PORTSMOUTH, Va. – After a big finish to his sophomore season with the Appalachian State golf team,
Tripp Summerlin has been hot on the course again this summer and wrapped up last weekend's Eastern Amateur in a tie for second place overall.
The 62nd Eastern Amateur, which featured more than 150 competitors at the Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club, is one of the most prestigious amateur tournaments in the country. Summerlin, a native of Summerfield, N.C., tied for second place in the four-round tourney with rounds of 68, 65, 66 and 70 for an 11-under-par total of 269. Nick Lyerly of UNC Greensboro won at 15-under, and VCU's Alston Newsom matched Summerlin's scorecard at 11-under.
The tournament featured high-level amateurs from around the United States and other countries. Many in the field are current NCAA Division I golfers. The top 80 after the first two rounds made the cut for the final two.
Summerlin is coming off a sophomore season in which he finished runner-up at the Sun Belt Championship and was voted second-team all-conference by the league coaches. In the fall, he was individual medalist at the Patriot Intercollegiate and became App's first ever Sun Belt Golfer of the Week.
