East and West took care of the two available places, as sectional qualifying for the U.S. Amateur championship took place at Hayfields Country Club in Hunt Valley, July 23.
Ryan McCarthy, from Kensington, Md., and Ryan Smith, from Carlsbad, Calif., each put up rounds of 71-69 for 140, 4 under par for two trips over a course that was played at 7,046 yards and they shared the medal. There was a tie for alternate, too, but no playoff was needed after Mark Cusic, from Leonardtown, Md., the only one of two to appear, became first alternate after he and Nate Menon, from Wyomissing, Pa., tied at 144.
The weather turned out to be a factor, too, with intermittent rain showers and a wind that blew up to 25 mph until mid-afternoon. It calmed down during a 40-minute rain delay, but there were still occasional showers, including a downpour shortly after the conclusion of play.
McCarthy, 28, who works in commercial real estate in Beltsville, turned 1 over after one birdie and two bogeys, then made four back-nine birdies to conclude his afternoon round. Smith, 16, a 6-foot -1 high school student, walked the front nine the day before, but he basically used the morning tour to work his way around the course. “I was more solid in the afternoon,” he said.
Smith, who played the back side first for his second round, finished with three birdies in a bogey-free round. It was a par-save at the 16th, however, that might have been his best effort of the day. He hit his second shot at the 552-yard hole into a pond right of the green, dropped back and got up-and-down from there.
Where Smith was nearly at the end of the field, McCarthy had about an hour to wait out possible challengers. As it developed, both players finished four shots clear of their closest pursuers, although Cusic was in a good spot after an opening 67, but he struggled in the afternoon.
McCarthy, who admitted to “some really good par-saves,” made three of his last four birdies from inside 12 feet. “The weather had not been much of a factor for me, but at 18 [597 yards], when I faced a second shot over the hazard, it was pouring.” He cleared the hazard, wedged to 15 feet below the hole, then made the putt
This will be McCarthy’s second straight trip to the championship, while Smith will be going for the first time after missing out a year ago. He chose the Baltimore site this time because it fit into his schedule after playing in the U.S. Juniors in Springfield, N.J. (Baltusrol GC) last week. Last year, he made the quarter-finals, this time he went out in the round of 16.
The championship will be played August 13-19 at Pebble Beach, Calf.
Reported by John Stewart
