Oakmont's Sean Knapp taking aim at U.S. Amateur in 19th appearance

If Sean Knapp wanted to, he could walk to Oakmont Country Club to play in the 121st United States Golf Association’s Amateur tournament.

The wily veteran is playing in his 19^th U.S. Amateur which begins Monday with stroke play competition at Oakmont Country Club and Longue Vue Club in Verona.

There are 312 golfers competing in stroke play Monday and Tuesday in hopes to be the one of the 64 golfers to qualify for the first round match play Wednesday.

Knapp, 59, and Bob Royak, who is six month’s Knapp’s elder, are the oldest players in the field.

“I truly believe making the cut in the U.S. Amateur is the hardest cut to make in golf,” Knapp said. “There are 311 world class golfers and then me trying to make the cut. It takes a special player to make the cut. It’s really difficult.”

Knapp is one of 11 players from Western Pennsylvania who are in the field and one of four members of Hannastown Golf Club near Greensburg.

The other Hannastown members are Murrysville’s Palmer Jackson, Greensburg’s Mark Goetz and Wexford’s Jimmy Meyers. Knapp, Jackson and Goetz also qualified for the 2019 U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst.

Also qualifying for this week’s event were North Allegheny grads Kevin O’Brien and Grant Martens, Peters Township alum Jake Sollon, Sewickley Academy graduates Jason Li and Ian Bongor, Seneca Valley grad Matt Vogt and former Central Catholic standout Neal Shipley.

Jackson was the only one of the group to qualify for match play in 2019, and he reached the quarterfinals before falling. This is the fourth time Jackson has qualified for the U.S. Amateur.

“I think it’s unheralded that four players from the same club qualified for the Amateur,” Jackson said. “It might not be a first, but it’s unusual. It’s a testament to the membership at Hannastown.

“We attracted some phenomenal players there. It’s crazy. We try to beat each other on a daily basis.”

Jackson, 20, has played in numerous tournaments this summer preparing for the Amateur. He won the qualifier at Sunnehanna Country Club. He won the R. Jay Sigel Match play, placed fourth at the Sunnehanna Amateur, reached the semifinals in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and played in the Northeast Amateur, the Southern Amateur and Western Amateur the past month.

He was the first Notre Dame golfer to reach the Amateur quarterfinals since Tom Veech in 1950.

Goetz, Knapp and Jackson will play Longue Vue on Monday and then switch to Oakmont on Tuesday. Meyers, who recently joined Hannastown, begins his venture at Oakmont Monday.

“There is a reason why I joined there three years ago,” Knapp said of Hannastown. “There are a lot of great golfers there, and if you want to test your game, it’s the place to be.”

When it comes to opening the tournament at either Oakmont or Longue Vue, Knapp and Jackson said it didn’t matter because both courses are very challenging.

“For those golfers who think little Longue Vue isn’t that tough, I would warn them not to take it lightly,” Knapp said. “Because of the heat and lack of rain, Longue Vue is going to be fast and firm.

“You have to know how to attack the greens. It’s going to be a mess. Longue Vue can be ferocious. It can be like a rottweiler; once it grabs you, it’s not letting go.”

Oakmont won’t be a joy either. Knapp said there are many holes there that can lead to big numbers on a scorecard.

“The green on No. 3 is like trying to land on the roof of a Volkswagen Beetle,” Knapp said. “If you’re not careful, you can make a big number there. That’s where Tiger (Woods) lost the Open in 2016.”

Goetz credits Knapp for helping him get through a rough time mentally a month ago.

“We talked after that,” Goetz said. “It’s pretty special that Sean, Palmer and I qualified for the Amateur again. They’ve been playing well and it’s pretty special. Hannastown is my home and the other two guys would say the same thing.

“Playing in a USGA event is pretty special. Playing at Oakmont … when I heard they had the big Amateur, I circled this date on the calendar. It’s my favorite golf course on the planet. There is no truer test of golf.”

All golfers have practice rounds on Sunday. To prepare for the Amateur, Goetz and Jackson have been competing against each other on almost a daily basis, playing rounds at Hannastown, Totteridge, Fox Chapel and Longue Vue.

They hope their familiarity will benefit them against one of the toughest courses in the world.