WONDER BOY JARRED CARLYLE FINISHES AS RUNNER-UP AT USGA AMATEUR PUBLIC LINKS ARKANSAS SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech senior Jarred Carlyle (Nashville, Ark.) finished as a runner-up at the Arkansas Sectional Championship for the 83rd Annual United States Public Links Championship held at the Pine Bluff Country Club on June 23.

With his runner-up finish, Carlyle earned a spot as an alternate in this year’s USGA Public Links Championship, which is scheduled for July 14-19 at the Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora, Colo. The winner of the championship receives an invitation to compete at the 2009 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga., if they are still an amateur.

Carlyle, who is a three-time First-Team All-Gulf South Conference selection and a two-time qualifier for the NCAA South/South Central Regional Tournament, earned his runner-up finish after shooting a five-under par 137 at the Arkansas sectional championship. Carlyle, who shot a 66 for the first 18 holes and then carded a 71 on the second 18 holes, finished tied for second place with Andrew Landry of Groves, Texas. Zack Fischer, a sophomore at the University of Texas-Arlington, won the Arkansas sectional title by shooting a seven-under par 135 for 36 holes to earn a spot in this year’s Amateur Public Links Championship. Last summer, junior Jonathan Spikes (Danville, Ark.) won the Arkansas Sectional Championship and competed in the 2007 Amateur Public Links Championship, which was held at the Cantigny Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill.

As a junior this past season, Carlyle led the Wonder Boys with a 72.5 scoring average in 19 rounds of golf and nine tournaments. He finished tied for 13th at the NCAA Division II South Regional and shot a 217 to finish in a tie for sixth place at the 2008 GSC Championship Meet. On the season, he had four Top 10 finishes and six Top 20 finishes overall and shot a season-best 136 in taking home individual medalist honors as the Natural State Golf Classic in Heber Springs, Ark.

According to the USGA website (www.usga.org), the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship has been in existence since 1922 and was formed to give exposure to many public-course players who otherwise might not have an opportunity to compete in a national championship. The championship is open to amateur players, who, since Jan. 1, 2008, have been bona fide public course players and have not held privileges of any course that does that extend playing privileges to the general public, or privileges of any private club maintaining its own course and hold a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 8.4. 

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