As I stated in an article written yesterday, August 20th, local golfer Jake Katz will be playing in the United States Amateur Championship starting on August 22nd in Erin, Wisconsin. The two courses being played for the opening stroke play rounds are Erin Hills Country Club and Blue Mound Golf and Country Club. Erin Hills will be set up at 7,760 yards, a new tournament record, while Blue Mound will be set up at a much shorter 6,622 yards.
Katz will start his tournament at Blue Mound at 8:30am CDT. He will be playing with Garren Poirier of Killington, Vt. and Harold Varner of Gastonia, N.C. Even though these courses look different on paper due to their length, Katz believes that both suit his game very well. When asked what he thought of the courses, Katz said that both courses suit his game well. "They both require accurate tee shots and most holes allow me to hit driver, which is one of my strengths." Driver is not only a strong part in his game but it is literally his strongest. Katz is a long hitter and he can put himself in great position off the tee to make birdies with short irons in to greens. During the second round of the Porter Cup, on a hole that measured over 330 yards in length, Katz flew the green and caromed off a fence 30 yards backwards. Crazy stuff!
Jake says that he is playing well coming into the championship and is definitely not setting low expectations. He said that his goal is to be in the top 64 after to stroke play rounds and put himself in a good position come match play. The match play bracket consists of the top 64 players after the two stroke play rounds. Katz is optimistic about his chances once he can get into match play saying that "once you're in match play, anything can happen." That couldn't be more true as we have seen many pro's in WGC (World Golf Championship) events and the Ryder Cup be upset in all different matches. The most recent would be the number one seed Tiger Woods losing in this years' WGC Match Play Championship in the first round to Thomas Bjorn.
Katz hopes to have a great week as once again he told me that this will be his last amateur event as he will be turning pro soon after. Katz has a great opportunity to do something special this week in Erin Hills and take advantage of an opportunity that he has earned with hard work and commitment.
Check back starting tomorrow for updates on first round action of Jake Katz from Blue Mound Golf Club in the first round of the U.S. Amateur.
For information on the U.S. Amateur or either of the two courses being played, visit the sites listed below.
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