Aug. 15, 2006

Mizzou golfers John Kelly and Peter Malnati have qualified for the United States Amateur Championship, which will take place Aug. 21-27 at Hazeltine National Golf Club and the Chaska Town Course in Chaska, Minn.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) accepted 7,182 entries for the U.S. Amateur Championship. Sectional qualifying was conducted over 36 holes at 98 sites from July 17-Aug. 8. The 312 golfers that advanced out of the sectional round will open with two rounds of stroke play beginning Monday, Aug. 21.

Sixty-four players will then advance to match play beginning on Wednesday, Aug. 23. The championship match is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 27. All matches are 18 holes except for the 36-hole championship match.

Kelly, a senior from St. Louis, qualified by carding a two-round total of 141 at Sunnyside Country Club in Waterloo, Iowa. He will tee off in the opening round at 12:55 p.m. CST at Chaska Town Course. He will play round two at Hazeltine National Golf Club, teeing off at 7:40 a.m. on Tuesday.

Malnati, a sophomore from Dandridge Tenn., had a 36-hole score of 138 on the Willow Creek Golf Club in Knoxville, Tenn. to qualify. He will open the tournament with a 2:05 p.m. tee time at Chaska Town Course, before playing Hazeltine at 8:50 a.m. on Tuesday.

The U.S. Amateur champion receives an exemption into the 2007 U.S. Open and British Open and a probable invitation to play in the 2007 Masters Tournament.

Hazeltine National Golf Club is a par-72 that will play at 7,473 yards, while the Chaska Town Course is a par-71 playing at 6,616.