Oklahomans have high hopes as U.S. Amateur begins

Photo: Top left to right; Brad Dalke, Brendon Jelley and Hayden Wood. Bottom left to right; Rylee Reinertson, Kristoffer Ventura and Viktor Hovland.

The 117th U.S. Amateur will be the second of three USGA championships in a five-week stretch played in Southern California, following the U.S. Women’s Amateur at San Diego Country Club (Aug. 7-13) and concluding with the Walker Cup Match at The Los Angeles Country Club (Sept. 9-10). This championship will be conducted at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, with Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles serving as the stroke play co-host. Both clubs were designed by George C. Thomas Jr. in the mid-1920s and each has hosted two previous USGA championships.

Fifty-one of the 312 competitors are from California, the most of any state. If one of them wins, he would be the first player to hoist the Havemeyer Trophy in his home state since Bay Area resident Nathaniel Crosby won at The Olympic Club in San Francisco in 1981.

Stroke play takes place Monday, Aug. 14 and Tuesday, Aug. 15, with the low 64 scorers advancing to match play, which begins on Aug. 16. Here are nine groups to watch for the first two rounds of stroke play (All times PDT):

Among the players with Oklahoma ties to keep watch on this week are 2016 runner-up Brad Dalke from the University of Oklahoma along with his teammate Rylee Reinertson and the Oklahoma State contingent of Hayden Wood from Edmond, Brendon Jelley of Jenks, Viktor Hovland, Kristoffer Ventura and Matthew Wolff.

Jelley and Dalke both reached match play in the grueling Western Amateur championship two weeks ago, while Jelley also won his third Oklahoma State Amateur championship in July at Southern Hills Country Club.

Live scoring will be available all week at www.usga.org.