Whitsett misses U.S. Amateur deadline
• Spieth plays like senior at Junior
• GolfweekTV: Local boy shines at U.S. Junior•
Complete U.S. Juniors coverage • Blog Jr.
By DAN MIROCHA
Assistant Editor
SHOAL CREEK, Ala. – For the second year in a row, an exempt U.S. Junior Amateur champion will not be in the field at the U.S. Amateur.
Cory Whitsett, who was granted a two-year exemption into the U.S. Amateur after his victory at last year’s U.S. Junior at Boone Valley, missed the July 2 registration deadline for next month’s U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst.
The United States Golf Association every year files a blank U.S. Amateur entry for the current year’s U.S. Junior champion (because the U.S. Junior is played after the deadline for the U.S. Amateur) but not for the previous year’s champion.
Whitsett said he was not contacted by the USGA prior to registration. One USGA official on site at this week’s U.S. Junior at Shoal Creek in Alabama said it is not the association’s responsibility to contact players to register.
“They may have sent something, but I didn’t get it,” said Whitsett,
Golfweek’s top-ranked junior who lost in the first round of match play Wednesday. “The USGA doesn't really make exceptions for anyone. But it's not their responsibility, it's our responsibility.”
Surprisingly, the news comes just a year after 2006 U.S. Junior champ Philip Francis missed the entry deadline for the ’07 Amateur at Olympic Club. Like Francis, Whitsett had already hired a caddie for the Amateur.
“We knew what happened last year with Philip and that (the USGA) wouldn’t do anything,” Whitsett said. “Nothing you can really do but learn from it.”
Whitsett played last year at Olympic Club as the defending Junior champion, and received a packet in the mail regarding registration for this year’s Junior.
However, he was on his own for applying for the Amateur.
• • •
Dan Mirocha is a
Golfweek assistant editor. To reach him e-mail
dmirocha@golfweek.com.
Posted: 7/24/2008
print
email
discuss
