Muscatell Begins Play at US Amateur Monday

CLEMSON, SC – Clemson senior Michael Muscatell will begin play in the 2012 US Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, CO on Monday.  Muscatell is the only member of the current Clemson team who will be in the 312-player field that will play a 36-hole qualifier Monday and Tuesday. The top 64 golfers will advance to Match Play.  The champion will be crowned on Sunday, August 19.

Muscatell is making his first appearance in the US Amateur.  He qualified by firing an even par 144 over 36 holes at the Colleton River Plantation Dye Course July 16-17.  He made quite a comeback in finishing second at the qualifier to Todd White, who had a 141 score.  After shooting a 78 in the first round, he came back with the round of the day with a six under par 66.

The native of Lake Wylie, SC did not play in a tournament for Clemson this past year and is a veteran of just three tournaments over his career.  He had a career best 14th place finish at the 2010 Furman Invitational.  Muscatell had a solid junior career and was a two-time state champion in North Carolina at the 2A Level during his high school career.

Clemson has had a strong heritage when it comes to the US Amateur.  Chris Patton won the event at Merion Country Club near Philadelphia in 1989. Parker Moore (1976), Dannie Ellis (1993) and Ben Martin (2009) have all been finalist.  Clemson had two of the quarterfinalists in 2009 when Phillip Mollica joined Martin in the round of eight.  At least one Clemson golfer has reached match play in each of the lat five years and 12 of the last 13.