Paul Woodbury doesn’t lack confidence when talking about his expectations heading into this week’s U.S. Amateur golf tournament.
“My expectations,” he says, “are to win.”
The Amateur gets under way on Monday at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla. In Woodbury’s first appearance in the event last year, he reached the round of 32 before losing in 20 holes to Jeff Edelman.
“Last year kind of proved that I could really do it,” Woodbury said. “I was only a couple matches away from making it into the final, and that gives me the confidence and courage to do it.”
Woodbury comes into this year’s event probably playing his best golf of the summer. At sectional qualifying at Little River Golf Club in Carthage, N.C., he shot a 7-under 137 to earn co-medalist honors with Ben Kohles.
“I wasn’t playing well at the beginning of the summer, but I was close,” said Woodbury, a rising senior at USC. “Everything started to come around at the time of the U.S. Amateur qualifying.”
Woodbury isn’t the only player with Pee Dee ties playing in the event. Coker’s Chris Marsh will be playing in it for the first time.
The Conference Carolinas Player of the Year was the first alternate after qualifying fifth in the sectional tournament in Blythewood. He made it in when Brian Harman was selected to play on the Walker Cup team.
“I have always wanted to play in it,” Marsh said. “I remember watching Tiger Woods win his U.S. Amateurs and it’s always been a big deal in my mind.“
Marsh has taken a low-key approach to preparing, trying not to over prepare because that hasn’t worked in the past. He thinks this week’s experience will help when he begins to prepare for his senior season with the Cobras.
The tournament, which consists of 312 golfers, runs through Sunday. The first two days are stroke play before the field is narrowed to 64 and seeded based on scores.
Match play starts Wednesday and will be televised on The Golf Channel with NBC picking up coverage Saturday and Sunday.
The U.S. Amateur began in 1895. Past winners include Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and Arnold Palmer.
WHAT: U.S. Amateur
WHEN: Monday-Sunday
WHERE: Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.
TV: Golf Channel (Wednesday, 4 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 1 p.m.); NBC (Saturday and Sunday, 4 p.m.)
LOCAL PLAYERS TEE TIMES: Paul Woodbury will tee off at 1:45 p.m. Monday and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. Chris Marsh goes off at 2:35 p.m. on Monday and 9:20 a.m. on Tuesday.
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