East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State rising senior men’s golfer Ashton McCulloch fired an 8-under par 134 on Monday at the Cherry Hill Club in Ridgeway, Ontario Canada and was one of seven golfers who qualified to play in the U.S. Open.
McCulloch was among 66 players in the qualifier competing for seven spots in the Open. He opened with a 6-under par 65 and closed with a 2-under par 69 to finish at 8-under par 134.
McCulloch was the lone amateur among the seven qualifiers who will advance to play in the Open, which will be held from June 13-16 at the famed Pinehurst Course in North Carolina.
McCulloch, an All-Big Ten Second Team selection this year, was the team’s top finisher in nine events, including the last six of the year, and carried a 70.89 scoring average over 36 rounds, breaking the previous mark of 71.33 set by former Spartan standout James Piot in 2021.
His performance this year also moved him atop the career leaders for scoring average. McCulloch now ranks No. 1 all-time (for a minimum of 50 rounds played) at 71.74, besting the mark of 71.99 set by Piot, who played from 2017-22.
In just three years at Michigan State, McCulloch has three seasons that rank among the all-time single season marks. His 70.89 average this year is No. 1, his 71.89 average in 2021-22 as a freshman ranks No. 8 and his 72.46 average in 2022-23 ranks No. 11.
Last summer, McCulloch won the Canadian Amateur title, the third-oldest amateur title in the world, which provided him a spot in last weekend’s RBC Canadian Open.
In addition to being named All-Big Ten Second Team, McCulloch was selected to the All-Midwest Region by the Golf Coaches Association of American. In 13 events for MSU, he finished among the top-5 four times, among the top-10 six times and among the top-20 eight times while having 98.6 percent of his rounds count toward the team total (34.5 of 35 rounds).
He got also posted an individual win, sharing medalist honors at the Johnnie-O at Sea Island in March, firing a 10-under par 62 in the second round to set a program record for low 18-hole score. He finished the tournament with a 12-under par 204, tied for the sixth-lowest 54-hole tournament score in program history.
Photo Credit: Bernard Brault/Golf Canada
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Michigan State University Athletics…