Andrew Sciortino climbed 51 spots to advance to match play in the U.S. Junior Amateur
photo by Southern Golf Association
Andrew Sciortino has navigated through a rigorous competitive schedule this summer that helped prepare him for Tuesday afternoon’s emergence at the U.S. Junior Amateur.
Back in May the rising senior at Brentwood Academy birdied the final hole of the prestigious Southern Junior Amateur to force a playoff before losing on the first extra hole. He then tied for second at the Tennessee Junior PGA, and had a top 20 finish in the noteworthy Junior North & South Amateur at Pinehurst.
In short, Sciortino had witnessed up close the best junior golfers in the land. He had also proven that his name belonged in that conversation, and Tuesday afternoon’s performance certainly validated that fact.
After entering the day tied for 59th place after shooting 2-over 72 at stroke play co-host Brook Hollow Club, Sciortino put together a flawless round of 4-under 67 at Dallas host site Trinity Forest Golf Club. His bogey-free navigation of the challenging course allowed him to climb all the way into a tie for 8th entering Wednesday’s match play portion of the competition.
Sciortino picked up a birdie at No. 2, then settled in with 11 straight pars while avoiding giving back any strokes. He then strung together three consecutive birdies starting at 14 before closing with a pair of pars to finish stroke play at 2-under 139.
Mason Howell of Thomasville, Ga. claimed medalist honors and the No. 1 seed with a two-day total of 7-under 134. England’s Ben Bolton was second at 6-under, one shot better than University of Tennessee commit Tyler Watts of Huntsville, Ala. who joined two others at 5-under.
Sciortino is seeded 9th in the Round of 64 where he will take on No. 56 Miguel Garcia of Mexico at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches will take place Thursday, followed by the Quarterfinals and Semifinals on Friday. The 36-hole Championship Final is slated for Saturday.
Evan Rogers, a native of Duluth, Ga. and incoming freshman at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, seemed poised to make it to match play after birdies at 6 and 7 left him tied for 33rd at 1-over for the tournament. But a crucial double bogey at No. 10 followed by a bogey on 18 put Rogers at 4-over 145, one shot outside the top 64.
Franklin’s Will Pinson closed his two days at 8-over 149 after shooting 75 at Brook Hollow. Others who failed to move on to match play were Bristol’s Wick Baker at 9-over 150, along with Greyson Collard of Memphis and Drew Madigan of Collierville, who both closed at 20-over 161.
Men’s and Women’s U.S. Senior Am Qualifiers Held
Beau Fields of Brentwood birdied his final two holes to earn medalist honors at the U.S. Senior Amateur qualifier held at Harpeth Hills Golf Course on Tuesday. With a score of 2-under-par 70, Fields earned the right to compete in the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas on August 23-28.
Also advancing was Billy Green of Franklin, whose round of 1-over 73 was buoyed by an eagle on the par-5 5th hole to finish runner-up and secure the remaining slot awarded.
Keith Arendsee of College Grove followed a birdie at 16 with an eagle on the par-5 17th to close at 3-over 75 to earn the 1st Alternate position. Nashville's Tim Hollahan was 2nd Alternate as one of four golfers with a score of 4-over 76.
Three spots were awarded in the women’s qualifier hoping to earn the right to compete in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship to be played September 13-18 at The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va.
Martha Leach of Hebron, Helen Holland of Nashville and Cissye Gallagher of Greenwood tied at 5-over 77 to claim co-medalist laurels. Erica Chappell of Nashville was 1st Alternate with a score of 7-over 79, while Liz Scaggs was 2nd Alternate after closing at 11-over 83.
Moncus Claims Goat Turf Event Behind 10 Birdies
Dylan Moncus birdied six of his final seven holes on Tuesday at GreyStone Golf Club, posting a final round 62 that featured ten birdies to win the Goat Turf Players Championship. The Holston Hills professional closed his two days at 13-under 131 to win by six shots.
Amateurs Grant Milling of Nashville and Sloane Biddle of Old Hickory tied for 2nd at 7-under 137, while professionals Johan Kok of Nashville, Casey Flenniken of Knoxville and Lee Whitehead of Louisville tied for 4th at 6-under 138.
Allen Fennell of the Tennessee Golf Trail at Warriors Path captured the Senior medalist honors at 10-under 134 after shooting 6-under on Tuesday. Amateurs claimed the next four spots with Knoxville’s Brad Kuester earning runner-up at 5-under 139, followed by Lenoir City’s Ray Morton, Nashville’s Brad Reese and Alan Jones of Tullahoma knotted in 3rd at 4-under 140.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com