Columbus’ Ben Carr qualifies for U.S. Junior Amateur

It has been a busy summer for golfer Ben Carr. But he found a perfect way to top it off.

Carr, a rising junior on the Columbus High golf team, qualified Tuesday for the 69th U.S. Junior Amateur, which will be played July 18-23 at the Honors Course at Ooltewah, Tenn., a Pete Dye-designed course that is northeast of Chattanooga.

Carr shot a two-round total of 2-under-par 140 at the University of Georgia golf course. He finished tied for second with Justin Kim of Rome, Ga.

Four players from the field of 90 qualified the national tournament.

“It should be a lot of fun,” Carr said.

Brookstone’s Evans Copeland finished in a tie for 13th. He rebounded with a second-round 70 after opening with a 76.

Carr shot a 5-under 66 on the tough UGA course on Monday in the first round.

“I was playing out of my mind,” Carr said. “I hit 17 greens, but I should have made a couple more putts.”

The second round on Monday afternoon featured a pair of stoppages due to lightning in the area.

Carr was putting for birdie on the par-3 16th when the second delay turned into a suspension of play. He returned Tuesday morning to par 16 and 17. He finished with a bogey on 18 for a 3-over 74.

“The rain delays didn’t really affect me,” Carr said.

Peter Chung of Dacula, Ga., won the qualifier with a 3-under 139. Jake Forgay grabbed the final berth with a 1-under 141.

Carr, who made the Ledger-Enquirer All-Bi-City team and the all-state team, headed into the Junior qualifier with a lot of confidence. He finished in a tie for 32nd on Saturday in the Future Masters in Dothan, Ala. He also finished tied for 18th in the Southeastern Amateur on June 18 at the Country Club of Columbus.

“My putting is always the key to my tournaments,” Carr said. “If I can get the putter going, I usually do pretty well.”

Carr’s busy summer continues next week as he will play in the 38th Junior North & South Championship at Pinehurst, N.C., which starts on Monday. He will then play in a Southeastern Junior Golf Tour event at Saugahatchee in Opelika, Ala., on July 12-13.

Notes: Columbus has had a pair of USGA winners: Madden Hatcher III won the U.S. Junior in 1976 and Bill Ploeger won the U.S. Senior Amateur in 1999. … Columbus’ Kyle Albright and Charlie McDaniel played in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship in May.

This story was originally published June 28, 2016 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Columbus’ Ben Carr qualifies for U.S. Junior Amateur."