Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Golf to be Well-Represented at U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakmont
7/20/2021 10:45:00 AM | Men's Golf
NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect Abbie Valentine '04 qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Championship along with Charlie Waddell '07 and Peter Bradbeer '20.
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bucknell Athletics Hall-of-Famer Charlie Waddell '07 and recent graduate Peter Bradbeer '20 both used birdie-birdie finishes in their respective qualifying tournaments to gain entry into the field at next month's U.S. Amateur Championship at the famed Oakmont Country Club in Western Pennsylvania. They will be joined by Abbie Valentine '04, who also used a strong finish to make the field out of Imperial Golf Club in North Naples, Fla., which was the last of the 95 U.S. Am qualifiers. In addition, rising junior Blake Wisdom will head to Oakmont as an alternate after finishing in third place at his qualifier in Wisconsin, and classmate Jackson Bussell also performed very well with a T-14th finish at Lake Shore Country Club, the same event that Waddell won to secure a berth in his sixth U.S. Amateur in the last seven years.
Waddell, a native of the Chicago area, posted a 7-under-par 135 (68-67) on July 12 to win medalist honors at Lake Shore CC in Glencoe, Ill. Waddell started the day with a bogey-free 68 on the par-71 course, and then he came back in the afternoon to post seven birdies en route to the final-round 67. He finished with birdies at 17 and 18 to beat Miami (Ohio) senior Charlie Nikitas by one shot. Nikitas grabbed the second qualifying spot, just ahead of five players who finished at 5-under.
During his Bucknell days, Waddell was a two-time Patriot League individual champion and a four-time All-Patriot League honoree. He led the Bison to league titles and NCAA Regionals berths in 2006 and 2007, which marked the program's first NCAA team appearances since 1961. Waddell was inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
Meanwhile, Bradbeer headed to a familiar course and grabbed the third of three qualifying spots at Colgate's Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, N.Y. Bradbeer made his collegiate debut at Seven Oaks in the Colgate Invitational back in the fall of 26, and he posted a T-8th finish with rounds of 76-71-74. He played the course several more times throughout his career, including at the 2019 Patriot League Championship, but his best showing there came this week.
Bradbeer shot 70-68 for a 6-under total of 138 and a solo third-place finish. Like Waddell, Bradbeer made consecutive birdies on his 35th and 36th holes of the day to get into the U.S. Amateur field by one shot. Bradbeer, who earlier made an eagle at the par-5 fifth hole, edged out Canada's Laurent Desmarchais and Hong Kong's Taichi Kho, who both finished at 5-under to secure alternate spots. Etienne Papineau of Canada (9-under 135) and former Temple standout John Barone (7-under 137) finished 1-2. Barone was the runner-up at the 2018 Bucknell Invitational after rounds of 66-68.
Bradbeer graduated with a 74.8 career scoring average, which is third-best in Bucknell history. He earned All-Patriot League honors in 2018 with a T-6th finish at Saucon Valley CC, and his 5-under 66 at the 2019 Cornell Invitational was one stroke shy of the school record. A native of the Philadelphia area, Bradbeer used his extra year of eligibility at Temple this past spring and posted a 75.1 average in six events, with a low round of 69.
Valentine, who now resides in Naples, Fla., posted a pair of 67s for a 10-under total of 134 at Imperial GC on July 22-23. The former Bison standout birdied three of his final four holes in the second round, capping off a back-nine 32, that got him into the field right on the number. Nathan Bertsch won the qualifier with a 12-under 132 (65-67), and Valentine and Nicholas Infanti were both two shots back nab the second and third qualifying spots from Andres Barraza, who finished fourth at 135 and settled for first alternate status.
Valentine Bucknell's No. 1 player for three seasons after arriving as a transfer prior to his sophomore year. He was an All-Patriot League selection as a junior in 2003, and his 2004 fall scoring average of 74.9 was third-best in school history at the time. That fall he finished in the top 10 in four of his six starts, including a T-3rd at the Cornell Invitational.
On July 6, Wisdom was one of 72 players to compete at the qualifier at The Legend at Bristlecone, not far from his hometown of Lake Geneva, Wis., with only the top two spots advancing to Oakmont. Wisdom got out to a blazing start with a 4-under 67 in the opening round, the best score in the field. He birdied five of the first eight holes going out en route to a front-nine 32. In the second round, Wisdom tallied a solid 1-under 70, the fifth-best mark in the entire field, but he was passed by Illinois rising sophomore Piercen Hunt and Adam Miller, who finished at -7 and -6, respectively, to claim the two qualifying spots. Wisdom, one stroke behind Miller at 5-under, is the first alternate.
Wisdom, a rising junior, led the Bison with a 74.0 scoring average this past spring, which was capped by a team-best T-11th finish at the Patriot League Championship. Wisdom posted consecutive top-10 finishes at the Battle at Rum Pointe (T-9th), Rolling Green Invitational (3rd) and Wildcat Invitational (T-6th), and his 68 at Villanova was Bucknell's best round of the spring.
Bussell, who was second on the team with a 74.3 scoring average while posting his first collegiate victory at the Battle at Rum Pointe this spring, shot 73-71 and finished T-14th in the Lake Shore CC qualifier. Bussell made seven birdies and had nothing worse than bogey over 36 holes.
The 121st U.S. Amateur Championship will be contested on Aug. 9-15. While a handful of players are exempt from qualifying based on other tournament performances, the bulk of the field is built from a total of 95 qualifying tournaments all around the United States along with one each in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. After two stroke-play rounds at Oakmont CC and nearby Longue Vue Club, the field will be whittled to 64 for a single-elimination, match-play tournament. Starting with the round of 64 on Wednesday, Aug. 11, there will be television coverage each day on NBC, Golf Channel and Peacock. All matches are set at 18 holes up until the final, which is slated for 36 holes.
The nation's most prestigious amateur golf championship, the U.S. Amateur was first held in 1895 at Newport Country Club. The list of past champions is littered with many of the game's greats, including Bobby Jones (five-time winner), Tiger Woods (three consecutive titles), Jack Nicklaus (twice), Arnold Palmer and Phil Mickelson. Former Georgia Tech star Tyler Strafaci is the defending champion after defeating Ollie Osborne in the fog at Bandon Dunes last year.
This will be the sixth U.S. Amateur held at Oakmont, which will bring the club into a tie with Merion Golf Club and The Country Club for the most times hosting the event. Nick Flanagan defeated Casey Wittenberg in 37 holes in the last U.S. Am at Oakmont in 2003. Other winners there include Steve Melnyk (1969), Willie Turnesa (1938), Jones (1925) and Davidson Herron (1919). Jones' victory there in 1925 was the second of his five U.S. Am titles, and he was also the runner-up to Herron at Oakmont in 1919.
Golf enthusiasts who have played a round at the Bucknell Golf Club might notice some resemblances with Oakmont. Bucknell's course was designed in 1930 by noted architect Emil Loeffler, who was born in Oakmont, worked there as a caddy as a boy, and later became the club's greenskeeper and head professional. One of Oakmont's most recognizable features is the large "Church Pews" bunker situated between holes 3 and 4. As an homage to its Oakmont ties, smaller replicas of the Church Pews were recently installed on holes 3 and 15 at Bucknell.
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bucknell Athletics Hall-of-Famer Charlie Waddell '07 and recent graduate Peter Bradbeer '20 both used birdie-birdie finishes in their respective qualifying tournaments to gain entry into the field at next month's U.S. Amateur Championship at the famed Oakmont Country Club in Western Pennsylvania. They will be joined by Abbie Valentine '04, who also used a strong finish to make the field out of Imperial Golf Club in North Naples, Fla., which was the last of the 95 U.S. Am qualifiers. In addition, rising junior Blake Wisdom will head to Oakmont as an alternate after finishing in third place at his qualifier in Wisconsin, and classmate Jackson Bussell also performed very well with a T-14th finish at Lake Shore Country Club, the same event that Waddell won to secure a berth in his sixth U.S. Amateur in the last seven years.
Waddell, a native of the Chicago area, posted a 7-under-par 135 (68-67) on July 12 to win medalist honors at Lake Shore CC in Glencoe, Ill. Waddell started the day with a bogey-free 68 on the par-71 course, and then he came back in the afternoon to post seven birdies en route to the final-round 67. He finished with birdies at 17 and 18 to beat Miami (Ohio) senior Charlie Nikitas by one shot. Nikitas grabbed the second qualifying spot, just ahead of five players who finished at 5-under.
During his Bucknell days, Waddell was a two-time Patriot League individual champion and a four-time All-Patriot League honoree. He led the Bison to league titles and NCAA Regionals berths in 2006 and 2007, which marked the program's first NCAA team appearances since 1961. Waddell was inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.
Meanwhile, Bradbeer headed to a familiar course and grabbed the third of three qualifying spots at Colgate's Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, N.Y. Bradbeer made his collegiate debut at Seven Oaks in the Colgate Invitational back in the fall of 26, and he posted a T-8th finish with rounds of 76-71-74. He played the course several more times throughout his career, including at the 2019 Patriot League Championship, but his best showing there came this week.
Bradbeer shot 70-68 for a 6-under total of 138 and a solo third-place finish. Like Waddell, Bradbeer made consecutive birdies on his 35th and 36th holes of the day to get into the U.S. Amateur field by one shot. Bradbeer, who earlier made an eagle at the par-5 fifth hole, edged out Canada's Laurent Desmarchais and Hong Kong's Taichi Kho, who both finished at 5-under to secure alternate spots. Etienne Papineau of Canada (9-under 135) and former Temple standout John Barone (7-under 137) finished 1-2. Barone was the runner-up at the 2018 Bucknell Invitational after rounds of 66-68.
Bradbeer graduated with a 74.8 career scoring average, which is third-best in Bucknell history. He earned All-Patriot League honors in 2018 with a T-6th finish at Saucon Valley CC, and his 5-under 66 at the 2019 Cornell Invitational was one stroke shy of the school record. A native of the Philadelphia area, Bradbeer used his extra year of eligibility at Temple this past spring and posted a 75.1 average in six events, with a low round of 69.
Valentine, who now resides in Naples, Fla., posted a pair of 67s for a 10-under total of 134 at Imperial GC on July 22-23. The former Bison standout birdied three of his final four holes in the second round, capping off a back-nine 32, that got him into the field right on the number. Nathan Bertsch won the qualifier with a 12-under 132 (65-67), and Valentine and Nicholas Infanti were both two shots back nab the second and third qualifying spots from Andres Barraza, who finished fourth at 135 and settled for first alternate status.
Valentine Bucknell's No. 1 player for three seasons after arriving as a transfer prior to his sophomore year. He was an All-Patriot League selection as a junior in 2003, and his 2004 fall scoring average of 74.9 was third-best in school history at the time. That fall he finished in the top 10 in four of his six starts, including a T-3rd at the Cornell Invitational.
On July 6, Wisdom was one of 72 players to compete at the qualifier at The Legend at Bristlecone, not far from his hometown of Lake Geneva, Wis., with only the top two spots advancing to Oakmont. Wisdom got out to a blazing start with a 4-under 67 in the opening round, the best score in the field. He birdied five of the first eight holes going out en route to a front-nine 32. In the second round, Wisdom tallied a solid 1-under 70, the fifth-best mark in the entire field, but he was passed by Illinois rising sophomore Piercen Hunt and Adam Miller, who finished at -7 and -6, respectively, to claim the two qualifying spots. Wisdom, one stroke behind Miller at 5-under, is the first alternate.
Wisdom, a rising junior, led the Bison with a 74.0 scoring average this past spring, which was capped by a team-best T-11th finish at the Patriot League Championship. Wisdom posted consecutive top-10 finishes at the Battle at Rum Pointe (T-9th), Rolling Green Invitational (3rd) and Wildcat Invitational (T-6th), and his 68 at Villanova was Bucknell's best round of the spring.
Bussell, who was second on the team with a 74.3 scoring average while posting his first collegiate victory at the Battle at Rum Pointe this spring, shot 73-71 and finished T-14th in the Lake Shore CC qualifier. Bussell made seven birdies and had nothing worse than bogey over 36 holes.
The 121st U.S. Amateur Championship will be contested on Aug. 9-15. While a handful of players are exempt from qualifying based on other tournament performances, the bulk of the field is built from a total of 95 qualifying tournaments all around the United States along with one each in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. After two stroke-play rounds at Oakmont CC and nearby Longue Vue Club, the field will be whittled to 64 for a single-elimination, match-play tournament. Starting with the round of 64 on Wednesday, Aug. 11, there will be television coverage each day on NBC, Golf Channel and Peacock. All matches are set at 18 holes up until the final, which is slated for 36 holes.
The nation's most prestigious amateur golf championship, the U.S. Amateur was first held in 1895 at Newport Country Club. The list of past champions is littered with many of the game's greats, including Bobby Jones (five-time winner), Tiger Woods (three consecutive titles), Jack Nicklaus (twice), Arnold Palmer and Phil Mickelson. Former Georgia Tech star Tyler Strafaci is the defending champion after defeating Ollie Osborne in the fog at Bandon Dunes last year.
This will be the sixth U.S. Amateur held at Oakmont, which will bring the club into a tie with Merion Golf Club and The Country Club for the most times hosting the event. Nick Flanagan defeated Casey Wittenberg in 37 holes in the last U.S. Am at Oakmont in 2003. Other winners there include Steve Melnyk (1969), Willie Turnesa (1938), Jones (1925) and Davidson Herron (1919). Jones' victory there in 1925 was the second of his five U.S. Am titles, and he was also the runner-up to Herron at Oakmont in 1919.
Golf enthusiasts who have played a round at the Bucknell Golf Club might notice some resemblances with Oakmont. Bucknell's course was designed in 1930 by noted architect Emil Loeffler, who was born in Oakmont, worked there as a caddy as a boy, and later became the club's greenskeeper and head professional. One of Oakmont's most recognizable features is the large "Church Pews" bunker situated between holes 3 and 4. As an homage to its Oakmont ties, smaller replicas of the Church Pews were recently installed on holes 3 and 15 at Bucknell.
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