June 20, 2007

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - St. Bonaventure junior golfer Ryan Swanson was one of five players in a field of 88 and the only New Yorker to qualify for the 49th Annual Porter Cup at Niagara Falls Country Club (NFCC) on Tuesday afternoon.

Swanson posted a one-over par 71 through 18 holes on the 6,621-yard course, putting him in a three-way playoff against North Carolina State graduate Jerry Richardson and Xavier sophomore Michael Beausejour for one of the two remaining qualifier spots.

The Sherman, N.Y., native saw his errant tee shot on 450-yard par 4 first hole go deep into the trees on the right side of the fairway. Swanson then recovered with a solid second shot that landed 15 yards short of the green and followed with a chip that funneled to within three feet of the cup. After Richardson's par and a Beausejour bogey, Swanson tapped in the three-foot put to clinch the fifth and final spot.

Fresh off his second-straight win at the Chautauqua County Amateur Championship on Sunday, Swanson will now turn his focus to Thursday's New York State Amateur qualifier at Shorewood Country Club in Dunkirk, N.Y.

Richards, who graduated from NC State in May, recently won his second North Carolina Amateur title in the last three years.

One of the premiere amateur events in the country, the Porter Cup will be held at the NFCC on July 24-28. Previous champions of the tournament include: David Duval (1992), Phil Mickelson (1990), Scott Verplank (1983 & 85) and Ben Crenshaw (1972).