Scott Gregory, Stefano Mazzoli are Amateur Representatives at British Open
TROON, United Kingdom (July 13, 2016) -- One year
after five amateurs made the cut, one shared the lead
after 54-holes and three finished inside the top-12, only
two will be in the field at this weeks British Open. Scott
Gregory and Stefano Mazzoli will be the lone amateur
representatives when play begins on Thursday at Royal
Troon.
Last year at St. Andrews, the golfing world was
abuzz with the speculation of possibility, as amateur
Paul
Dunne
of Ireland shared the lead when Monday's final round
began. Unfortunately, Dunne struggled during that final
round, but American Jordan Niebrugge picked up the
amateur
torch on the final day as he finished tied for sixth and
won the Silver Medal. Niebrugge became the first
American to win the Silver Medal since Tiger Woods in
1996.
Although the 2016 British Open doesn't include a
large
number of amateurs, the two that are in the field are
more than capable of making some noise.
Englishman Scott Gregory, the 8th
ranked player in
the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com Rankings, punched his
ticket to the Open by winning last months British
Amateur. “You dream about moments like this
when
you are practicing all those hours and when you’re not
playing as well as you’d like to,” Gregory told the R&A
after his British Amateur victory.
Gregory, 21-years-old, won the 36-hole British
Amateur
championship match, 2&1 over Robert MacIntyre.
Italian Stefano Mazzoli, the
30th ranked amateur in
the world, qualified for the British Open by winning the
European Amateur last August.
Mazzoli was the first Italian winner of the European Amateur since 1992,
when Massimo Scarpa won the
event. The 19-year-old finished 19-under-par and just
ahead of now two-time runner-up finisher and Walker
Cupper Gary Hurley.
"I'm really excited because The Open will be a
really great experience for me," Mazzoli said after his
victory.
Shortly after winning the European Amateur,
Mazzoli
made his European Tour debut at the Italian Open
where
he made the cut.
FIRST AND SECOND ROUND TEE TIMES
-All times are BST
7:08 a.m./12:09 p.m. Sandy Lyle, Scott Gregory
(a), David Duval
12:09 p.m./7:08 a.m. Ben Curtis, Stefano Mazzoli
(a), John Daly
-The R&A and The Open contributed to this story
ABOUT THE
British Open
The most coveted trophy in the game and one
of the most iconic in all of sport: more
commonly referred to as the Claret Jug.
Within
minutes of winning the British Open, the
"Champion Golfer of the Year" gets his name
engraved on that cup, and a place in golfing
history.
Amateurs have played an
important role in the tournament over the
years, with players like Sergio Garcia, Justin
Rose, and more recently Alfie Plant stepping
into the international limelight with their
golfing
performances.
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