Aug. 23, 2004

MAMARONECK, N.Y. - As one of two seniors on Villanova's golf team during the 2003-04 season, John Keller led the squad with a 78.17 stroke average. Since graduating in May with his degree in Economics, Keller has been gaining notice on the amateur golf circuit. Keller qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship contested at Winged Foot and advanced to the final 32 before being eliminated in match play. The tournament began with 312 players competing in stroke play over two days, with the top 64 moving on to match play. Keller's nine-over-par 149 earned him a #52 seed in match play, and he defeated Pat Tallent 1-up to advance to the second round. There, he came up against the sixth-ranked player in the nation, Jeff Overton, and was narrowly defeated 5 and 4. Overton advanced all the way to the semifinals, where he was defeated 2 and 1 by the eventual champion. Advancing to the second round of match play was a welcome reward for Keller, who only decided to attempt to qualify for the tournament in July. He competed on July 21 at Fenway Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y., where he was one of just three players from a field of 90 to earn a qualifying berth to his first national amateur event. Keller's victory over Tallent in the first round came in dramatic fashion, as he rolled a downhill putt from 10 feet into the cup on No. 18 to close the match. Keller had opened a 3-up advantage with four holes to play, but needed the par putt on the final hole to clinch the victory. Keller was a four-year letterwinner for the Wildcats and one of the team's most consistent performers over the past three years. His senior season included a top-10 finish at the Temple Glenmaura Invitational and 21-of-23 rounds (91%) that counted towards the team score. His low round was an even-par 70 in the second round of the St. John's/McLaughlin on the Red course at Bethpage.