BANDON, Oregon – One current and one former Jacksonville State golfer are in the field vying for the top amateur golf title in the world this week at the U.S. Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
 
Junior Quim Vidal Mora and former Ohio Valley Conference medalist Andres Schonbaum are among the 264 golfers teeing it up on the Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails courses this week. Vidal Mora, a native of Barcelona, Spain, is making his U.S. Amateur debut, while Schonbaum, of Cordoba, Argentina, is making his second-straight appearance.
 
This marks the third-straight year that at least one Gamecock has been in the field and the second time that two JSU golfers have appeared in the event. The event will feature two rounds of stroke play, with the top 64 players after 36 holes advancing to the match-play bracket. The winner of the single-elimination bracket will receive the coveted Havemeyer Trophy, as well as exemptions to the 2021 Masters, the 2021 U.S. open, the 2021 Open Championship and the next 10 U.S. Amateurs.
 
With COVID-19 causing havoc on the sports world in 2020, qualifying for the U.S. Amateur has been different than normal. Despite playing the traditional qualifying events across the country during the summer, the USGA turned to the World Amateur Golf Ranking to select the field. Schonbaum is ranked No. 386, while Vidal Mora is No. 393. JSU teammate Jesus Dario Montenegro's ranking of 459 got him into the venue as an on-site alternate, but he wasn't able to crack into the field before play started on Monday.
 
In 2018, Montenegro became the first Gamecock to qualify for the event since 2003 and then made an appearance in 2019, as well. The 2020 event makes three-straight seasons in which JSU has been represented after a 15-year hiatus.
 
Vidal Mora's first appearance in the event was a hectic one. The All-OVC player was at home in Barcelona when he received word that he'd made it onto the alternate list. At that point, he and head coach James Hobbs – who will caddy for Vidal Mora in the event – began making travel arrangements. 
 
Before Vidal Mora departed Spain to meet Hobbs in Atlanta, he'd climbed into the field. He and his coach flew from Atlanta to Oregon, where they were tested for COVID-19 before beginning practice round play on Saturday. 
 
The match play portion of the championship will be broadcast on the Golf Channel and on Peacock:
Wednesday, Aug. 12: 6 p.m.-7 p.m., Peacock (Round of 64 Matches)
Wednesday, Aug. 12: 7 p.m.-9 p.m., Golf Channel (Round of 64 Matches)
Thursday, Aug. 13: 6 p.m.-7 p.m., Peacock (Round of 16 Matches)
Thursday, Aug. 13: 7 p.m.-9 p.m., Golf Channel (Round of 16 Matches)
Friday, Aug. 14: 6 p.m.-7 p.m., Peacock (Quarterfinal Matches)
Friday, Aug. 14: 7 p.m.-9 p.m., Golf Channel (Quarterfinal Matches)
Saturday, Aug. 15: 7 p.m.-10 p.m., Golf Channel (Semifinal Matches)
Sunday, Aug. 16: 7 p.m.-10 p.m., Golf Channel (Championship Match, Afternoon 18)