Sinnott, Constable and Bourke Qualify for U.S. Amateur at Somerby

View full size image

BYRON -- Just as the Minnesota Vikings football team is arriving at Mankato for the start of its training camp, the Australian Nationa Golf Team is leaving the Land of 10,000 Lakes. 

Well, not exactly. But a bunch of Australia's best amateurs were in Minnesota this week to try to qualify for the U.S. Amateur, and they did rather well.

On Monday, Brett Drewitt of New South Wales (the southeastern Australian state that includes the country's largest city: Sydney) was the medalist in the Am Qualifier at Victory Links. 

On Thursday, Todd Sinnott of Essendon (a suburb of Melbourne, which is at the southestern tip of Australia) claimed the medal in the area's second qualifier, by shooting 6-under-par 138 at Somerby Golf Club. That secured for him the first of three available spots in this year's U.S. Am, which will be at Cherry Hills CC near Denver, beginning Aug. 13.

The long-hitting 19-year-old (there's a You Tube video of him winning the 2011 Dogwood Long Drive Contest with a blast of 357 yards) had the cleanest scorecard in the field Thursday. He made only two bogeys, one per round. To offset them, Sinnott made three birdies in a first-round 70, and he had three birdies and an eagle -- at the 610-yard, par-5 fourth hole -- in a second-round 68.

Grabbing the other two spots in the Am were the guys who tied for second place at 140: Roy Bourke and Donald Constable.

Bourke is another Australian, from Melbourne. He was the only player besides Sinnott to break par in both rounds, with a 69 and a 71.

Constable, who won the MGA Players' Championship in 2009 and the State Amateur in 2011, followed his morning round of 72 with a 68. 

The first alternate was yet another Austalian, Geoff Drakeford of Yarram (roughly 140 miles north of Melbourne). He had a pair of matching 71's for an overall 142. 

Colton Buege, who will be a junior at the University of Minnesota in the fall, is the second alternate thanks to a second-round 70, which gave him a cumulative 146.

U.S. GOLF ASSOCIATION

U.S. Amateur Qualifying

At Somerby Golf Club

Par 72, 7,209 yards

Byron

Final results

1. Todd Sinnott                 70-68--138

T2. Donald Constable     72-68--140

T2. Roy Bourke                 69-71--140

4, Geoff Drakeford           71-71--142 (1st alternate)

5. Colton Buege               76-70--146 (2nd alternate)

Did not qualify

T6. Jon Dutoit                   77-70--147

T6. Nathan Holman         72-75--147

T8. Mark Choiniere         79-69--148

T8. Jimmy Hutchings      75-73--148

T8 Matt Schneider           74-74--148

T8. Dylan Gergen            74-74--148

T8. Jeremy Tetrault         72-76--148