Four Pacific Coast Amateur Competitors Among 2011 Walker Cup Invites
Several past Pacific Coast Amateur competitors, including reigning champion Andrew Putnam of University Place, Wash., were among 16 players invited by the USGA to an early January practice session for the 2011 team at Old Memorial GC near Tampa.
For Putnam, a senior at Pepperdine University, this gives him an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Michael, who also won the 2004 Pacific Coast Amateur and played on the 2005 Walker Cup team. This past season, Putnam also qualified for the U.S. Open, finished T7 at the Southern Amateur, and was runner-up at the Sahalee Players Championship.
Other Pacific Coast Amateur participants also receiving invites were UCLA Freshman Patrick Canlay, UCLA Junior Gregor Main and Stanford sophomore Andrew Yun.
Cantlay, played in his first Pacific Coast Amateur in 2010 and finished T29, but as a junior golfer he won numerous titles including the prestigious Boys Junior Americas Cup and Hogan Cup. This past season he was a semi-finalist at the US Amateur, placed 2nd in stroke play qualifying at the US Amateur and was runner-up at the Southern Amateur. He is presently ranked no. 4 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Collegiate Rankings.
Main, who in 2009 won the 2009 Southern Amateur and made the cut at the PGA Tour's Buick Invitiational, was runner-up this past season at the Western Amateur, finished T5 at the Pacific Coast Amateur, and T9 at the NCAA Championship.
Yun, number 3 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College rankings, finished in 4th at the 2009 Pacific Coast Amateur along with a T2 finish at the Porter Cup and advancing to the sweet 16 at the Western Amateur. This past season he won the Dogwood Invitational and The Prestige as well as advancing to the round of 32 at the US Amateur Public Links Championship, a T4 finish at the Northeast Amateur and T8 at the Players Amateur.
The 45th Pacific Coast Amateur Championship will be held at Martis Camp in Truckee, Calif. July 26-29, 2011.
Three Walker Cup veterans those invited. Peter Uihlein, Bud Cauley and Nathan Smith were all members of the triumphant 2009 team at Merion GC. Combined, they posted a record of 9-1-1.
Uhlien, who captured the 2010 U.S. Amateur title at Chambers Bay, is currently the No.1 ranked amateur in the world. Smith is a three time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion. Cauley, ranked No. 35 in the world, is presently a junior at the University of Alabama.
Also invited were Auburn sophomore Blayne Barber, San Diego junior Alex Ching, Stanford junior David Chung, Georgia senior Harris English, Kent State senior John Hahn, Georgia senior Russell Henry, Illinois senior Scott Langley, and Augusta State junior Patrick Reed.
A surprise pick was high school senior Jordan Speith, from Dallas. Missing is 2009 Walker Cup member Morgan Hoffman, who is expected to turn pro after the NCAA Championship next June.
The 10-man U.S. Walker Cup team will be captained by 1981 U.S. Mid Amateur champion Jim Holtgrieve. The match will be held at Scotland's Royal Aberdeen Golf Club next September.
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