SALT LAKE CITY — Former BYU golfer Tyson Shelley and incoming freshman Drake Harvey qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship on Monday after finishing in the top four at a final qualifying tournament at The Country Club.
Shelley opened with an early bogey to move to 1 over through two holes, but birdies on holes six and eight put him at 1 under after the front nine. After birdies on Nos. 12 and 14, the former Cougar carded an eagle on hole 17. Shelley’s 5-under 66 was the lowest score of the event, earning him medalist honors and his third U.S. Amateur appearance.
A recent addition to the BYU men’s golf team, Harvey carded a 3-under 68 to finish third in the qualifying round. He recorded birdies on holes three, nine, 13, 14 and 16, but back-to-back bogeys on the final two holes dropped him back to 3-under par. Harvey, a four-time high school state champion, said he was proud of his performance while remaining confident he can improve moving forward.
“Qualifying for the U.S. Amateur is cool because of how stacked the Utah qualifying fields are,” Harvey said. “They are full of college players and my future teammates, so going out there not having my A-game and still qualifying gives me more confidence going into the U.S. Amateur.”
Five other Cougars competed in the event. Peter Kim shot a 2-under 69 to tie for fourth before falling in a playoff for the final qualifying spot. Kim will serve as the first alternate for the U.S. Amateur Championship.
Returning sophomore Jackson Mauss shot a 1-under 70 and was named the second alternate. Sophomores Parker Bunn and David Liechty carded rounds of 2-over 73 and a 3-over 74, respectively.
South Africa native Angus Klintworth rounded out the group of Cougars at the event, posting a 4-over 75.
Shelley and Harvey will join standout sophomore Kihei Akina, who earned an exemption as the 11th-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, at the U.S. Amateur Championship Aug. 10-16 at Merion Golf Club and Philadelphia Country Club in Pennsylvania.