Niner golfer Matt Sharpstene qualifies for the Quaterfinals. They started with 264 of the best amateurs and now they’re down to 8. Awesome showing. Televised on the Golf Channel tomorrow 7 - 9pm.
You have to feel bad for the UNCG guy who got eliminated because his caddie decided to check the sand in the bunker.
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/us-amateur-caddie-error-bunker-segundo-oliva-pinto-golf-015644514.html
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49er Finding Gold
"If there is an outlier among the quarterfinalists, it would be Matthew Sharpstene, a 21-year-old from Asheville, N.C., who just transferred from West Virginia to Charlotte. The 49ers don’t have the same golf pedigree as some of the other schools represented in the final eight. The six other collegians play for powers such as Oklahoma State, Louisiana State, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Arizona State and Southern Methodist, all programs that have produced USGA champions.
However, Sharpstene has made some noise this summer on the amateur circuit. His 6-under 64 at Pinehurst’s Course No. 4 during stroke play of the North & South Amateur was a course record. He advanced to the Round of 32 in that event. On Friday, he will take on 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Philip Barbaree.
Sharpstene has already proven he’s unafraid of the big moment. On Wednesday, he ousted last year’s runner-up John Augenstein, a standout at Vanderbilt, in the opening round of match play."
What BS…We had a string of 11 or 12 straight NCAA bids broken just a couple years ago and had a #1 National Ranking within the last decade or so. We were a Top 25 mainstay for over a decade as well. I’d say we have easily been a Top 25 program for the last 15 years, which is a solid “pedigree”.
I think our lack of a tour name is probably what allows that perception to persist.
Oklahoma State - 72 out of 73 tournament bids, 11 national titles, Rickie Fowler, Scott Verplank, Charles Howell III, Bob Tway, Bo Van Pelt, etc.
LSU - David Toms, 5 national titles, etc.
Stanford - 9 national titles, TIGER, Tom Watson, Notah Begay, etc.
GT - David Duval, Matt Kuchar, Stewart Cink, Bryce Molder, Larry Mize, ranked the best golf program in the country by Golfweek, etc.
Arizona State - 2 national titles, Mickelson, Billy Mayfair, John Rahm, Paul Casey, Howard Twitty, etc.
SMU - National title, Bryson DeChambeau, Payne Stewart, etc.
I love our golf program and think it has done remarkably well over the last decade and a half, but those programs are tough to go up against.
The etc. players are some of the top guys in the game. OSU has Wolf and Hovland that both finished in top 15 of the PGA and have already won a touney.
UGA had 9 guys in the PGA last week.
Yeah, I just didn’t want to list anyone and everyone that ever went. It’s crazy to see some of the guys that ran through these programs. Wake Forest is probably the top dog in the state (Arnold Palmer, Webb Sipson, Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins, Scott Hoch, Billy Andrade, Jay Haas ,etc.). NCSU had a run (Carl Pettersson, Tim Clark, Mark Slawter, etc.), CHeat had a run (Davis Love III, Harvie Ward, etc.), and Duke had a few (Mike Souchak, Art Wall, Jr., etc.).
Obviously the big one I left out is Bobby Jones for Georgia Tech.
2 up through 8. Great start.
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Two up thru 12. Wind is terrible again today.
If by trrrible you mean “awesome”
Cheer for carnage. Separates the contenders and pretenders.
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It’s a tough place to play!
3 up with 4 to play
Sharpstene to the Final Four!
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That’s what happens when you let Niners play! Safely.
Sharpstene up1 through 7. Would be up 2 if not for a 1 shot penalty that cost him one hole earlier.
Tied thru 8.
Down 1 thru 9
Down 2 thru 11.
Not looking good