U.S. Amateur to Start This Week

The U.S. Amateur will begin August 18 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in North Carolina on courses Nos. 2 and 4. The No. 2 course at Pinehurst will play at 7,281 yards and par 35-35 - 70. No. 4, which will be used for the first two days of stroke play only, will play at 7,030 yards and par 35-35 - 70.

Designed by Donald Ross, the famed No. 2 opened with 18 holes in 1907. Its eminent architect fine-tuned the layout several times through 1946. More recently, Rees Jones renovated the layout prior to the 1999 U.S. Open. Ross also designed the original No. 4, which opened in 1919. The most recent renovation on that course was overseen by Tom Fazio in 1999.

No. 2 will be set for green speeds of approximately 11 feet, 6 inches on the Stimpmeter. The greens are Penn G-2 grass. A strip of intermediate rough of Common and Tifway Bermudagrass on each side of the fairways will be cut to 1½ inches in height. The primary rough will be grown to 2¾ inches (20 feet of width outside the intermediate cut). A more penal secondary rough will be at 3½ inches.

The No. 2 course setup at Pinehurst will have a USGA course rating of 76.2 and Slope of 140. The setup for course No. 4 will result in a course rating of 74.2 and a 138 Slope.

Pinehurst has hosted eight USGA championships, more than any other club in North Carolina. Included in the mix are two U.S. Opens and a U.S. Amateur. It hosted the Open in 1999 and 2005. The Amateur was contested at Pinehurst in 1962. The 2014 U.S. Open will be contested for the third time on the No. 2 course June 12-15.

Last year Colt Knost of Dallas holed a 20-foot birdie putt for a win on the 31st hole and led the rest of the way in defeating Michael Thompson of Tucson, Ariz., in the 36-hole championship match, 2 and 1. Knost also won the 2007 U.S. Amateur Public Links, becoming the second player in history to win both the APL and Amateur in the same year (Ryan Moore in 2004), and was a member of the winning USA Walker Cup team last September. He has since turned professional.

Quarterfinalists from 2007 are fully exempt from having to qualify for the 2008 championship. Those exempt include Derek Fathauer of Jensen Beach, Fla.; Eddie Olson of Aptos, Calif.; Cheng-Tsung Pan of Chinese Taipei; Nick Taylor of Canada; and Jhonattan Vega of Venezuela

Nine USGA champions are entered in the 2008 U.S. Amateur field. They include:

Austin Eaton III, New London, N.H. - 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion
Danny Green, Jackson, Tenn. - 1999 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion
Brian Harman, Savannah, Ga. - 2003 U.S. Junior Amateur champion
Sihwan Kim, Buena Park, Callif. - 2004 U.S. Junior Amateur champion
Jack Newman, Des Moines, Iowa - 2008 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion
Cameron Peck, Olympia, Wash. - 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur champion
Nathan Smith, Pittsburgh, Pa. - 2003 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion
Kevin Tway, Edmond, Okla. - 2005 U.S. Junior champion
Dave Womack, McDonough, Ga. - 2006 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion

There are also 28 players who were exempt from having to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Amateur, including seven of the nine USGA champions listed above. The eight who are exempt due to qualifying for the 2008 U.S. Open are Jordan Cox of Redwood City, Calif.; Derek Fathauer of Jensen Beach, Fla.; Rickie Fowler of Murrieta, Calif.; Jimmy Henderson of Lebanon, Ohio; Michael Quagliano of White Plains, N.Y.; Nick Taylor of Canada; Kevin Tway of Edmond, Okla.; and Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, Calif.

Members of the 2005 and 2007 USA Walker Cup team are also exempt. The members of the 2007 USA team in the field are Rickie Fowler of Murrieta, Calif.; Billy Horschel of Gainesville, Fla.; Jamie Lovemark of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; and Kyle Stanley of Gig Harbor, Wash. Brian Harman of Savannah, Ga., was a 2005 team member. Jonathan Caldwell of Northern Ireland was a member of the 2007 team for Great Britain and Ireland.

The U.S. Amateur Championship is open to amateur golfers who have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 2.4. The USGA accepted 7,298 entries for the 2008 U.S. Amateur. The most entries ever received for the Amateur was 7,920 in 1999 when the championship was contested at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

The champion receives an exemption into the 2009 U.S. Open and British Open, and a probable invitation to play in the 2009 Masters Tournament, if he remains an amateur. He also receives a 10-year exemption into the U.S. Amateur field so long as he remains an amateur.

Following two days of stroke play (Monday and Tuesday, August 18-19) the field of 312 golfers will be reduced to the lowest 64 scorers, who will advance to match play. All matches are 18 holes except the final match. The 36-hole championship final match is scheduled for Sunday, August 24.

The first and second rounds of stroke play are set for Monday and Tuesday (August 18-19) at Pinehurst Resort's No. 2 and No. 4 courses. All match-play rounds will be played at the No. 2 course, beginning Wednesday (August 20). A single round of match play is scheduled on Wednesday, followed by the second and third rounds on Thursday (August 21), and single rounds again from Friday-Sunday (August 22-24).

Tickets can be purchased online at Pinehurst or by calling 800/795-4653. Ticket prices are $15 for a daily ticket and $50 for a weekly pass. There is also a "flex" package of four any-day tickets for $40. Children 17 and under are admitted free if accompanied by a paying adult. Children are also invited to visit the USGA's "Catch the Spirit" tent. General spectator parking and shuttle service will be provided free of charge at the Pinehurst Harness Track.

The U.S. Amateur will have 13 hours of coverage on the Golf Channel over the last five days of the championship. The schedule is as follows:

First Round Matches - Wed. (Aug. 20), 1-4 p.m. (EDT)
Third Round Matches - Thurs. (Aug. 21), 12-2 p.m. (EDT)
Quarterfinal Matches - Fri. (Aug. 22), 12-2 p.m. (EDT)
Semifinal Matches - Sat. (Aug. 23), 1-4 p.m. (EDT)
Championship Match - Sun. (Aug. 24), 1-4 p.m. (EDT)

For additional details and live scoring, visit U.S. Amateur