Aug. 13, 2007

Siena College junior Daniel Abbondandolo will take part in the 107th United States Amateur at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif., August 20-25. Abbondandolo earned a spot in the event by claiming one of three bids at a sectional qualifying event at Brookville Country Club in Old Brookville, N.Y.

Abbondandolo (Oyster Bay Cove, N.Y./St. Dominic) shot a 3-under par 137 to claim the second qualifying spot awarded in Old Brookville. He had attempted to qualify in each of the two previous years, but fallen short at sectional qualifying events.

The US Amateur Championship is the oldest golf championship in this country - one day older than the U.S. Open. Throughout its history, the U.S. Amateur has been the most coveted of all amateur titles. Many of the great names of professional golf, such as Gene Littler, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lanny Wadkins, Craig Stadler, Jerry Pate, Mark O'Meara, Hal Sutton, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, grace the Havemeyer Cup. The U.S. Amateur Championship is open to amateur golfers who have USGA Handicap Indexes not exceeding 2.4. The Handicap limit was lowered from 3.4 in 1999.

Abbondandolo has been on quite a roll this summer after helping Siena to its second straight MAAC Championship this spring. He qualified for numerous tournaments, including the 5snd IKE Championship at Fenway Country Club in Scarsdale, where he tied for 16th and the New York State Open at Bethpage's Black Course where he fired a 77-76-79 to place 45th overall and 11th among all amateurs. Most recently, he qualified for the 105th Metropolitan Amateur Championship which was held at Wykagyl Country Club in New Rochelle.

For more information on the U.S. Amateur visit www.usamateur.org.