Cameron Wilson To Play US Open

Cameron Wilson

Cameron Wilson, the MGA standout and 2014 NCAA Division I individual champion, will play in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst this week after all. The USGA announced this morning that he is one of three alternates chosen to fill open slots in the 156 player field.

Wilson was the first alternate from the Purchase, NY, sectional played at Old Oaks and Century. He made a birdie putt on the sixth playoff hole in qualifying to earn the spot. Wilson, who earned first-team All-America honors at Stanford University this year, is playing in his second U.S. Open (he missed the cut in 2012 at The Olympic Club).

Two additional players earned full exemptions into the 2014 U.S. Open. Kevin Na earned an exemption based on the current Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Na, who is ranked No. 40, is making his fourth U.S. Open appearance. Bernd Wiesberger, who is No. 60 in the OWGR, is playing in his first U.S. Open. The 28-year-old from Austria finished second at the European Tour’s Lyoness Open last week and moved up nine spots in the ranking. He lost in a playoff to Mikael Lundberg on the first extra hole.

The USGA held five spots in the field for those players who could potentially qualify by being in the current top 60 of the OWGR. Since Na and Wiesberger were the only players to earn an exemption, three alternates from sectional qualifying were added to the field, which was the circuitous route to Wilson's spot in the field.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf

Cameron Wilson Grabs NCAA Title

MGA standout Cameron Wilson captured the NCAA Individual championship yesterday in a sudden-death playoff that went three holes on the Prairie Dunes course in Hutchinson, Kansas. His win puts him in pretty heady company: The other Stamford players who hold the title are Sandy Lyle and Tiger Woods.

Wilson's overtime win came against Georgia Tech's Ollie Schniederjans, a frequent NCAA opponent and, according to Wilson, a good friend.  Wilson missed a putt on the last hole of regulation to end up in the playoff.

The win caps a stellar year for the Connecticut native. He won the Fighting Illini and the Western Intercollegiate and at one point had a streak of 197 consecutive holes without a double bogey or worse.

Last year, Wilson won his second consecutive Ike championship, bringing to five the number of MGA wins he's logged. He was named MGA Player of the Year in 2009.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf