at the Monroe, but no one stepped up to help their case. After nearly winning the Sunnehanna, Lee Bedford tied for 35th, and Jonathan Randolph and Bo Hoag tied for 19th. The biggest winner of the amateur golfers this week may have been Brad Benjamin, because he not only qualified for the U.S. Open, but he made it to the weekend, as well.

An Aussie won the British Am – Oi, Oi, Oi! Had one of the three Americans won the British Amateur, there would have been one less Walker Cup spot to talk about. However ...

Today, The Wildman catches up with a wild man in his own right: John Peterson, the 2011 NCAA medalist and recent LSU graduate.

Question: What has life been like since you won the medalist honor at the NCAA Championship?

Answer: It has been nonstop. I have done my fair share of celebrating, but I have also had to continue to work hard. I’m putting the gas pedal down right now. Making the Walker Cup is not a lock, and it’s been a blast. Over the last few weeks, I have been hearing from more people than I could have ever imagined, and then I have Kelly Tilghman and the Wildman leaving me voicemails. Never thought winning at Karsten Creek would be that big a deal. It’s been pretty cool. I knew the team title was a big deal, but never thought winning the individual championship would bring so much recognition.

Q: Austin Ernst won medal at the Women’s NCAA Championship, are you two close? What do you know about her game?

A: I don’t know her too well, since she was a freshman. We’ve played a few times, and I’ll say this: She ...

While several of the top amateurs are playing at the U.S. Open at Congressional, I thought I’d fill you in on where you can find most of the others. Wednesday is Round 1 of the Monroe Invitational Championship in Pittsford, N.Y.

Here’s a preview:

Tournament: Monroe Invitational Championship

Course: Monroe Golf Course

City: Pittsford, N.Y.

Length: 6,915 yards

Par: 70

Round 1 begins: Wednesday

Format: 72-hole stroke play with tournament ending on Saturday

2010 champion: Kyle Peterman

Previous champions include Dustin Johnson (2007), Kyle Reifers (2004), Michael Morrison (1999), Chris DiMarco (1988)

• • •

The scoop: The first Monroe took place in 1937, and the event endures today as one of the most anticipated amateur tournaments. The field this year is a little down from years past, but with so many top amateurs attempting to qualify - and in some cases, actually making it - for the U.S. Open, Monroe officials just couldn’t get all the commitments that they wanted. This will be a tournament that, for a select few, can make or break their chances for the Walker Cup in September in Scotland. U.S. Walker Cup captain Jim Holtgrieve will be at Congressional for ...

With all the talk of Walker Cup locks, hopefuls and guys on the bubble, I thought I’d offer up four guys who deserve a closer look as the summer begins.

1.) Lee Beford. This will be an interesting summer for Wake Forest standout Bedford, who nearly won the Sunnehanna Amateur before falling to Nathan Smith in a playoff. Last summer, Bedford had a quiet schedule and didn’t play in many premier events. This past season in college golf, Bedford won two events: the Carpet Capital and Irish Creek Collegiate. Bedford had six other top-15 finishes on the year and only finished outside the top 25 twice. At Wake Forest, Bedford had the pressure of carrying his team, but if chosen for the Walker Cup, he would be a steady contributor and an easy guy to get a long with.

2.) Jace Long. The standout from Missouri ran out of time in the college season to really make a name for himself in college golf, but he started the summer well with a seventh-place showing at Sunnehanna. While I was at the NCAA Championship at Karsten Creek, I noticed U.S. Walker Cup Captain Jim Holtgrieve made a point ...

• Complete Coverage | Amateur Blog | Twitter: @GolfweekSMartin, @Golfweek_Lavner

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – Yesterday I went two for two in matches, but was way off in predicting the scores. Let’s see if I can pick one more winner.

The brackets couldn’t have set up a more exciting and ideal final match at the U.S. Amateur.

David Chung has been the hottest player of the summer with wins at the Porter Cup and Western Am. Peter Uihlein, however, was the guy before Chung, after he blew out the field at the Sahalee Players Championship.

Still don’t believe me when I say this is the best match we could have asked for? Uihlein is ranked No. 2 in the Golfweek/amateurgolf.com rankings, and Chung is ranked T-4. Those are the top two spots by Americans (Jin Jeong is No. 1 and Tommy Fleetwood is No. 3).

This is what people want to see. This is the match that will settle the debate of which amateur had the best summer. Fans are in for a treat Sunday, and some may not even realize it.

Prediction time: The one thing that has saved Chung all week has been his short game. He ...

• Complete Coverage | Amateur Blog | Twitter: @GolfweekSMartin, @Golfweek_Lavner

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – The U.S. Golf Association will announce the U.S. lineup for the World Amateur Team Championship sometime between now and next week (no official date has been set). 

At the U.S. Women’s Amateur, Danielle Kang may have earned a spot on the team by winning the championship. Who knows if she was a lock before that.

With just 32 players remaining at the U.S. Amateur, now is a good time to play the what-if game for a few players in the field:

1. What if Scott Langley never won the 2010 NCAA Championship? Would he still be considered a top player? Also, what if Dustin Garza never turned pro early and played in the Palmer Cup? Would Langley be getting as much red, white, and blue recognition as he is now, had he not helped Team USA to victory?
2. What if Brad Benjamin defeats David Chung in the Round of 16? The 2009 U.S. Public Links champion hasn’t exactly been stealing the show lately. He has made it clear he wants to play for Team USA at the Walker Cup, but could a run this ...

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. –The U.S. Open may be coming to Chambers Bay in 2015, but I can think of three reasons why this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship is sure to be just as exciting.

1. The Crowds. This summer, U.S. Golf Association amateur championships have been quiet for the most part. At the U.S. Junior, crowds were small, and at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, crowds were just flat-out quiet. Here at Chambers Bay, however, the people are having fun and letting the players know it. Walking the course, you can hear roars coming from everywhere. Fans on some greens are celebrating shots like it’s the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. This is great! It means this championship will have the atmosphere it truly deserves throughout the week.
2. The Course. Whether players are walking off No. 9 or 18 at Chambers Bay, they usually have the same look of defeat. Chambers Bay is definitely separating the contenders from the pretenders. What is really interesting is that the links-style golf course is throwing several players a curveball. Chambers Bay’s layout is untraditional for the United States, and it will be interesting to see if ...

We are just a few days away from the U.S. Amateur Championship. Today, I caught up with Andrew Putnam, a local who is familiar with Chambers Bay. Putnam is from University Place, Wash., which is only a mile away from Chambers Bay.

What can you tell me about Chambers Bay?

It’s pretty different from any other courses in Washington. It’s links-style like in Ireland, with huge sand dunes and extra-large greens. The greens are really sloped and have fescue greens, so they are interesting to putt on. They are kind of slower, but that’s because the slope is pretty severe. It doesn’t get too windy; it normally doesn’t blow more than 15 miles per hour.

I think it’s going to rain during a practice round on Sunday, but that will be the worst we should see.

What was it like to play in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach? By the way, I saw you on TV hitting from the beach.

It was the experience of a lifetime. It was pretty surreal. I’ve watched my brother play in pro tournaments, but this was surreal.

Yeah, about that beach shot: I started ...

• Complete Coverage | Amateur Blog | Twitter: @GolfweekSMartin, @Golfweek_Lavner

Last year at Southern Hills Byeong-Hun An became the U.S. Amateur’s youngest champion at 17 years, 11 months and 13 days. He defeated Ben Martin, 7 and 5, in an exciting final.

The 2010 championship will be played at Chambers Bay, the longest venue – 7,742 yards – ever hosted by the USGA.

Typically, college stars make great runs at the Amateur title, but that could change this year. Here are four mid-amateurs to keep an eye at Chambers Bay.

Mike McCoy

• Home: West Des Moines, Iowa
• Age: 47
• School: Wichita State
• Graduated: 1985
• Why he can make a run: The nine-time Iowa player of the year is no rookie when it comes to USGA events. A U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist in 2008 and 2005, McCoy advanced to the third round of the 2008 U.S. Amateur. McCoy plays a busy amateur schedule during the summer and has seen a lot of his potential opponents over the last couple of years. Even at age 47, McCoy can make a run. If he were to face a college standout like Kevin Tway, Bud Cauley or Russell Henley, McCory would be comfortable. But if ...

The U.S. Amateur starts Aug. 23, so let’s give away some more prizes. It’s time for another Wildman’s Challenge!

Here’s the deal:

• Give me four players who you think will advance the farthest at the U.S. Amateur. For each round your players advance, the more points you earn. A Round 1 victory is worth one point, two points for Round 2, four points for Round 3, eight points for a victory in the quarterfinals, 16 points for a semifinals win and 32 points if your player wins the U.S. Amateur.

• Picks need to be submitted to me before stroke play begins on Monday. This way, even though you submit four names, there is a chance all four of your players may not advance to match play.

• The medalists winning score will be the tiebreaker. Send me that score. I don’t need the name of the medalist, just what you think their two-day score will be.

The tournament will be played at the par-72, 7,742 yard Chambers Bay which will be the longest course in USGA history.

E-mail me your picks, or post your selections in the comments area below. There is ...

• Complete U.S. Women’s Amateur coverage | Follow on Twitter: @Golfweek_Baldry

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The U.S. Women’s Amateur is now over. There was a lot to see, and even more on which to take notes. Here are my five observations of the week:

1. Korda’s run: You never know who you are going to face in match play. When the brackets come out, some players either have their eyes light up or are intimidated about what lies ahead. Jessica Korda had the toughest run to this year’s final match. In Round 1 she faced Curtis Cup teammate Stephanie Kono. In the next two rounds, she faced Candace Schepperle and Lisa McCloskey. When she got to the quarterfinals, she took on 2008 semifinalist Erynne Lee, and then in the semifinals took on recent University of Denver graduate and standout Stephanie Sherlock. Suffice to say, Korda earned her way to the finals and had one heck of an amazing run at this week’s championship.
2. Summer heat: Perhaps the most amazing stat of the week is zero. Not one player had any heat-related injury issues. Medics bicycling the course throughout the day in case of an emergency, but they ...

• Complete U.S. Women’s Amateur coverage | Follow on Twitter: @Golfweek_Baldry

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – If what I have seen at this week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur is any indication of what to expect at the U.S. Amateur, then prepare to be annoyed.

It has been shocking to see what players call “gimmes.” Players just don’t seem to have an understanding of the terms, “That’s good” or “Pick it up.” Instead, every 10-inch putt is marked, every 2-footer is over-analyzed, and every ball that just rolls by has an opponent with lips so tight you can’t fit a straw between them.

Perhaps it is poor sportsmanship, or perhaps it is players that just aren’t sure on what to give and not give. Throughout the week, though, rumbles in the crowds have begun. On several occasions, I’ve heard: “Really? She’s making her putt that?”

“Wow.”

“Oh, come on already.”

It may be a lack of sportsmanship or etiquette, but either way these players should be a little bit better than that. If your opponent is struggling with 3-footers all day, then yes, make them putt it, even if the ball is on the ...