Shepard and Douglas qualify for
USGA Mid-Amateur Championship
The Bayou State will be well represented at the 2018
U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship. Clinton Shepard
of Maurice, Louisiana fired a five-under par 67 to
earn medalist honors in Thursday’s U.S. Mid-Amateur
Qualifier conducted by the Louisiana Golf Association
at Bayou Oaks at City Park (South Course).
Shepard’s 67 was two shots better than the 69 carded
by Douglas Dupont of Monroe, Louisiana and Matthew
Ritchie of Mobile, Alabama. There were two qualifying
spots available from this site, so Dupont and Ritchie went
head-to-head in a sudden death playoff, which Dupont
won with a par (5) on the first playoff hole (#18).
Shepard and Dupont now advance to the Championship
proper, to be conducted at historic Charlotte Country
Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sept. 22-27. Carolina
Golf Club is the stroke play co-host venue.
Louisianans Derek Busby of Ruston and Patrick
Christovich of New Orleans were exempt from qualifying
because they are inside the top 400 of the World Amateur
Golf Rankings.
Shepard was paired in the first group to tee off at 7:30
a.m. He made two birdies on the front 9 on holes #2
(par 3 / 190 yards) and #9 (par 5 / 585 yards) and zero
bogeys. Shepard continued to build momentum after
the turn, making birdies on two of his first three holes
(par 4 10th and par 4 12th). He made his lone bogey
of the day at the par 4 13th, and then bounced back
with consecutive pars. Shepard carded another birdie at
the par 4 16th and then added a par at the par 3 17th
hole. He capped off his round in impressive fashion with
a birdie at the par 5 18th hole, making a 15-foot putt to
secure medalist honors
The LGA reported Thursday’s qualifier was conducted
in excellent golf weather, sunny with temperatures in the
28
mid-80s and a slight breeze blowing across the course
from the north. The Bayou Oaks at City Park South
Course played to a par 72 at 6,978 yards.
Both Charlotte Country Club (1910) and Carolina
Gof Club (1929) are Donald Ross designed tracks. The
USGA received 4,709 (most since 1997) for the 2018 U.S.
Mid-Amateur. This will be the first U.S. Mid-Amateur
contested in the state of North Carolina. In Charlotte,
a field of 264 will compete over 36 holes of stroke play
qualifying on Sept. 22 & 23. The low 64 players will then
be placed in a match play draw to determine the champion
with the first round of matches to be played on Monday,
Sept. 24. Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches will be
conducted on Sept. 25; Quarterfinals and Semifinals will
be played on Sept. 26, with the Championship Match (36
holes) to be conducted on Thursday, Sept. 27. FS1 will
broadcast the final two matches.