One more Alabama golfer is waiting to find out his fate in the field. Montgomery’s Hunter Hamrick is playing in the Atlanta qualifier today (Tuesday). Hamrick graduated from high school early, in December of 2007, and enrolled at Alabama in January 2008 and was a redshirt freshman on the 2008 team.
Weaver, who will begin his second season at Alabama later this month, qualified on Monday at The Colonial Golf Club in Memphis, Tenn. The 2007 Northridge High School graduate shot 68-65 to advance.
Matthew Swan, Alabama’s All-Southeastern Conference golfer from Montgomery, will be making his fourth career appearance at the U.S. Amateur. Swan, who will be a senior, qualified on July 23 in Atlanta, Ga., at the Piedmont Driving Club. A force behind Alabama’s national team success, Swan has already played in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 U.S. Amateur Championships. The first time he qualified was as a high school senior. He’ll be a senior on the Crimson Tide’s golf team this fall. He’s the Tide’s first four-time participant.
Bud Cauley is an incoming freshman on the Tide team. The Jacksonville, Fla., native was co-champion of the 2008 Toyota World Junior Cup in Japan earlier this summer. Cauley qualified for the 2008 U.S. Amateur on July 28 at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
The 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship will be held August 18-24 at Pinehurst Resort in Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
Crimson Tide golf has been well-represented at the U.S. Amateur over the decades with the two outstanding finishes. Jerry Pate was the 1974 U.S. Amateur champion, winning it just before he started his senior season at Alabama. Last August Alabama’s Michael Thompson advanced to the U.S. Amateur final. He was a senior on the 2008 team. Cecil Ingram was a U.S. Amateur semifinalist in 1979 and also competed in the tournament in 1980. Tuscaloosa native Dicky Pride was a semifinalist in 1992 as a UA golfer. Now on the PGA Tour, Pride played in the 1990 U.S. Amateur as well. Crimson Tide participants at the U.S. Amateur have included Wayne Davis (1965), Charles “Bubba” Major, Jim Kilduff (1976, 1979), Jim Kelson (1982), Alan Pope (1984), Griff Rudolph (1984), Spike McRoy (1989), Jeff Street (1980), Sam Farlow (1985), Greg Letson (1992, 1995), Chip Deason (1993, 1996), Scott Taylor (1993), Jeff Amershadian (1993), Patrick Vadden (1994, 1997), Mayson Petty (1995), John Stahlschmidt (1996), Tim Arnoult (1997), Wes Vance (1999), Chip Zahn (1999), Nick Rousey (1999), Rich Berglund (2002), Austin Hynson (2001), Clint Provost (2002, 2005), Daniel Creel (2003), Thomas Hagler (2003, 2006), Max Alverio (2004), Sean Szerencits (2004), Mark Harrell (2005, 2006, 2007), Matthew Swan (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008), Joseph Sykora (2005) and Matt Hughes (2007).
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