With a seven-under-par finish last month in the Rice Planters Amateur at Snee Farm Country Club in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Eatonton’s Max Dupree punched his ticket to play in the U.S. Amateur Aug. 14-20, at Denver’s Cherry Hills Country Club and Colorado Golf Club.
Of a record 8,253 entries accepted, Dupree is one of just 312 qualifiers for the U.S. Amateur, which he also made the cut for 2021 at Oakmont Country Club, near Pittsburgh.
“My first time being up there (in Pittsburgh) was a little shocking, I guess, being in the same field as some of the best amateur golfers in the world, because most of the tournaments I’m in, I’m really just seeing the guys in the Southeast since that’s where most of my tournaments are,” he says. “So yeah, this tournament just brings everyone all together and you get to see a wide variety of players.
“But just for me, having been [to a U.S. Amateur] already and seeing that and going through that experience, I can really draw on that going into this because I know now that I can compete with those guys and that I’m good enough to be back there again.”
Dupree was just five or six years old when his dad, Lee, first put a golf club in his hands, but he didn’t get serious about the game and playing in tournaments until joining the Gatewood high school team as an eighth grader. Upon graduating from Gatewood in 2020, Dupree received a partial scholarship to play Division I golf at the College of Charleston, where he’s about to enter his senior year.
Dupree calls his short game his strong suit. “Chipping around the greens and my wedges. And I would consider another strength to be my putting, but I do need to work on driving the ball a bit better.” In addition to Mitch Krywulycz, his coach at Charleston, Dupree works with Sean Kane at The Kingdom at Reynolds Lake Oconee.
“They also have a TaylorMade Tour Truck there and they build my clubs for me, so I don’t have to wait for them to ship from somewhere else. Very, very convenient; I’ve been going there for pretty much my whole life,” he says.
Having played at both Colorado courses in the past also should work in his favor, Dupree says, though no course remains the same year after year.
“It’s really just a matter of executing the shots that I need to execute and playing the best I can,” he says. “And I mean, you’re playing against some of the best golfers, best amateurs in the world, so all you can really hope for is just to be a part of it and then see what happens.”
The 2023 U.S. Amateur begins with two days of 18 holes, stroke play on both courses. That will winnow the field down to 64 golfers entering match play Aug. 16, when TV coverage will begin on NBC’s Peacock and the Golf Channel. Upon reaching the semifinals Aug. 19, preliminary coverage will sway to the Golf Channel, with round coverage on NBC, and a similar TV schedule for the Aug. 20 final round on the 7,405-yard Cherry Hills course.
“It’s definitely exciting with this tournament being on TV and it makes it really easy for everyone in the area to follow,” Dupree says. However, he also recognizes the tournament’s format dictates a long, tough grind.
“It’ll be eight or 10 rounds by the time you get to the finals,” he observes. “So, you’ve got to be in shape, and you’ve got to be mentally strong just to be able to get through all that. Because it really takes a toll on your mental ability as well, so I’m just trying to get ready for it now.”