By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
College student Chris Harpum of Union continued his successful summer on the golf course by shooting one of the top 10 scores in a Kentucky Open qualifier to secure a berth in the annual tournament that includes amateurs and PGA players who live in the state.
There were 25 qualifying spots on the line in Tuesday’s qualifier at Nevel Meade Golf Course in Prospect. Harpum carded a 2-under 70 to tie for 10th place along with Luke Muller of Ft. Thomas.
Muller, a senior on the Northern Kentucky University men’s golf team last season, had three birdies and two bogeys on the back nine. Harpum, who will continue his collegiate career at Belmont University in Tennessee, finished his round with an eagle on No. 18, a par-5, 367-yard hole.
During the month of June, Harpum tied for 17th place in the Kentucky State Amateur and then took the title at the Cincinnati Metropolitan Amateur Championship by winning six matches in four days.
Harpum and Muller have less than two weeks to get ready for the 105th annual Kentucky Open set for July 23-25 at the University of Louisville Golf Club. After the first 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 70 scores and ties for the final 18-hole round. There will be separate divisions for pros and amateurs.
Last year, an amateur finished the Kentucky Open with the lowest 54-hole total of 16-under par. The top score among the pros was 7-under 209. Muller tied for 24th in the last year’s amateur field. Harpum missed the cut for the final round.
Cooper golfer won’t return to U.S. Women’s Amateur
Cooper High School senior Reagan Ramage will not be making a return trip to the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship this year after shooting 4-over 76 in a sectional qualifier on Thursday at Walnut Grove Country Club in Ohio.
Ramage was co-medalist in last year’s qualifier with a 2-under 70 on the same course. The top scorer in Thursday’s round was University of Kentucky golfer Marta Lopez Echevarria of Spain with a 3-under 69.
Two golfers from Ohio who shot 70 to tie for second place also qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur. Kendall Brissey, a recent graduate of Cooper, shot 7-over 79 in a field of more than 50 golfers that included entries from several states and other countries.
In June, Ramage placed second in the Kentucky Women’s Stroke Play Championship with a two-round total of 3-under 141. At last year’s state high school tournament, she finished fourth to earn first-team all-state honors. After her senior year, she will continue her golf career at Western Kentucky University.