Sanford, N.C.----The trip to Bandon, Oregon and the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links championship started with waking up at 4:30 a.m. on June 23. Following flights to Chicago, San Francisco and finally North Bend (Ore.), I was at the Bandon Dunes golf resort a mere 15 hours later. I was blown away by the 55-degree weather, the cold wind blowing off the Pacific Ocean, the views and the golf course.

The courses were true Scottish style…firm and fast. The fairways were rolling faster than the greens…it was hard for one to acclimate his game (to this fact), but it was fun to try to figure out. After I got settled, I went crabbing…a new and awesome experience. Afterwards, I decided to get some sleep and get ready for a fun week of golf on the links.

After taking more pictures in my practice rounds than actually hitting shots, I was hooked on the place. I was playing well in the 30-mph winds and difficult conditions…this got me excited for my qualifying rounds. Bandon Trails was the hardest golf course I had ever played; I played OK and shot 77. I was in a tie for 59th out of 156 players; I needed to place in the top 64 to advance to match play.

The next day, I played my favorite course, Old MacDonald. I was ready to make the cut. “Old Mac” was unbelievable to play and see. For instance, the seventh green was right on the edge of a cliff that led to the ocean. I started great with a birdie on the first hole and stayed confident all day to post a 72 and make the cut by three shots and place tied for 34th.

I was pumped. I went out the same night and had a good dinner. I called my girlfriend and family and rested up for my first match against T.J. Howe from Penn State on the Bandon Trails course. The match was intense and a grind the whole day. I played hard and never trailed through the first 18. I was two-up at one point, but when we walked up to the 18th tee box the match was all square and the pressure was present.

We both found the fairway and both found the green. T.J. had a long putt that went five feet by (the hole) and left me with a 15-footer to win the match. I put a good roll on it, but the putt burned the edge…and he made the come-backer. In other words, play-off time!

The play-off was intense, but after both of us found the fairway, I hit an eight-iron dead into the wind to 15 feet. I felt great! T.J. hits his tee shot five yards closer than me and ends up three feet from the hole…at this point, it is do-or-die time for me. I read the putt to break six inches to the right and stood over it…ready to make it and put the pressure back on him. After a good stroke, my putt lips out on the high side. I knew my week was completed. T.J. taps in and the match ends.

T.J. shook my hand and told me I was a dang-tough competitor. Honestly, I took so much from this week and the loss. I proved to myself and everyone that I can hang with the best amateurs in the U.S. With some hard work, I can win a major amateur championship like this one day.

Since I have been at Wingate, my game has elevated greatly. I owe a debt of gratitude to my coaches, my teammates and my girlfriend Samantha, who have pushed me to be better. I am proud to say I am a Wingate Bulldog golfer.

I will be playing in the 105th Southern Amateur in Tampa July 13-16 (Innisbrook Resort). This tournament is the eighth-biggest amateur event in the world. Hopefully, I will qualify for the U.S. Amateur in August before heading back to Wingate. I am excited to see what the Bulldogs can do on the links this upcoming year.

I want to thank all my friends and family who have been so supportive and awesome to me…while I was at the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links championship and since I transferred to Wingate. I’m a Bulldog for life!

CLIFFORD BLANQUICET, JR. 

Wingate University rising senior Clifford Blanquicet qualified for the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links championship by virtue of his medalist performance at the Valley Golf Club (par 72, 7058 yards, 74.1 course rating) in Advance, N.C. Blanquicet shot 70-66 (136) in the 36-hole event to finish at eight-under-par. He won the qualifier by three strokes.

In April, Blanquicet finished second in the 2011 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference men’s golf tournament, held at the 6,903 yard, par 72 Rock Barn Golf Club and Spa. In the SAC event, Blanquicet’s 221 put him two strokes out of the medalist position. He shot 70-75-76 in the 54-hole tourney. Blanquicet was the 2011 Wingate men’s golf MVP award winner.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a comprehensive university with more than 2,300 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. The university offers 32 undergraduate majors, 36 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, physician assistant studies and sports administration and doctorates in pharmacy and education.

Wingate students gain the tools and support they need to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. The campus community offers in-class learning, out-of-class experiences, strong mentors, a competitive yet caring environment and rewarding community service opportunities for a complete educational experience.

Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past five years.

Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 39 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 48 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.