Oakmont, Pa.---- Since 1895, one of the most prestigious championships in golf is the United States Amateur sponsored by the United States Golf Association (USGA). From its inception when 32 players competed for the first championship, there were more than 7,700 golfers attempting to qualify for one of the 312 opportunities to win the 2021 title the week of August 9-15.
San Jose State sophomore Caleb Shetler and incoming transfer Kotaro Murata from the University of Hawaii became the first two Spartans in many years to qualify in a 36-hole regional for a berth in the 121st U.S. Amateur.
They would have the opportunity to play at the Oakmont Country Club, located close to Pittsburgh, Pa., one of the toughest courses in the United States and a course that hosted 16 previous USGA championships – the U.S. Open, the U.S. Women's Open, and the U.S. Amateur. In 1992, San Jose State alum and LPGA Hall of Fame golfer Patty Sheehan defeated former Spartan teammate and LPGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster at Oakmont for the U.S Women's Open title.
The 312-player field meant a second nearby golf course, the Long Vue Golf Club, would be used as well for 36-holes of stroke play to determine a 64-player field for U.S. Amateur match play competition and an eventual champion.
Oakmont lived up to its stringent and demanding reputation. The average score for the first round play was 77.16 more than seven strokes over par 70 when Shetler with an 81 and Murata who signed for a 79, played the course. Shetler came back the next day and posted an even par 70 at the Long Vue course for a 151 total. Murata also improved with a 75 at Long Vue for a 154 total.
Neither Spartan made the cut to the field of 64. A three-over par 143 total produced a 12-person playoff for the final spot in the field of 64.
The two Spartans will be back soon in San Jose preparing for the fall semester and start of the 2021-22 college season. San Jose State's first tournament is the three-day, 54-hole Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational hosted by the Air Force Academy, September 10-12, at the Eisenhower Golf Course in Colorado Springs, Colo.
