Clyburn earns spot in 2021 U.S. Amateur Championship

Cartersville native R.B. Clyburn added to his strong golf resume this week by earning the final qualifying spot for the United States Golf Association Amateur Championship in competition Monday and Tuesday at the Capital City Club Crabapple course in Milton, Georgia.

Clyburn, who now works as a college basketball official, finished in a tie for 30th recently at the Georgia State Golf Association’s 100th Amateur Championship. Monday and Tuesday he fired rounds of 67 and 66 to finish at 7-under-par 133. That was good enough to earn a spot in a playoff for the fifth and final qualifying spot from the Capital City Club qualifier.

R.B. Clyburn (left) captured the final qualifying spot in a playoff. He is pictured with medalist Noah Norton who qualified for his fifth consecutive U.S. Amateur. (photo by Michael McCachern/GSGA)

Clyburn, a member at Cartersville Country Club and a former Georgia Tech football player in the late 2000s, won Tuesday's playoff over current Georgia Tech sophomore golfer Bartley Forrester of Gainesville, Georgia to capture a spot in the 312-player field at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania August 9-15.

Recent Georgia Tech graduate Noah Norton shot 64-65 (11-under-par) Monday and Tuesday to capture medalist honors. Norton’s performance enabled him to qualify for the U.S. Amateur for a fifth straight year. Other golfers earning a trip to Oakmont from the Capital City Club qualifier included runner-up Deven Patel of Johns Creek (65-66), Brent Hamm of Warner Robins and Troy University (68-64), and Hunter Fry of Dacula who is a USC-Upstate senior (65-67).

A total of 132 players attempted to qualify for five spots in the Capital City Club qualifier.