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Kelly Kraft Wins 2011 U.S. Amateur Championship
(8/28/2011) - ERIN, Wis. (SMU) - After leading much of 36-hole final, former SMU golfer Kelly Kraft had to battle back to win the 111th U.S. Amateur Championship today over the world's No. 1 ranked amateur, Patrick Cantlay, at Erin Hills Erin Hills Country Club. Kraft became the third SMU golfer to win the U.S. Amateur Championship after Hank Kuehne won it in 1998 and Colt Knost won it in 2007.
On the first 18 holes, Kraft and Cantlay both held one up leads through the front nine. After taking the lead on the ninth, Kraft held leads of two, three and four on the back nine. Four up through 16 holes, Cantlay battled back with a birdie on 17 and took advantage of a Kraft triple bogey on 18 to win his second-straight hole, cutting the lead to two going into the final 18 holes.
On the second 18, Cantlay continued his momentum from the end of the first 18 holes, squaring the matchup six holes in. After Cantlay held a one-hole lead for four holes late, Kraft was steadier of the two down the stretch, capitalizing on three Cantlay bogeys in the final four holes to capture the championship.
Although Kraft wasn't as high up the amateur rankings as many of the competitors in the later rounds of the tournament, he came in with momentum after winning both the Texas Amateur Championship and the Trans-Miss Amateur Championship earlier this summer.
That confidence showed throughout the tournament. After going 23 holes against Blake Biddle in the Round of 16, the former SMU golfer, rolled through his opponents to reach the finals.
In the quarterfinals he defeated the world's No.4 ranked amateur Patrick Rogers 6 & 4 after taking the lead on the first hole and never looking back.
In the semifinals, with a shot at getting an invite to the 2012 Masters on the line, Kraft squared off against 20thranked Jack Senior from England. Senior defeated to the world's No. 2 ranked amateur golfer, and Dallas native, Jordan Spieth to reach the semis.
The win means that the former SMU golfer has qualified for the 2012 Masters, British Open and U.S. Open if he chooses to remain an amateur and not go to Q-School this fall. [more]
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