Two Current Tigers, One Former Tiger in US Amateur

Aug. 20, 2011

CLEMSON, SC – Clemson golfers Corbin Mills and Jacob Burger will both start play in the United States Amateur on Monday. The event includes two rounds of stroke play and up to six rounds of match play over August 22-28. One round of stroke play and all rounds of match play will be held at Erin Hills Golf Club in Erin, WI, a 7,760-yard par 72 course that is the longest course in USGA Championship history.

One round of stroke play will also be held at Blue Mound Golf and Country Club in Wauwatosa, WI.

Erin Hills is one of the top courses in the nation and will be the site of the 2017 United States Open. It served as host of the 2008 Women’s Public Links Championship.

Mills qualified for the US Amateur by winning the 2011 US Public Links back in early July. Mills and Brad Benjamin (2009) are the only two former Public Links Champions in the 312-player field.

Mills has had an outstanding summer and is still hopeful of landing a spot in the 2011 United States Walker Cup team. The final three spots on that team will be selected after the US Amateur. In addition to winning the Public Links Mills won the Players Amateur the next week and finished fourth at the Palmetto Amateur and 18th at the Western Amateur.

Burger was Clemson’s third best golfer this past season with a 73.23 stroke average. He has had a solid summer that has included an eighth-place finish at the Palmetto Amateur and a fourth-place at the South Carolina Amateur.

Burger qualified for the US Amateur with a first-place score of 146 for 36 holes at the qualifier at the Colleton River Plantation Course in Bluffton, SC on July 18. This will be Burger’s third US Amateur. He reached the Final 32 in 2008 before losing to eventual champion Danny Lee. He did not advance out of stroke play last year as he lost in a playoff for the last spot.

Clemson has a strong heritage when it comes to the US Amateur. Chris Patton was the champion in 1989, while Parker Moore (1976), Danny Ellis (1993) and Ben Martin (2009) have all reached the finals before losing.

In addition to the two active Tigers in the field, former Tiger All-American John Engler, a senior in 2001, is also in the field. Engler qualified with a 139 score at the Standard Club at John’s Creek, GA.

The US Amateur will be televised over five days. The first three days will be on the Golf Channel, August 24-26 with NBC handling the coverage on August 27-28 (4-6 PM).