ASU senior Spencer Fletcher is hoping his third time at the nation’s biggest amateur event will be the charm.
After falling short of the match play portion of the event the last two years, Fletcher feels that this year is his best chance to win.
This year’s edition of the U.S. Amateur has plenty of talent, with three past champions in the field.
“Playing it for the third time, I know the drill now,” Fletcher said. “I know what it’s like. It gives me a lot of confidence come September. So I’m really looking forward to it.”
It is common for players from the best colleges to attend this event. Some players even end up viewing the tournament as a preseason event, even though there is a lot at stake.
“A lot of times it will propel guys who play well in it to a good season,” Fletcher said. “Most of the guys who play in it are college students that I will be playing against all year. So it definitely is a little bit of a warm-up.
“Putting yourself under this kind of pressure, on these hard courses is just a great way to get yourself ready for anything.”
In order to play in the Amateur, Fletcher had to beat out 80 of these players for just three spots in a qualifier a feat he called, “ a victory of sorts.” The historic event, entering its 111th year, started on Monday and will continue throughout the week. It is being held at Erin Hills Golf Course in Erin, Wisconsin, which will also play host to the 2017 US Open.
“It’s always extremely special and very fun to play in such a big tournament,” Fletcher said. “There is so much tradition, so much history. You always hear about the great players who won this, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.”
For a team that had quite a turnover from last year— six seniors left and a new head coach was hired—Fletcher heads in to the 2011-12 season as the most experienced player on the ASU men’s golf team.
“I will definitely have to lead by example, and show some of (the freshmen) the ropes,” said Fletcher. “But I think it will be fun, because they are all extremely accomplished junior players. I think they will learn pretty quickly.
“I think that’s the biggest thing, especially at the beginning, since they need to learn that this is a team effort and we are going to do what it takes to become a better team.”
One problem Fletcher had since he has been playing tournaments all summer is that he hasn’t met any of his new teammates.
“It feels kind of weird because school’s already started, and they are all out there practicing together,” Fletcher said. “In a way I wish I was there from the beginning, to start from scratch with them all.”
Reach the reporter at jjmckelv@asu.edu.
