July 30, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - UCF freshman men's golfer Blayne Barber (Lake City, Fla.) recently qualified for the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship. Barber was one of two players to qualify in Fort Myers, Fla., and will compete at the prestigious event starting Aug. 18 in Pinehurst, N.C.
Playing at the Forest Country Club, Barber finished second among 36 golfers in the qualifying. He carded a one-under 71 in the opening round and followed that up with a 70. Barber, who will begin his UCF career in September, finished three strokes behind medalist Connor Arendell.
Operated by the United States Golf Association, the U.S. Amateur is the oldest golf championship in the country. The annual event was first held in 1895. Past champions include Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Craig Stadler, Mark O'Meara, Hal Sutton, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
Pinehurst has hosted many top events, including the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Opens. In early July, Barber won the Florida State Boys Junior Championship for the second time.
He will join a UCF squad that spent the majority of the 2007-08 campaign in the top-25 nationally. The Knights won a pair of tournaments during the year and participated in the NCAA West Regional.
One of Barber's future teammates, senior David Johnson (Palm Bay, Fla./Melbourne), competed at the U.S. Amateur Championship in San Francisco in 2007.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.