Two years after becoming the youngest player in Washington-area history to qualify for the U.S. Amateur, Virginia sophomore Denny McCarthy has made it to the Amateur again. Firing a 71-66 – 137 Monday at Woodholme, McCarthy was the medalist, qualifying with ease.
Also qualifying for the Amateur, Aug. 13-19 at Cherry Hills (Colo.), were Maclain Huge of Lovettstown, Va. (74-67 – 141) and Steven Delmar, Jr. of Gaithersburg (71-71 — 142), who emerged on the first playoff hole with a birdie against 14-year-old Bennett Buch of Sykesville.
McCarthy, the freshman of the year in the ACC, had four birdies and an eagle on his final 10 holes, assuring his second Amateur berth. In the Amateur in 2010, McCarthy qualified for match play, losing in the opening round.
Last week, McCarthy made a strong run at one of the most prestigious amateur titles in the country, shooting four rounds in the 60s to place second at the Porter Cup in Niagara Falls, N.Y., an event won by players such as Phil Mickelson, Ben Crenshaw, Deane Beman, and David Duval.
The 24-year-old Delmar also is coming off recent success, winning the Maryland Amateur Public Links five days ago, shooting 70-69 – 139 at Greystone to edge 2011 Maryland Amateur champion Marc Cusic of Breton Bay (72-68 – 140). Delmar qualified for the Amateur in 2009 at Southern Hills, missing the cut. Delmar was ready from the start on Monday, making birdies on the first four holes.
The 6-foot-5 Huge, a recent graduate of Middleburg Academy who is bound for Virginia Tech, won the Frank Emmet Schoolboy by six shots last month. He makes his first appearance at the Amateur after playing his final 14 holes on Monday in 5-under.
In the U.S. Amateur qualifier Monday at the River Course at Kingsmill, former Maryland and DeMatha player Joseph Rice (71-66 – 137) finished strong to grab a qualifying slot. Rice was one of four players who tied for medalist honors with a 137.
The others who survived a playoff were Elon junior Jack Adkins of Martinsville (62-75 – 137) and 30-year-old Matthew Crenshaw of Burlington, N.C. (70-67 – 137). The odd man out of the 4-for-3 playoff was Kevin Yerks of Ashburn (68-69 – 137).
