Bogey-free 66 at Erin Hills earns Georgetown Prep grad a slot in match play
With a 4-under-par 66 at Erin Hills (Wis.), Rockville’s Denny McCarthy has made it to match play in the 111th U.S. Amateur. McCarthy, a 2011 graduate of Georgetown Prep who is bound for Virginia, had a flawless round – 14 pars and four birdies – to advance for the second straight year.
McCarthy (73-66 – 139), who is at 3-under, will be among 64 qualifiers from a field of 312 when match play begins on Wednesday, after completion of the second round, which was delayed 3 hours and 40 minutes on Tuesday morning. Half of the field — players who teed off Tuesday afternoon — did not complete their rounds. Though not official, McCarthy, who is tied for 16th place, is assured a slot.
Another guaranteed of advancing to match play is California high school sensation Beau Hossler (69-66 – 135). The 16-year-old played in the U.S. Open two months ago at Congressional. Also with a strong chance of advancing is William & Mary junior Jeremy Wells, who is 4-under through 27 holes.
Potomac’s Billy Peel, a senior at Eastern Kentucky, is at 1-over-par through 27 holes, and needs a good finish Wednesday morning to advance.
Potomac’s Rusty Pies, a 41-year-old member at Bethesda Country Club who is playing in the Amateur for the first time, is at 4-over through 27 holes. Timonium’s Brad Miller, a senior at Richmond, is at 3-over through 27 holes.
