Davenport Struggles but Enjoys U.S. Amateur

ERIN, WI—Though Scott Davenport is plenty familiar with championship golf, the test presented at the U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills Golf Course left the 49-year-old gasping for air.

For the  Davenport struggled, shooting a 10-over-par 82 on Erin Hills. But he could not help but be impressed by the test of golf he played in Erin.

“The only course I’ve played that is as hard as this was Pinehurst,” said Davenport, who also played in the event in 2008. “It’s a good test of golf and difficult, that is for sure.”

Needing a low number to get back near the cut line for Wednesday’s match play competition, Davenport played Tuesday in attack mode. However, it failed to pay off on the scorecard.

“I hit the first 11 greens in regulation, but at the point I was stuck at 3 over par,” Davenport said.

The Marietta native spent the day flummoxed by the course’s fast-running surfaces.

“The greens here were very severe,” Davenport said. “They wore me down, that’s for sure.”

Davenport finished at 16-over overall for the two rounds and far down the list of finishers. Still, Davenport was pleased with how he managed the long game on the 7,760-yard layout.

“I actually hit the ball pretty good,” Davenport said. “But the greens and the position of the pins made it very difficult to two-putt.”

The only positive for Davenport is that he won’t have to stay around waiting to see whether he made the cut for head-to-head competition. After a nearly four-hour weather delay, play was called at 7 p.m. Tuesday because of darkness with the entire afternoon wave at Erin Hills still with holes to play.

After the field is reduced to 64 golfers Wednesday, match play will continue until Sunday’s 36-hole finale crowns a winner.