Villegas, Vargas Make U.S. Amateur Cut
Wednesday, August 20, 2003 | Men's Golf
Senior Camilo Villegas (Medellin, Columbia) shot a three-under 67, while sophomore James Vargas (Miami, Fla.) carded a four-under 66 as both made the cut to 64 on the second day of competition at the 103rd U.S. Amateur on Tuesday.
Playing on the Pittsburgh Field Club (Par 70, 6,636 yards), Villegas and Vargas each made par or birdied 17 of 18 holes on the afternoon. Villegas ended the first two days at an even 140 (73-67) to put him tied for fourth. After shooting a +4 on Monday at the Oakmont Country Club (Par 70, 7,171 yards), where the remainder of the championship will be played, Vargas rebounded and birdied six holes on his second day to stand at +3 (77-66--143), good enough to be tied for 13th.
Villegas and Vargas will next play in the first round of match play on Wednesday. Tournament action can be seen on ESPN from 1-4 p.m. (EST). The winner of each match will advance to the second round on Thursday.
Junior Duke Butler IV (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) missed the cut after ending the day with a five-over 75 at the PFC to finish in a tie for 96th at +10 (75-75--150).
Florida head coach Buddy Alexander didn't make the cut in his 18th appearance at the U.S. Amateur after recording a four-over 74 at the PFC on Tuesday. Alexander, the 1986 U.S. Amateur champion, started the day on No. 10 and birdied a pair of holes to remain at even through the first nine, but he shot four-over on the front nine to finish tied for 129th at +12 (78-74--152).
The U.S. Amateur, one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in the country, continues through August 24. For live scoring via the Internet and match play pairings, go to www.usamateur.org
