Western Amateur Championship report

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7/21/12...Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/STEPHEN B. THORNTON...
Peter Williamson chips onto the green after hitting his ball right at the fan's base on the edge of the green during Saturday afternoon's 106th Southern Amateur Golf Championship being held at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock.
7/21/12...Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/STEPHEN B. THORNTON... Peter Williamson chips onto the green after hitting his ball right at the fan's base on the edge of the green during Saturday afternoon's 106th Southern Amateur Golf Championship being held at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock.

Peter Williamson walked off the 18th green at The Alotian Club on Monday wearing long pants instead of shorts and carrying his own bag, the same way he did at Chenal Country Club in Little Rock a year ago.

He’d like the rest of this week to mirror last July, too.

Williamson, a 23-year-old former Dartmouth player,won the Southern Amateur last year after outlasting Bobby Wyatt in a playoff at Chenal. He tees off at 1:25 p.m. today to start the 111thWestern Amateur at Alotian, hoping for similar success in his return to central Arkansas.

“I’m hoping for good vibes,” Williamson said early Monday evening after playing Alotian for the first time.

Williamson is staying with the same host family he met while eating dinner at Chenal last year, not because he’s superstitious but because it was a nice arrangement and their home off the fifth hole at Chenal provides a convenient practice ground if needed.

The long pants he wore all through last year’s Southern Amateur will stay - his personal website said he doesn’t own shorts - but he might relent and allow a caddie to carry his clubs. He didn’t use a caddie that was assigned to him Monday, but might today considering the unfamiliarity of the course and the tricky terrain.

“I like to kind of stay in my own world out there, but if there’s a caddie out with some of the lines and putts … if you put it on the wrong side of the green, you’re just worried about keeping it on the green,” he said. “It’s going to save you some strokes if you don’t have to carry your bag out there.”

That could be the difference for Williamson, who won the Southern Amateur but wilted two weeks later in the final rounds in the grueling Western Amateur in Highland Park, Ill.

Williamson said Monday a sore knee caused him to hobble around Exmoor Country Club in his semifinal match against Jordan Russell, losing in 20 holes.

“Carrying your bag for 36 holes, honestly, my IT band tightened up and I couldn’t trust it,” he said. “I was playing some good golf.”

Williamson hasn’t played as many tournaments this summer. Now he’s hoping to keep enough steam through a grueling format that could force the eventual winner to play 144 holes - or more - over six days.

“The fairways aren’t too bad,” Williamson said. “You can probably land a B-52 on them if you want to. If you don’t have a mental meltdown out there with the heat and the humidity, I think you’ll be fine.”

Weather reprieve

When Warren Stephens and Vince Pellegrino spoke about the Western Amateur during a news conference at The Alotian Club in March, both were concerned about Arkansas’ reputation for steamy summer weather.

The thought was that 100-degree temperatures, common for this time of year, would be troublesome for golfers as they navigated the 7,480-yard Alotian course that features numerous elevation changes, as well asthe patrons watching.

But standing near the clubhouse as players began to come off the course during practice rounds, Stephens, The Alotian Club founder, was breathing a sigh of relief.

“My first thought is, we got a break on the weather,” Stephens said Monday, when temperatures stayed in the 80s with overcast skies.

“We wanted to make sure we had the golf course in as good of shape as it needed to be,” said Stephens, CEO of Stephens, Inc. “The real concern was, if it’s so hot, we can’t get the greens as fast as we like.”

That shouldn’t be an issue.Several golfers coming off the 18th hole said the greens - both fast and undulating - will provide the biggest challenge.

“You have to be in the right spot or you’re in trouble,” said Michael Kim, a 20-year-old at the University of California who was thelow amateur scorer at the U.S. Open last month at Merion Golf Club. “They’re pretty severe.”Tide foursome

Bobby Wyatt could have a chance this week to beat the only golfer to score better than him during his last trip to Little Rock.

Wyatt lost in a playoff to Peter Williamson during last year’s Southern Amateur at Chenal Country Club’s Bear Den Course. Both will tee off today for the opening round of the Western Amateur at The Alotian Club.

“Anytime you lose in a playoff, it’s going to be disappointing for sure,” Wyatt said after his practice round Monday. “You just learn from it every time.”

Working in Wyatt’s favor is the presence of Alabama teammates Justin Thomas and Cory Whitsett in the field.

Wyatt, Thomas and Whitsett helped Alabamawin the national team title in June, and each spent five hours in a practice round together Monday. A fourth Alabama player, Lee Knox, played earlier in the day. All four are all staying with host families within a block from each other near the Country Club of Little Rock this week.

They will play without much thought of the NCAA team title they helped win less than two months ago.

“It’s not like it is in football, where you play, it’s your last game and you have seven months to mull it over,” Whittsett said. “You get right back after it.”No boasting

Trudging up a hill between the 18th green and the clubhouse, White Hall’s Wes McNulty, 44, wasn’t predicting a week of golf that would lead to winning.

McNulty, who has won six Arkansas State Golf Association amateur state titles, had finished playingAlotian for the second time, and made it clear what class of player it takes to wade through a six-day format.

“It’s going to be a young guy that wins it,” he said.

“The greatest challenge for me is to walk 18 holes. It’s tough on an old guy.”

McNulty is one of several golfers with Arkansas ties in the field. University of Arkansas golfers Austin Cook of Jonesboro, Sebastian Cappelen, Joe Doramus of Little Rock, Nicolas Echavaria and Taylor Moore are playing, along with Lane Hulse (Fordyce), Joey Nichols (Little Rock) and Stan Payne (Little Rock).

Little Rock’s Alex Carpenter, who won the 2010 Southern Amateur and plays at Abilene Christian University, opted to play at the Mylan Classic this week, a PGA Tour event at Southpointe Golf Club in Canonsburg, Pa. Carpenter played in the Southern Amateur last year at Chenal.Alotian etiquette

Observe silence throughout each shot, and do not move until all golfers in each group have played or holed out.

Stay outside roped-off areas.

Audible use of cell phones and other electronic devices is strictly prohibited on the grounds at all times.

Cameras are prohibited on the grounds throughout the tournament.

In the event of imminent dangerous conditions, all players, caddies, volunteers and patrons must leave the course immediately. Three siren blasts will signal all clear when it is safe for play to resume.

Proper golf attire should be worn, which includes no denim.

Observe golf etiquette and respect for the golfers during course of play.

Notable entrants - Western Golf Association

CORY WHITSETT, No. 1 amateur as ranked in the Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings, a senior and member of Alabama’s 2013 national championship team; named to 2013 U.S. Walker Cup team; 2013 NCAA first-team All-American

MICHAEL KIM, No. 2-ranked amateur, a junior at Cal; named to 2013 U.S. Walker Cup team; low amateur at 2013 U.S. Open (tied for 17th); T-38 Greenbrier Classic, PGA Tour; finalist 2013 U.S. Public Links; 2013 NCAA first-team All-American; 2013 Jack Nicklaus Award winner (best college golfer); 2013 Pac-12 Golfer of the Year

JUSTIN THOMAS, No. 3-ranked amateur, a junior and member of Alabama’s 2013 national championship team; named to 2013 U.S. Walker Cup team; tied for 30th at 2013 Travelers Championship, PGA Tour, tied for 46th at 2012 Greenbrier Classic, PGA Tour; made it to Elite Eight of the 2012 Western Amateur

BOBBY WYATT, No. 4-ranked amateur, a senior and member of Alabama’s 2013 national championship team; 2013 NCAA second-team All-American; champion 2012 Sunnehanna Amateur; runner-up at 2012 Southern Amateur; posted a 57(9-under par 26 on the front nine) in the 2010 Alabama boys state championship

PATRICK RODGERS, No. 5-ranked amateur, a junior at Stanford; named to 2013 U.S. Walker Cup team; tied for 15th at 2013 John Deere Classic, PGA Tour; champion, Southern Highlands Masters in Las Vegas; third in 2013 Northeast Amateur; 2012-2013 NCAA first-team All-American

GARRICK PORTEOUS, No. 9-ranked amateur, of England; winner of the 2013 British Amateur and Scottish Amateur

No. 11 BRADY WATT of Australia andNo. 13 MICHAEL WEAVER of Cal. Weaver finished 64th at the 2013 U.S. Open and played in the 2013 Masters as a result of finishing runner-up at the 2012 U.S. Amateur. BRANDON HAGY (No. 14), SEAN DALE (No. 16), OLIVER SCHNIEDERJANS (No. 17), OLIVER GOSS (No. 18) of Australia and CAMERON WILSON (No. 19) round out the top 20.

The field includes winners of several high-profile 2013 amateur events: STEVEN IHM, winner of the 2013 Sunnehanna Amateur; ANDREW YUN, winner of the Sahalee Players; CORY MCELYEA, a U.S.Open contestant and winner of the California State Amateur; MICHAEL JOHNSON, winner of the Dogwood Invitational; CAMERON PECK, winner of the Pacific Northwest Amateur, at Bandon Dunes; BRYSON DECHAMBEAU, winner of the Trans-Miss Amateur and HUNTER STEWART, winner of the Players Amateur.

Other notables include Texas sophomore BEAU HOSSLER, who finished tied for 29th at the 2012 U.S. Open; STEVEN FOX, winner of the 2012 U.S. Amateur, and GAVIN HALL, youngest contestant in this year’s U.S. Open at age 18.

Today’s tee times

Today’s tee times for the 111th Western Amateur Championship, which begins today at The Alotian Club in Roland, with top 200 rankings in parentheses from the Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings: NO. 1 NO. 10 7 a.m. Danny Walker, Bradenton, Fla.; Clayton Madey, West Linn, Ore.; Hunter Kraus, Germantown, Tenn. 7 a.m. John Mcclure, Los Angeles, Calif.; Tucker Wadkins, Dallas; Patrick Lee, Centerton 7:10 a.m. Charlie Danielson, Osceola, Wis.; Lee Knox, Augusta, Ga.; Juan Pablo Hernandez, Mexico 7:10 a.m. Tae Wan Lee, Orlando, Fla.; Nicholas Palladino, Highland Heights, Ohio; Michael Cromie, Cary, N.C.

7:20 a.m. Joshua White, England; Tyler Raber, Davis, Calif.; Hunter Stewart (101), Nicholasville, Ky. 7:20 a.m. Brian Campbell (193), Irvine, Calif.; Paul McConnell, Garland, Texas; Mike McCoy, West Des Moines, Iowa 7:30 a.m. Blake Biddle (180), Saint Charles, Ill.; Xander Schauffele (123), San Diego; Seth Reeves (131), Suwannee, Ga. 7:30 a.m. Cory McElyea (79), Santa Cruz, Calif.; Alex Edfort (122), Somerset, N.J.; Sam An (151), New Zealand 7:40 a.m. Andrew Presley (130), Fort Worth; Jordan Niebrugge (50), Mequon, Wis.; Robby Shelton IV (117), Wilmer, Ala. 7:40 a.m. Bobby Wyatt (5), Mobile, Ala.; Garrick Porteous (9), England; Brandon Hagy (14), Westlake Village, Calif.

7:50 a.m. Michael Weaver (15), Fresno, Calif.; Nathan Holman (26), Australia; Oliver Goss (19), Knoxville, Tenn. 7:50 a.m. Gavin Green (24), Malaysia; Oliver Schniederjans (18), Powder Springs, Ga.; Toni Hakula (40), Austin, Texas 8 a.m. Jordan Zunic (46), Australia; Nicholas Reach (73), Moscow, Pa.; Gavin Hall, Pittsford, N.Y. 8 a.m. Steven Ihm (57), Peosta, Iowa; Geoff Drakeford (49), Australia; Steven Fox (69), Hendersonville, Tenn.

8:10 a.m. Brett Drewitt (55), Australia; Bo Andrews (54), Raleigh, N.C.; Jonathan Garrick (66), Atherton, Calif. 8:10 a.m. Scott Strohmeyer (86), Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.; Julio Vegas (104), Austin, Texas; Joshua Munn (95), New Zealand 8:20 a.m. Curtis Thompson (77), Coral Springs, Fla.; Evan Beck (75), Virginia Beach, Va.; Sam Smith (113), Turlock, Calif. 8:20 a.m. Todd White (148), Spartanburg, S.C.; Cameron Peck (80), Olympia, Wash.; Victor Perez, Albuquerque, N.M.

8:30 a.m. Manav Shah, Bakersfield, Calif.; Gregory Yates (192), College Station, Texas; JD Tomlinson, Gainesville, Fla. 8:30 a.m. Jack Perry (143), Santa Barbara, Calif.; Adam Schenk (96), Vincennes, Ind.; Aaron Wilkin, Australia 8:40 a.m. Matt Hansen, Los Osos, Calif.; Thomas Birdsey, Trophy Club, Texas; Cameron Jones, New Zealand 8:40 a.m. Taylor Moore, Edmond, Okla.; Jay Hwang, Fullerton, Calif.; Nathan Anderson, Burleson, Texas 8:50 a.m. Charlie Bull, England; Ruben Sondjaja, Australia; Rodolfo Cazaubon (53), Denton, Texas 8:50 a.m. Nicolas Echavarria, Fayetteville; Kevin Marsh, Henderson, Nev.; Jason Shufflebotham, Wales 9 a.m. Wes McNulty, White Hall; Lane Hulse, Fordyce; Spencer Lawson, Davidson, N.C. 9 a.m. Yaroslav Merkulov, Penfield, N.Y.; Johnathan Schnitzer, Houston, Texas; Joseph Nichols, Little Rock 12:15 p.m. Tayler Termeer, Austin, Texas; Benjamin Davis, Bahamas; Stan Payne, Little Rock 12:15 p.m. Butler Melnyk, Saint Simons Island, Ga.; David Snyder, Mcallan, Texas; Jack Watson, Lincolnshire, Ill.

12:25 p.m. Steve Wilson, Ocean Springs, Miss.; Scott Smyers, Lakeland, Fla.; Adam Wood, Zionsville, Ind. 12:25 p.m. Joe Doramus, Little Rock; Keith Mitchell (98), Chattanooga, Tenn.; Kalena Preus, Honolulu 12:35 p.m. Wyndham Clark, Greenwood Village, Colo.; Nick Gilliam, Gainesville, Fla.; Zecheng Dou, China 12:35 p.m. Trevor Simsby (182), Carlsbad, Calif.; Tae Koh, New Zealand; Drew Evans, Dallas, Texas 12:45 p.m. Sean Bosdosh (186), Clarksburg, Md.; Lorens Chan (156), Honolulu; Tyler Dunlap (99), Westlake, Texas 12:45 p.m. Ian Davis (100), Edmond, Okla.; Chad Ramey (103), Fulton, Miss.; Viraat Badhwar, Australia 12:55 p.m. Anthony Paolucci (106), Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; Compton Pikari (140), New Zealand; Taylor Macdonald (128), Australia 12:55 p.m. Trey Mullinax, Mount Olive, Ala.; Beau Hossler (93), Mission Viejo, Calif.; Zachary Olsen, Cordova, Tenn.

1:05 p.m. Michael Kim (2), Del Mar, Calif.; Justin Thomas (3), Goshen, Ky.; Andrew Yun (23), Chandler, Ariz. 1:05 p.m. Cory Whitsett (1), Houston; Patrick Rodgers (4), Avon, Ind.; Brady Watt (11), Australia 1:15 p.m. Cameron Wilson (20), Rowayton, Conn.; Michael Miller (28), Brewster, N.Y.; Matthew NeSmith (32), North Augusta, S.C. 1:15 p.m. Sean Dale (17), Jacksonville, Fla.; Richard Lamb (38), South Bend, Ind.; Zachary Blair (30), Ogden, Utah 1:25 p.m. Peter Williamson (59), Jupiter, Fla.; Anders Albertson (51), Woodstock, Ga.; Anton Arboleda (70), La Canada, Calif. 1:25 p.m. Talor Gooch (65), Midwest City, Okla.; Jim Liu (71), Smithtown, N.Y.; Sebastian Cappelen (67), Fayetteville 1:35 p.m. Carlos Ortiz (58), Denton, Texas; Ben Geyer (62), Arbuckle, Calif.; Vaughan McCall (81), New Zealand 1:35 p.m. Mario Clemens (82), Dallas; Austin Cook (63), Jonesboro; Bryson Aldrich-DeChambeau (31), Clovis, Calif.

1:45 p.m. Pace Johnson (175), Fresno, Calif.; Grayson Murray (188), Raleigh, N.C.; Sam Love (176), Trussville, Ala. 1:45 p.m. Kramer Hickok (177), Plano, Texas; Kevin Dougherty (199), Murrieta, Calif.; David Fink (195), Corvallis, Ore.

1:55 p.m. Michael Schoolcraft, Denver, Colo.; Brant Peaper, Tequesta, Fla.; Walker Huddy, Berkeley, Calif. 1:55 p.m. Eli Cole, Beverly Hills, Calif.; Andrew Leadbetter, Orlando, Fla.; Ricky Kato, Australia 2:05 p.m. Riley Pumphrey, Austin, Texas; Ian Vandersee, West Des Moines, Iowa; Clancy Waugh, North Palm Beach, Fla. 2:05 p.m. Alberto Sanchez, Nogales, Ariz.; James Yoon, Bradenton, Fla.; Brax McCarthy, Fort Worth, Texas 2:15 p.m. Joey Garber (120), Athens, Ga.; Andy Zhang, Reunion, Fla.; Eric Hallberg, Parker, Colo. 2:15 p.m. Topher Baron, Minnetonka, Minn.; Branson Davis, McKinney, Texas; Parker Derby, Columbus, Ga.

Sports, Pages 20 on 07/30/2013

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