MT. PLEASANT, N.C. — UTSA junior Chad Sewell started a swing of amateur tournaments in the Carolinas with a top-20 finish at the Rice Planters Amateur on June 23-25 at Snee Farm Country Club.
Sewell carded a 2-under-par 214 to settle into a tie for 18th place in the field of 69 players. The Conroe native opened with an even-par 72 before registering back-to-back 71s, while finishing the 54-hole tournament with nine birdies.
It marked his second straight top-20 showing at the event, whose previous champions include current and former PGA TOUR stars Brooks Koepka, Hal Sutton, Tom Lehman, Scott Hoch, Brandel Chamblee and Stewart Cink. Sewell tied for seventh with a 6-under 282 last year.
Sewell's amateur tour continues, as he will play in the North & South Amateur Men's Championship on June 28-July 4 in Pinehurst, N.C. The 120-player field will compete over two days on both Pinehurst No. 2 and Pinehurst No. 4. The field will be cut to 32 players for a match play bracket and medalist honors. All match play rounds will be contested on Pinehurst No. 2.
Sewell is no stranger to Pinehurst, as he enjoyed a memorable run to the match play round of the 119th U.S. Amateur last August at the historic golf venue. As the second round of stroke-play qualifying ended, he found himself part of a 27-man sudden death playoff for the final three match-play berths.
He was placed in the final group to tee off in that playoff, with each pairing having to wait until every player was through the first hole before moving on to the second, On the first hole — the 450-yard, par-4 1st — Sewell stuck his approach shot to within one foot and then sank his birdie putt to earn the second-to-last berth to the Round of 64, which earned him an exemption into this year's tournament in Oregon.
In his first match-play pairing, which was featured on FS1's national television coverage, Sewell went back-and-forth with Ricky Castillo before being ousted, 5 & 3.
Following the North & South Amateur, Sewell will travel to Aiken, S.C., for the Palmetto Amateur on July 8-11 at Palmetto Golf Club.
Sewell then will leave the Carolinas and travel to Monroe, La., to compete in the W.E. Cole Cotton States Invitational on July 22-26 at Bayou DeSiard Country Club.
The following month, Sewell will head to the West Coast for his second straight U.S. Amateur appearance on Aug. 10-16 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore.
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