July 21, 2015
Three players, including recent California Amateur Championship winner Shotaro Ban, are on their way to this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship after advancing through a 36-hole qualifier held Monday at par-72 Turlock Golf and Country Club.
Ban, Fresno’s Michael Tolladay and Kenta Konishi of Tokyo all earned one of the three automatic spots by sharing medalist honors with matching total scores of 8-under 136.
Shotaro Ban
The winner of this year’s California Amateur at Lake Merced GC, Ban had rounds of 69-67. During the 69 the Cal Berkeley senior posted four birdies and a bogey. In the afternoon round, Ban, who became the first Bear to win the California Amateur, penciled in an eagle and six birdies to go with a bogey and a double-bogey on the closing 18th.
Tolladay, who finished sixth in last year’s NCGA Player of the Year race, opened with a 70 and followed that up with a 66. Starting on the back-nine in the afternoon round, Tolladay put up a roller coaster 33 that featured an eagle, four birdies and three bogeys.
Konishi did it the other way around, opening with a day-low 65 and following that up with a 71. Konishi’s morning round included nine birdies and two bogeys.
The first alternate spot went to Fairfield’s Jason Anthony, who came in at 137 after rounds of 70-67. The 2014 NCGA Player of the Year runner-up had a chance to go lower but was stung in part by a pair of double-bogeys.
The second alternate spot was earned by Sacramento’s Zachary Solomon at 138. Solomon defeated Chico’s Noah Norton in a playoff.
This year’s U.S. Amateur Championship will tee off August 17-23 at Olympia Fields CC in Illinois.
