Pettit Advances to Sweet 16 of Western Amateur

Courtesy Clemson Athletics Press Release

By: Tim Bourret

Clemson, S.C.—Clemson senior Turk Pettit has qualified for the 16-player match play championship of the Western Amateur at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana.   Pettit had a 72-hole score of six-under-par 282 over the last three days to finish tied for seventh in the tournament that started with a field of 156 golfers from around the world.  

Pettit opened the tournament with consecutive rounds of four-under-par 68 and was tied for the lead after 36 holes.    After two rounds the field was cut to 44 players and those competitors played 36 holes on Thursday.    Pettit had a 75 in morning round on Thursday, his third round of the tournament, but came back strong with a 71 in the afternoon to finish at 282, tied with Alexander Yang of Carlsbad, California  and Stanford University.    He had a 34 on the back nine.   Angus Flanagan of the University of Minnesota won the medal play tournament with a 277 score, 11-under-par.

Pettit will now face Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen of Denmark and the Oklahoma State golf team on Friday morning in the round of 16.  If he wins the first round match, Pettit will face the winner of the match between Ricky Castillo of the University of Florida, the number-two ranked college player in the nation, and Harrison Ott of Vanderbilt.  The semifinals and finals will be played on Saturday at the 7,516-yard course that has been the site of the PGA Championship.

Pettit, Clemson’s second ranked player this past year with a 70.62 stroke average,  had 13 birdies and an eagle over the four rounds of medal play.     This is the second consecutive year he has advanced to the 16-player match play championship.  He beat Florida State All-American John Pak in the first round last year, then lost to eventual champion Garrett Rank of Canada.

Pettit earlier this month reached the quarterfinals of the North-South Amateur at Pinehurst.  He will play in the United States Amateur in two weeks in Oregon.

No Clemson player has won the Western Amateur.   Doc Redman reached the finals in 2017 before losing to Norman Xiong of the University of Oregon.   Former champions of the prestigious tournament include Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.