BATON ROUGE – Qualifying for the 2010 United States Amateur Championship is now underway as two members of the LSU men’s golf program earned a place in the nation’s premier amateur event during Monday’s sectional qualifier held at Mira Vista Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
Senior All-American John Peterson and incoming freshman Andrew Presley were among the 78 golfers in the field vying for three qualifying spots at the par-71 course.
Peterson dominated the competition as he fired consecutive rounds of 5-under 66 and 4-under 67 Monday to win the sectional qualifier by three shots with a 36-hole score of 9-under 133. Presley followed in third place as he qualified with rounds of 1-over 72 and 3-under 68 for a 2-under par 140 in 36 holes.
Peterson is no stranger to the U.S. Amateur Championship as this marks the second year in a row he is set to take part in the nation’s premier amateur championship as this year’s event will be held at Chambers Bay Golf Club in Tacoma, Wash., from Aug. 23-29. It will also mark the sixth year in a row that the LSU men’s golf program will be represented at the U.S. Amateur Championship.
In his first career appearance a year ago, Peterson earned a spot in the match play tournament at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., where he was knocked out in the first round.
Presley, who signed with the Tigers as one of the Top 15 recruits in the country for the Class of 2010, will compete in the U.S. Amateur Championship for the first time in his young career after qualifying Monday in his hometown of Fort Worth. Presley competed in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in 2009.