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Anderson Qualifies for U.S. Open Sectional
May 24, 2002 | Men's Golf
May 24, 2002
As if ranking among the nation's top freshmen and helping the University of Louisville men's golf team break the school's record for single season stroke average was not enough, sophomore-to-be Mark Anderson continued his hot play with an even-par 72 to qualify for the U.S. Open Sectional.
Anderson, a native of Sioux Falls, S.D., finished fifth out of the 72 competitors vying for five sectional births at the local qualifying round held at Stone Ridge Golf Course in Stillwater, Minn.
"This is the third time I've tried to qualify and I went into the event with the goal of making the cut," Anderson said. "Each year I inched a little closer, however, unlike years past where I had to put the clubs on the shelf during the winter at home, I was able to play all throughout the year at Louisville ... that certainly helped my game."
And play he did. As a freshman at Louisville, Anderson teamed with Brett Jones and Charlie Woo to give the Cards the nation's fifth-ranked freshman class according to the Golfstat Freshman Class Impact Rankings. Posting a 74.50 average and three top-10 finishes during the season, Anderson helped the Cards break U of L's team season stroke average for the third time in head coach Mark Crabtree's three seasons at Louisville.
"This is certainly an exciting time for Mark (Anderson)," Crabtree said. "He worked extremely hard on his game throughout the course of the season and became a consistent threat in the lineup for us. Qualifying for the U.S. Open Sectional is going to have a dramatic effect on his confidence and should be a great experience to build upon after a standout freshman season."
From here, Anderson moves to the sectional round to be held at Biltmore Country Club in suburban Chicago on June 3. At the 36-hole sectional event, Anderson will be one of 37 players vying for two births to the U.S. Open to be held June 13-16 at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y.
"I'm playing with a ton of confidence right now," Anderson said. "This is the first time in my life that I've had a full year of golf under my belt and you can definitely see the difference in my game. I'm striking the ball well and like my chances at the sectional."
