By Arthur Utley
NEWPORT NEWS – Carter Morgan was runner-up in the Virginia State Golf Association Junior Match Play Championship in 2016.
In 2018, Morgan reached the quarterfinals of the VSGA Amateur after eliminating defending champion Mark Lawrence Jr. in the round of 16.
In last month’s VSGA Amateur, Morgan qualified for, but
lost, in the first round of match play.
Morgan, a senior at Old Dominion University from
Tappahannock, achieved the highlight moment of his golf career by qualifying
for the U.S. Amateur on Tuesday.
Morgan, who plays out of Hobbs Hole Golf Course, posted
rounds of par 70 and 4-under 66 at James River Country Club for a 36-hole total
of 4-under 136 and gained one of the two berths available for the national
tournament that will be played Aug. 12-18 on the No. 2 and No. 4 courses at
Pinehurst Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C.
North Carolinian Patrick Stephenson earned the second spot.
Stephenson, from Fair Oaks, also logged a 136 total on rounds of 67 and 69.
Each will receive a qualifying medal.
Stephenson, a senior on the East Carolina University golf
team, came close to qualifying for the U.S. Amateur in 2017 at James River CC.
He was the first alternate after losing to a birdie on the first playoff hole.
Kelly Chinn, who shot 68-69-137, is the first alternate. Chinn, a junior at Langley High in McLean, qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship last month.
The second alternate is Connor Burgess of Lynchburg, a junior at Virginia Tech. Burgess returned 69-69-138.
Morgan, in his second attempt at qualifying for the U.S.
Amateur, was 2-over through the first four holes in Tuesday’s morning round but
carded three birdies against a third bogey to finish at 70. He began the
afternoon round, starting on the back nine, with a birdie at No. 10. He eagled
the par-5 18th hole and made the turn at 3-under for 27 holes.
He parred the first eight holes on the front nine, his back
nine, and closed with a birdie on the par-4 ninth.
“My first nine in the afternoon I had a lot of good looks
and burned a lot edges…seeing an eagle putt drop helped get the momentum up for
me…that was big,” Morgan said. “I knew going into the back nine I had a chance.
I knew I had to shoot a few under. I was thinking I had to get to 5-under to
have a chance, but thankfully 4-under got it done.”
Stephenson was one of two players to shoot 67 in the
opening round. David Rabil of Woodbridge was the other. Rabil shot 72 in the
afternoon.
Stephenson had six birdies and three bogeys in the morning
18. He also started the second 18 on the 10th hole and promptly made
bogey. He birdied the 12th and made bogey at 16 and headed to his
back nine at 2-under.
Stephenson birdied the second and third holes and didn’t
make a bogey to finish at 4 under and claim his berth at Pinehurst.