Seattle University head golf coach Marc Chandonnet will have some company later this summer that he is familiar with, as Kyle Cornett (Mill Creek, Wash.) finished second at Monday’s sectional qualifier at Royal Oaks Country Club to advance to the 2015 United States Amateur Championship, to be held Aug. 17-23 at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Illinois.
In the 36-hole qualifier, Cornett started the first round on the 10th hole and promptly birdied it, one of three birdies he collected during his first seven holes. He would finish the morning round at two-under-par 70 after a birdie on the par-four seventh hole, his 16th hole of the circuit, good enough to tie four other golfers for second place heading into the afternoon round.
He birdied the seventh hole for the second time to make the turn at three under par, but a double bogey on the long par-three 16th hole threatened to put him in a playoff. However, Cornett bounced back and birdied the par-four 17th hole, posting a second round score of even par 72 and a two-round total of 142, comfortably qualifying for the national amateur championship.
"I was all practiced up and ready to go," Cornett told The Columbian. "I played solid all day."
This continues a strong summer for Cornett, who advanced past local qualifying into sectional qualifying for the United States Open Championship that was held at Chambers Bay Golf Club. He played in every competition for the Redhawks during the 2014-15 season, posting an average score of 74.24 and earning five top-15 finishes.
Two other Redhawks took their shot at qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Tuesday at Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Wash. Joe Harvie (Orting, Wash.), the WAC Freshman of the Year this past season, finished in a tie for sixth place at 136 (-4) after rounds of 67 and 69, while Patrick Sato (Bellevue, Wash.) ended up in a tie for 12th place at 139 (-1) after posting scores of 68 and 71.
After playing in the U.S. Amateur Championship in August, Chandonnet will begin preparing Cornett and the other Seattle University golfers for the 2015-16 season, with both the men’s and women’s teams coming off exciting 2014-15 campaigns and welcoming back the vast majority of the golfers from those squads.