Chinn and Sample Ready for 122nd U.S. Amateur Championship

PARAMUS, N.J. – Current Duke golfers Kelly Chinn and Luke Sample are set to start play at the 122nd United States Amateur Championship, which begins Monday in Paramus, N.J. The rising sophomore Blue Devils are two of the 312 golfers aiming to hoist the Havemeyer Trophy by the end of next week.
 
The championship consists of 36 holes of stroke play – 18 each on Monday, Aug. 15 and Tuesday, Aug. 16 – followed by a cut to establish the lowest 64 players. After the cut, there are six rounds of match play starting on Wednesday, Aug. 17. The championship match, a 36-hole final, is set for Sunday, Aug. 21.
 
Sample was the first of the two Blue Devils to qualify for the championship, surviving a playoff and earning one of the three qualifying spots up for grabs during the sectional qualifier in Rochester, N.Y. at the Webster Golf Club. He carded a 3-under in the first round before shooting an even-par 71 in the second round, finishing in a tie for third place. The two-for-one playoff went two extra holes as Sample made par while his opponent bogeyed the par-3 second hole at Webster GC.
 
Chinn participated in the 94th and final sectional qualifier, hosted in Newport News, Va. at James River Country Club. His first round three-under 67 placed him in a tie for fifth place, requiring him to make a move up the leaderboard in the second round. Chinn did just that by carding a four-under 66. The Blue Devil secured his spot in the championship with a birdie on the par-5 18th hole, moving him into second place and out of any potential third place tiebreaker playoff. Chinn was the only qualifier emerging from James River CC to go bogey-free over the two rounds of play.
 
Men’s golf alum Nathan Smith also qualified for the field. He competed in the sectional qualifier held at Old Works Golf Course in Anaconda, Mont., finishing three-under and in second place. Smith was a member of the Blue Devils from 2002-06 with a career stroke average of 74.20 over his four seasons and was co-medalist at the Augusta State Invitational during the 2003-04 season with a nine-under effort. He was a third-team All-America selection in 2004 and an honorable mention All-America in 2005.
 
The stroke play portion of the championship is contested on two courses in Paramus. Arcola Country Club is the additional course used for stroke play,…