After a fairly disappointing season for the Vikings in which he averaged 75.8 and shot in the 60s just once in 27 competitive rounds, Mark Strickland (right) has suddenly come alive finishing third at the City of Everett Men's Amateur (he actually won the last two years) at the weekend, and winning a 36-hole US Amateur qualifying tournament Wednesday on the Tom Doak-designed Tumble Creek Course at Suncadia.Strickland, from Mukilteo, shot rounds of 72 and 68 to complete the 36 holes on level par 140 and win the event by a stroke over Andrew Kennedy of Redmond and by two over Vancouver BC's James Fahy and Bellevue's Tyler Matthews. Strickland, Kennedy and Fahy qualified outright (Fahy beat Matthews in a playoff) leaving Matthews and Joe Harvie (143) as the first and second alternates.
Three current WWU team members were also in the field - Chris Hatch who finished tied for 23rd on 153, Kyle Schrader who was tied for 27th on 155, and Jack Kelly who came in T36 on 159.
The US Amateur will be held from August 11-17 at the Atlanta Athletic Club in John's Creek GA, scene of Keegan Bradley's victory at the 2011 PGA Championship.
Results of Tumble Creek qualifying tournament here.
