Masters 2017 - The Amateurs

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

THERE will be five amateurs in the field for The Masters, and one of them managed to qualify twice. Curtis Luck earned his invitation after winning the US Amateur Championship and did so again by becoming the Asia-Pacific Amateur champion.

You might think that this singles Luck out as a rather special young man, and you would be right. In truth, he is professional in everything but name and seems sure to have a glittering future ahead of him.

The 20-year-old, from Perth, Australia, is the world's top ranked amateur player. He has won countless events, most memorably the 2016 Western Australian Open, when he beat a field that included some of the best professionals in Australia. He had planned to turn pro in October last year but put the decision on hold when he won the US Amateur, meaning he had earned the right to play in The Masters, US Open and Open Championship. He now faces a dilemma - does he join the paid ranks immediately after playing at Augusta or does he wait until after he has taken part in The Open at Royal Birkdale.

He played in the Abu Dhabi Championship, the Dubai Desert Classic and the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and has already signed with IMG, the management group that looks after most of the world's best players. His path has been mapped out.

Luck won the US Amateur at Oakland Hills with his father on the bag. After the 19th hole of the 36-hole final, he was one down and struggling. Stuart Luck told his son that it was about time he started playing some decent golf. He eagled the 20th to square the match and then won the 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th hole. He had won eight holes in a row and was seven up.

Brad Dalke, his opponent, won the next two holes, but Luck closed out the match 6&4 to claim his Augusta invitation. The consolation for Dalke was that he also qualified to play in The Masters.

There are three other amateurs in the field - Scott Gregory, Toto Gana and Stewart Hagestad. Gregory makes it as the Amateur champion. The 22-year-old comes from Portsmouth and has been playing the game since he was five years old. He was runner-up in the English Amateur championship in 2014 and also finished second in the Spanish Amateur championship. His big breakthrough came at Royal Porthcawl last year when he beat Robert MacIntyre 2&1 to land the Amateur championship. It gave him entry to The Open at Royal Troon - he was four under par after 10 holes but dropped 11 shots in eight holes to finish with a 78. He added a 73 in the second round to miss the cut.

Gana qualifies for Augusta as winner of the Latin-America Amateur Championship, while Hagestad won the American Mid-Amateur.