ANACONDA — Libby native and Arizona State standout Ryggs Johnston qualified for the 123rd U.S. Amateur by winning a USGA qualifier Tuesday at the Old Works Golf Course.
Johnston won medalist honors with two bogey-free rounds at Old Works. Johnston opened the first round with a 30 on the front 9, shooting birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 and reeling off four consecutive birdies on Nos. 5-8 to sit at 6-under par.
On the back 9, Johnston birdied holes 10 and 16 to go out at 34 for an 8-under 64, which tied for the lead with Garrett Endicott of San Antonio, Texas.
In the second round, Johnston started on the back and birdied Nos. 12, 15 and 18 for 33 and closed with birdies on 3 and 6 to finish with a 5-under 67 and a two-round total of 13-under 131.
This will be Johnston’s fifth trip to the U.S. Amateur, adding to trips in 2015, 2018, 2020 and 2021. He advanced to match play in his most recent appearance in 2021.
“I started off well, hit it to two feet on two for a tap in, to get things going. I kept hitting it close, I maybe made one putt outside 10 feet, so giving myself a lot of kick-in opportunities helped,” Johnston stated in a press release.
"On 5 I made my longest putt of the day (17 feet). I two putted for birdie on 6, chipped in on 7 and was cruising at that point. Today felt easy, but it’s never easy playing 36 holes in a day, but I’ve learned a lot through college events this year."
The 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship will be played from August 14-20 at Cherry Hills Country Club and Colorado Golf Club in the greater Denver area.
Ohio State golfer Jacob Tarkany of Scottsdale, Arizona, and future Oregon State golfer Cooper Humphreys of Kelowna, British Columbia, were the other two qualifiers to emerge from Old Works.
