U.S. Amateur Championship Involves Three Big Green Golfers

ERIN, WIS. — The 111th U.S. Amateur Championship takes place this week in at Erin Hills Golf Course and Blue Mound Golf Course and three Dartmouth men's golfers are competing in the event. Senior Peter Williamson (Hanover, N.H.), junior James Pleat (Nashua, N.H.) and Davis Mullany '11 (Great Barrington, Mass.) are part of the 315-player field.

Williamson finished day one with an even-par 72 and is in tie for 62nd place after playing the Erin Hills course. He teed off on the 10th hole to start the day and was a little shaky with bogeys in three of his first six holes, including the opening hole. Williamson found his rhythm on the daunting 675-yard par-5 18th, his ninth hole of the round. He birdied the lengthy hole to move back to two-over par and gave him momentum heading to his second nine. He finished his last nine holes, the course's front nine, with two birdies and seven pars. Williamson birdied the par-4 third and the par-4 fifth.

Over on the Blue Mound course, Pleat shot an even-par 70 and is tied for 62nd place. He started on the front nine and bogeyed the par-4 fourth before recording a birdie on the par-3 seventh to finish even par on his opening nine. He struggled early on the back with bogeys on the 10th and 12th holes, but returned to even-par with birdies on the 15th and 17th holes.

Mullany also played on the Blue Mound course, but finished with a three-over-par 73 and is tied for 167th. Starting on the front nine, he bogeyed the par-3 third, but got back to even par with a birdie on the par-5 fifth. Mullany hit a snag just before making the turn with a bogey on the ninth. On the back nine, he bogeyed the 12th and 17th on his way to 73.

The championship runs from Aug. 22-28. The first two days will be stroke-play events with each participant playing one 18-hole round at Erin Hills and Blue Mound. After the stroke-play is finished, the low 64 scorers move on to the match-play portion of the competition. There will be six rounds of match play that conclude with a 36-hole final match on Aug. 28.

Each of the three Dartmouth golfers had to qualify in order to make this week's event. Williamson qualified on Aug. 8 at the Ellington Ridge Country Club. Pleat made the championship by qualifying at the Blue Hill Country Club on July 25, and Mullany qualified at the Wahconah Country Club on Aug. 1. At last years Amateur Championship, Williamson finished tied for 138th.

Schedules