Jesuit Senior Qualifies for U.S. Amateur

Roberts shoots 9-under par rounds in consecutive tournaments

Shooting 9-under par in any round under any circumstances is difficult enough. To do it in back-to-back competitive tournaments would be the envy of any golfer.

The reward for Jesuit Dallas senior Reese Roberts is a spot in the prestigious U.S. Amateur Championship — an event whose past winners include Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, and Tiger Woods.

Roberts will be among the youngest competitors at the tournament to determine the best amateur golfer in the country, which begins Aug. 12 in Chaska, Minnesota.

Roberts, 17, qualified with a stunning victory at the Texas Amateur Championship in June at Trinity Forest Golf Club, where he shot a 63 in the second round then held on to win by two strokes. Playing alongside rivals twice his age, he made history as the first true high school golfer to claim the title in the 115-year history of the event.

“Going in, I don’t even think I knew the winner gets into the U.S. Amateur,” Roberts said. “After that last putt dropped, all these thoughts were running through my head. It was pretty surreal.”

The following week, he carded a 62 in the final round to win the Jordan Spieth Championship at Brookhaven Country Club by nine shots.

That victory was especially meaningful for Roberts because Spieth is a Jesuit alumnus and has been a role model for Roberts throughout his young career.

“He’s always been motivation for me. Growing up, he was always my favorite player,” said Roberts, who is verbally committed to Missouri. “I try to model my game after him a little bit.”

After struggling for much of the spring season for the Rangers, Roberts had a breakthrough at the Class 6A state tournament, where he tied for third — the best finish of any Jesuit player since Spieth’s championship in 2011.

In early June, Roberts was 6-under through 11 holes at the Byron Nelson Junior Championship before faltering down the stretch. But suddenly he found a spark.

“I needed to prove to myself that I could be in this situation and could compete with these guys,” Roberts said. “Now when I go play, I feel like I should win the tournament, which was a different mindset than I had previously.”

The U.S. Amateur is a weeklong event with more than 300 competitors, many with college experience. After two rounds, the top 64 advance to a match play bracket.

“The main thing for me is I’m going to have fun and take in the moment,” Roberts said. “It’s a cool situation to be in.”