U.S. Open Collegiate Participants

11 collegians in this year's U.S. Open golf field

June 5, 2007

Compiled by CSTV.com staff

 

When the U.S. Open men's golf tournament tees off next Thursday at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa., eight collegiate players will be a part of the field.

 

Chris Condello, Junior, Columbia

 

Columbia rising senior Chris Condello survived a one-hole playoff on Tuesday to qualify for the U.S. Open. He held off Akio Sadakata, the 1999 Florida Amateur Champion, to advance. Condello shot a three-over par 73 and an even par 70 on Jupiter Hills Club in Tequesta, Fla., to tie for second in the 47-person field. He finished behind only Jeff Golden of Rollins College.


 

 

 

Condello won the individual Ivy League Championship this year by shooting a seven-over-par total of 220 in the three-round competition at Galloway National Golf Course. Condello's opening round of 71 was the low round of the tournament. The Longwood, Fla. native finished second in the same tournament as a sophomore. He has been selected as a member of the All-Ivy League team for three straight years.

 

As a sophomore he won the individual title at the Princeton Invitational and placed second at the Rutgers Invitational. He also earned All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors from the GCAA.

 

Rhys Davies, Senior, East Tennessee State

 

Just a few days after competing in the NCAA Championships, recently-graduated Rhys Davies of East Tennessee State found himself prevailing over some even tougher competition. Davies beat pros such as Joey Sindelar, Fred Funk, Brad Faxon, Shigeki Maruyama, Carlos Franco and Jim Estes to qualify for the U.S. Open.

Davies shot the best two-round score of all 65 golfers vying for five available spots at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. Davies shot an even par 72 and a seven-under par 65 in order to advance.

This past fall Davies had a team-best 69.4 stroke average. He won his eighth career event and entered the spring ranked fifth nationally. Among other accomplishments, he also placed fourth at the prestigious Western Refining College All-American Golf Classic. In 2006, he ended the season ranked fourth nationally and was named Atlantic Sun Player of the Year. The native of Wales also led the country with a 70.78 stroke average in the 2005-2006 season and became the first East Tennessee State golfer to earn back-to-back All-America honors.

In 2004 he finished 25th in the World Amateur Championships representing Wales. He was also named Southern Conference Golfer of the Year for the 2004-2005 season and was a semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award. Davies was the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year for the 2003-2004 season.

Jeff Golden, Senior, Rollins College

 

Rollins College senior Jeff Golden will have to cancel his plans next week to coach at a tennis camp with his friends because he is headed to the play in the U.S. Open. Golden fired a three-under-par 67 and a five-over par 75 for a total of 142 in sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open at Jupiter Hills Club in Tequesta, Fla. Golden battled high temperatures and a course that played fast and firm to claim one of the only two spots available for the 47 participants.

 

In 2006-2007, the Winter Park, Fla. native finished with a 75.06 stroke average in 29 rounds. This past season he finished eighth at the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament. Golden also finished sixth individually in the 2007 Sunshine State Conference Tournament. In 2005-2006, Golden compiled a 74.94 stroke average in 19 rounds.  

 

Mark Harrell, Junior, Alabama

 

Just over 48 hours after Alabama's Mark Harrell finished tied for 31st individually in the 2007 NCAA Championship while helping the Crimson Tide to a sixth-place finish, the junior qualified for the U.S. Open. Harrell was a co-medalist at the Hawks Ridge Golf Club in Ballground, Ga. after shooting a 5-under par 67 and 2-under par 70

 

He was one of three golfers that qualified for the U.S. Open in the 36-player field. Nationwide Tour member Lee Williams was the other medalist along with Harrell. PGA Tour member Jason Dufner was the third qualifier, and another PGA Tour member, Matt Kuchar, is the first alternate.

 

The Hazlehurst, Ga. native has a career 73.19 stroke average in 111 rounds at Alabama. As a freshman he led the Crimson Tide with a 73.38 stroke average while amassing seven top 25 finishes in 12 starts. In 2005, he was a U.S. Amateur participant and also finished tied for 21st at the NCAA East Regional.

 

Pablo Martin, Junior, Oklahoma State

 

After shooting rounds of 65 and 75 at one of two sectional qualifiers in Columbus, Ohio, Pablo Martin, who recently turned pro after his junior year at Oklahoma State, is headed to Oakmont.

 

Pablo Martin will be representing the Cowboys in the upcoming Open with a nationally and internationally recognized list of achievements as a collegiate golfer and as an amateur. A winner of the Jack Nicklaus Award and the Fred Haskins Award, which are given to the nation's top college player, Martin, who hails from Spain, was written into history as the first amateur to win a European PGA Tour event.

 

Through his sophomore year, Martin was recognized as the Big 12 player of the year having received a unanimous vote. The same year he also received the Southern Golf Association's recognition as National Amateur of the Month after defending his title at the Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational. He finished with Top 10 positioning in eleven of the twelve tournaments of his sophomore year and ended with a stroke average of 71.20 and 12 rounds in the 60's.

 

His amateur career has been equally impressive with an advance to the fourth round at the British Amateur Championship in 2006 and a tie for the course record of 67 at St. George's, eventually placing ninth in the competition. In 2003, Pablo Martin helped his fellow countrymen gain a second place finish at the Sherry Cup, as well as being a team member for the Continent of Europe Team that took on Great Britain and Ireland for the Jacques Legalise Trophy.

 

Philip Pettitt, Jr., Junior, Tennessee

 

After surviving a playoff at the sectional qualifier at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., Tennessee junior Philip Pettitt is headed to the U.S. Open. Pettit shot rounds of 68 and 72, then made par on the second playoff hole to edge Luke List.

 

For the Volunteers' 2006 fall season, they looked to Pettitt to deliver three Top-10 individual finishes and a strong showing throughout the season. A team player all around, Pettitt made a clutch birdie at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate to secure his team's one-stroke victory over ETSU. Holding a scoring average of 72.25 for the fall, Pettitt was able to grab an eighth-place finish at Isleworth-UCF Collegiate Invitational and a Top 20 ranking in Golfweek's rankings.

 

With a ranking of 42nd in the nation, it was no surprise that Pettitt was to be chosen for the PING Division I All-Region Team for the Southeast. Both he and fellow teammate Charlie Ford represent the Volunteers in the team of fifteen golfers from the Southeast. Currently, Philip Pettitt holds a scoring average of 73.06 and remains the team leader in scoring average.

 

Pettitt has remained a strong competitor since his introduction to college golf, competing in every tournament his freshman year and setting a career low score his sophomore year, shooting a 66 in both the first and second round of the Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions. His work as a consistently outstanding golfer has not gone unnoticed, mentioned by Golfweek, Golfworld and the SEC as player of the week and a ranking of No. 1 in the country in 2004.

 

Alex Prugh, Senior, Washington

 

Qualifying for the U.S. Open was no easy task, but Washington's Alex Prugh turned out to be among the best in the competition at the 36-hole qualifier at Gold Mountain Golf Complex. The first alternate for the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, Prugh won his 2007 sectional qualifier, finishing three strokes under all other 20 players in the competition and was the only player to hit below 70.

 

In his last year as a Husky, Prugh has given Washington a lot to be thankful for during his four years of service. He has entered the Washington record books with nine career Top 10 finishes, the seventh most in Husky history. His senior year he helped the team to an appearance in the NCAA West Regional as an important member of the squad who had been recognized as a two-time All-Pac-10 selection.

 

In his junior year, Prugh shot a career best of 6-under 65 in the Pac-10 championships. His stroke average of 72.19 did not go unnoticed, as he was ranked 31st in the nation by Golfweek. Prugh holds the fifth, sixth and 11th-best averages for a season in Husky history. His personal best finish came at the Oregon Duck Invitational this past March, where he captured medalist honors for the first time in his collegiate career.

 

Martin Ureta, Senior, North Carolina

 

A strong collegiate competitor, Martin Ureta will be heading to the U.S. Open after carding rounds of 72 and 68 at the sectional qualifier in Rockville, Md., one of five golfers to qualify at the Woodmont Country Club. Ureta will head to Oakmont with a long resume of strong finishes from his collegiate career. A native of Santiago, Chile, Martin has brought his skills to the forefront of the Tar Heels team to be their strongest team member with the top spot in the lineup.

 

Having started in all four of Carolina's tournaments in the fall season of his senior year, Ureta was a strong finisher in every tournament, tying for third at St. Andrews in Scotland, finishing seventh at the Western Refining College All-American Classic and placing 10th at the Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions.

 

Before his senior year, Ureta earned a stroke average of 71.69 his junior year and was awarded the Andy Hacksaylo Low Stroke Average Award for the second time by UNC. That same year he recorded eight Top 20 finishes and gained his second individual title, winning the Adams Cup of Newport. He won his first title the previous year at the Duke Fall Classic.

 

Ureta has also competed as an amateur in the 2005 U.S. Amateur Public Links, in which he was the runner-up. At the Open, Ureta will see a familiar Tar Heel face, Davis Love, III, who will be competing as well.

 

John Kelly, Senior, Missouri

 

The pride of the Tigers this year is John Kelly. A successful collegiate golfer all four of his years as a Tiger, Kelly has received accolades for from his teammates as an important contributor to the Tiger's successes. His work at the U.S. Amateurs was one of the most recent impressive accomplishments and led him to receive and invite to compete at the U.S. Open. Last year at the Amateur tournament, Kelly defeated Trip Kuehne, who some may remember as the runner-up to Tiger Woods in the 1994 U.S. Amateur Tournament.

 

Scoring over 10 top-25 finishes, Kelly is no stranger to success on the links, including his career best round of 67 which he shot at the Missouri Intercollegiate. His collegiate career has led him to become a competitive golfer and garnered him the opportunity to appear at the U.S. Open.

 

At the U.S. Amateur Open, Kelly finished second to Richie Ramsey of Scotland, who became the first Scot to win the tournament since 1898. Kelly became the runner up when the score tallied with Richie Ramsey on top 4 and 2. His second place finish at the tournament came after a long day of head to head play and a back and forth of leading between the two golfers. At the U.S. Open, Kelly will be expected to fair well against stiff competition.

 

Jason Kokrak, Senior, Xavier

 

An impressive golfer, Jason Kokrak has contributed his experience as a skilled golfer to the Muketeer squad. His recent 69 and 68, which tied the top score at the Double Eagle Club in Columbus, guaranteed his qualification into the ranks of those competing in the upcoming U.S. Open.

 

As a four year letter winner at Xavier, Kokrak has made history for the Musketeers having the lowest stroke average on record for Xavier at 71.67. Not only does he hold a record for stroke average, but he dominated the 2006-07 season with 18 sub-par rounds. Deservedly so, Kokrak is a two-time recipient of the PING All-Midwestern Team title. In 2006 he was also named the Atlantic-10 Conference Performer of the Year, as he was the year before, for his numerous top 20 finishes as well as coveting the Atlantic-10's Rookie of the Year title.

 

Kokrak is no stranger to Amateur play as he won the Ohio State Amateur Championship, finishing seven under, four strokes away from second place, and placed third at the U.S. Open qualifier in 2006 to become first alternate for the U.S Open. At the NCAA Regional Tournament this past May, Kokrak finished his career as a Musketeer in fourth place, one shot shy of continuing to the NCAA tournament.

 

Luke List, Senior, Vanderbilt

 

This is the third U.S. Open for Luke List, who missed the cut at the 2003 tournament at Olympia Fields and also played in the 2005 Open at Pinehurst No. 2. The recently graduated Commodore enters the Open as a newly turned pro. He was the first alternate in the field, replacing England's David Howell who pulled out of the tournament Monday.

 

List has plenty of experience in U.S.G.A. sponsored events, finishing second at the 2004 U.S. Amateur and as a semifinalist in the 2003 U.S. Amateur Public Links.