Triangle Sports Roundup: Area golfers in 2015 U.S. Amateur competitions

Peter Koutroumpis, Triangle Sports Network

Jenkins, Franken, Seabolt, Griffin in U.S. Amateur field

OLYMPIA FIELDS, ILL. – The United States Golf Association (USGA) announced on Wednesday groupings and starting times for the first two rounds of the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship, beginning Monday (Aug. 17) and Tuesday (Aug. 18) at the 7,234-yard, par-70 Olympia Fields Country Club – North Course, and the 7,045-yard, par-70 Olympia Fields Country Club – South Course.

Triangle-area golfers competing in this year’s competition include Raleigh’s Carter Jenkins, Stephen Franken, and Zach Seabolt, as well as Chapel Hill’s Benjamin Griffin.

The four are amongst 13 hailing from North Carolina in the field of 312 competitors representing 23 countries.

The U.S. Amateur consists of two rounds of stroke play that will be played on Aug. 17 and 18, after which the field will be reduced to the low 64 scorers.

There will be six rounds of match play at Olympia Fields Country Club’s North Course, starting Aug. 19 before the quarterfinals begin on Fri., Aug. 21.

The semifinals are slated for Sat., Aug. 22, with the championship scheduled to conclude with a 36-hole final on Sun., Aug. 23, starting at 8:30 a.m. EDT.

2015 U.S. Amateur – Tee Times (All Times EDT)

Mon. (Aug. 17), South Course, hole #10 / Tues. (Aug. 18), North Course, hole #1

7 a.m. / Noon – Nick Eberhardt, Lake Wylie, S.C.; Tyler Collier, Chico, Calif.; Stephen Franken, Raleigh, N.C.

8:50 a.m. / 1:50 p.m. – Cheng Jin, Ppls Repl. of China; Christopher Hickman, Centreville, Md.; Carter Jenkins, Raleigh, N.C.

Mon. (Aug. 17), North Course, hole #1 / Tues. (Aug. 18), South Course, hole #10

8:10 a.m. / 1:10 p.m.Benjamin Griffin, Chapel Hill, N.C.; Chris Babcock, Shoreline, Wash.; Gunn Yang, Republic of Korea

Mon. (Aug. 17), South Course, hole #1 / Tues. (Aug. 18), North Course, hole #10

12:50 p.m. / 7:50 a.m. – Noah Woolsey, Pleasanton, Calif.; Brett Coletta, Australia; Zach Seabolt, Raleigh, N.C.

Duke’s Boutier falls in match play at U.S. Women’s Amateur

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke Blue Devils senior Celine Boutier lost in the first round of match play at the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur at the Portland Golf Club in Portland, Ore. on Wednesday.

Boutier fell, 1 up, to Eun Jeong Seong after posting rounds of 73 and 74 in stroke-play qualifying earlier in the week.

She was tied 41st with a 147 total score heading into match play.

Boutier faced the 23rd-seeded Seong and started off well, never trailing through the first nine holes.

However, she couldn’t get ahead by more than one hole, and Seong eventually gained a 3-up lead following the 12th hole.

Boutier cut her deficit to trail by one with two holes left to play, but never regained the lead.

Each golfer turned in a par on the 140-yard, par three 17th and then both carded birdies on No. 18 to seal the victory for Seong, 1 up.