July 24, 2012
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IOWA CITY, Iowa –University of Iowa sophomores Ian Vandersee and Brian Bullington are both headed to the 2012 U.S. Amateur, advancing through Monday’s qualifier at Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City. The 2012 U.S. Amateur will be held Aug. 13-19 at Cherry Hills Country Club and CommonGround Golf Course in Denver.
Vandersee carded a 36-hole score of 135 (-9) to top the field of 52 players at Finkbine. The West Des Moines, Iowa, native opened the day with a 70 (-2) and finished with a 65 (-7) to win the event. This will be Vandersee’s second-consecutive trip to the U.S. Amateur, as he qualified for the event last summer. Vandersee has also played in one Junior U.S. Amateur tournament.
Vanderssee was a PING All-Region selection last season and finished second in the running for Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He carded a season-low 66 (-5) in the final round of NCAA Regionals to help Iowa advance to its third NCAA Championships in the last four seasons.
Bullington finished second at the qualifier at Finkbine, carding a two-round total of 139 (-5). Bullington fired a 70 (-2) in the first round and shaved one stroke off his score in the final 18, finishing with a 69 (-3) to qualify for his first U.S. Amateur.
Bullington saw action in three tournaments as a freshman last season, firing a 229 (+13) to finish tied for 38th at the Rod Myers Invitational in the fall. He also competed at the Big Ten and Callaway Collegiate Match Play events in the spring, compiling a 1-3-1 record. Last summer, Bullington won the PGA Junior Series event at Blue Top Ridge in Riverside, Iowa, finished tied for 15th at the Northern Amateur and earned a top-20 finish at the Junior PGA.
The 2012 U.S. Amateur consists of two days of stroke play at both Cherry Hills and CommonGround on Aug. 13-14. After the initial cut, five days of match play will follow to determine the champion.