Walsh Seals Stellar Summer at U.S. Amateur
8/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
SPOKANE, Wash. â€" Gonzaga men's golfer Sean Walsh finished a successful summer of tournaments at the 115th U.S. Amateur Championships recently in Olympia Fields, Ill.
Walsh was the first Zag to ever play in three straight U.S. Amateur Championships. He finished 10-over-par (150) through the two rounds of stroke play. The Keller, Texas native, was even-par (70) in Round 1. He had 14 pars and a pair of birdies in the first round.
Southern Methodist University senior Bryson DeChambeau became the fifth player to win the NCAA championship and the U.S. Amateur Championship in the same year when he claimed the Havemeyer Trophy with a 7-and-6 decision over the University of Virginia's Derek Bard.
Walsh made the U.S. Amateur Championships with a second place finish at a qualifier in Grand Ridge, Texas in mid-July. The upcoming senior was seven-under-par (137), two strokes behind the winner, in the two-round qualifier at the Tangle Ridge Golf Club.
Last year, Walsh was 16-over in the two rounds of stroke-play at the U.S. Amateur Championships, and missed the cut for match-play. He advanced to match-play before falling to the second-seed in 2013.
This summer, Walsh won the 115th North and South Amateur Championship in Pinehurst, N.C. He stunned the field by defeating the third-seed and top-seed as the sixth-seed in match-play.
After opening the summer by advancing through the U.S. Open local qualifier in Walla Walla, Walsh had a sixth place finish at the Texas Amateur Championship in late June. He placed 10th at the Trans-Mississippi Championship. He competed at the Southern Amateur Championships, and tied for 30th at the Canadian Amateur.
"I can't complain with how the summer went that's for sure," Walsh said. "I put myself in contention to win multiple times, fortunately enough winning once. I also feel as though I made improvements in my game this summer that have been holding me back from playing to my full potential the past few years, and so I'm really looking forward to this season and to see what happens."
Walsh has excelled in the classroom as well. He was named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar also this summer. He boasted a 3.31 GPA as a business administration major. He was tabbed Academic All-West Coast Conference in 2015.
Walsh was named All-WCC honorable mention for the second straight season in 2015. He finished tied for 10th at the WCC Championships this past season, and 11th last season. Walsh was named All-WCC in 2013, after being named the Conference Freshman of the Year with a third place finish at the conference championships.
"On paper the team may look young, but we have a very experienced group of guys that are used to playing in big time tournaments," Walsh said. "This upcoming season will be very big for the Gonzaga men's golf program; this is a year where we can make a name for ourselves in NCAA golf. We know we can compete with the best, we've proven it on multiple occasions. This is the year we will consistently get it done, and I'm really looking forward to getting started."
The Bulldogs open their schedule at the Saint Mary's Invitational on Sept. 14. The three-day tournament will be at the Poppy Hills Golf Club in Pebble Beach, Calif.
