Tulsa World: U.S. Amateur Notebook

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U.S. Amateur Notebook

Trent Whitekiller blasts out of the bunker on the 10th green during his second-round match against Mike Van Sickle at the 109th U.S. Amateur Championship at Southern Hills on Thursday. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World

By MIKE BROWN and LYNN JACOBSEN World Sports Writers
Published: 8/28/2009 2:21 AM
Last Modified: 8/28/2009 6:09 AM

Youngsters Puyat, Wilson show age is no handicap.

Struggles are in the past.

U.S. Amateur Local Ties.

Perfect storm: Trent Whitekiller of Sallisaw got behind early and never recovered in a 6 and 5 second-round loss to Mike Van Sickle of Wexford, Pa.

"I didn't do a whole lot right and he didn't do anything wrong. I couldn't get anything going and he got a few breaks," said Whitekiller, an Oklahoma State senior.

"He made birdie on (No. 2) from the trees, and then his birdie on four was really hard to take after me 3-putting from 12 feet on No. 3. After that, it was hard to fight back," Whitekiller said.

Van Sickle's second shot to the par-4 fourth hit the front of the green and rolled back down the hill, but he chipped in from there.

Fan base: Colt Knost, a former SMU golfer and PGA tour rookie, flew in from Dallas on Thursday to watch Charlie Holland play. They've been friends since high school.

"He's from Pilot Point, which is just north of Dallas," Holland said. "I met Colt when I was probably 15 or 16. We played junior golf together. I live right next to SMU and he went to SMU. We played golf all the time and he's become a really good friend.".

Tough course: Peter Uihlein said playing Southern Hills is never easy.

"It's such a tough golf course," said the OSU sophomore. "I've played it a couple of times. They put the tees in different spots, the pins in different spots. It's just a brutal golf course. You have to hit a lot of quality shots. It seems like you can play here as many times as you want and you are still going to struggle.

"But playing here, it doesn't get any better than this. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing to play (at Southern Hills). I'm just trying to enjoy it and savor the moment."

Jackson says Walker Cup doubtful: Tim Jackson said he thought Thursday's second-round match play loss in the U.S. Amateur probably eliminated him from consideration for one of two remaining slots on the U.S. Walker Cup team.

U.S. amateurs will take on players from the Great Britain and Ireland in the annual team competition Sept. 12-13 at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.

"I probably needed to win both matches today and then I think I could have been in the discussion," said the 50-year-old Jackson, who became the oldest player in Amateur history to win medalist honors in the stroke-play phase.

"I don't know what (the selectors) are thinking. I don't know how much weight a performance like I had in the Senior Open would play."

Jackson tied for 11th in the U.S. Senior Open earlier this month.

Eight of the 10 slots have been chosen. They include Oklahoma State sophomore Morgan Hoffmann and former Cowboy Rickie Fowler. By MIKE BROWN and LYNN JACOBSEN World Sports Writers

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