Auburn Golf At The 2010 U.S. Amateur: Day One Recap - AuburnTigers.com

Auburn Golf At The 2010 U.S. Amateur: Day One Recap Blayne Barber leads three Auburn golfers at the U.S. Am

Aug. 23, 2010

2010 U.S. Amateur Blog with Blayne Barber, Michael Hebert and head coach Nick Clinard
2010 U.S. Amateur Official Website
Live Scoring
Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings

TACOMA, Wash. - Sophomore Blayne Barber finished Monday's opening round of the U.S. Amateur tied for 81st, shooting 2-over on the Chambers Bay Golf Course in Tacoma, Wash.

Sophomore Michael Hebert (+3) and former Auburn All-SEC selection Glenn Northcutt (+7) also played round one at Chambers Bay, tying for 116th and 221st, respectively. With the field of 212 split between two courses, the Auburn trio will continue play Tuesday on the Home Course in nearby Dupont, Wash.

Chambers Bay proved to be the more difficult course on the day with 40 of the top 50 competitors opening the event on the Home Course.

"I'm extremely pleased with my round today," said Barber. "This was an incredibly tough day. The course played as close to a U.S. Open course as you can get outside of a U.S. Open. This was legitimately the toughest course I've ever played.

"I'm really glad to have played Chambers Bay first. The Home Course is a lot different. The greens are still firm but they're standard bentgrass greens. The Home Course is definitely set up a little more conducively for scoring."

Currently ranked 22nd in the Scratch Players World Amateur Golf Rankings, Barber returns to the U.S. Amateur after competing in the 2008 edition.

The U.S. Amateur includes 36 holes of stroke play Monday and Tuesday with golfers alternating between Chambers Bay and the Home Course. The field will then be cut to the low 64 scorers to enter Wednesday match play. The championship concludes with a scheduled 36-hole final match on Aug. 29.

Barber advanced to the event after winning the Sawgrass Country Club sectional in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., while Hebert advanced as an alternate from the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club sectional in Orlando. Northcutt tied for second at the Piedmont Driving Club sectional in Atlanta.

For complete tournament information and results, please visit www.USGA.com.