FAR HILLS, N.J. (Aug. 3, 2015) – The United States Golf Association announced today that Paul Dunne, 22, of Ireland has accepted a special exemption into the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club. The 115th U.S. Amateur will be contested Aug. 17-23, writes the USGA.

“Paul Dunne demonstrated his ability to compete with anyone by his outstanding play in the recent British Open at St. Andrews,” said Diana M. Murphy, chairman of the USGA’s Championship Committee. “The USGA is pleased that he will be joining the strong international field of 312 players in the U.S. Amateur, our oldest national championship, at Olympia Fields.”

Dunne, of Dublin [sic], shot a third-round 66 to share the 54-hole lead of the 2015 British Open Championship with Jason Day and Louis Oosthuizen. A recent graduate of the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Dunne played in the final pairing of the fourth round with Oosthuizen. Dunne also played in the 2014 British Open, but missed the cut.

At UAB, Dunne was named Conference USA Player of the Year in 2014. He finished fifth in the 2015 NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championship and earned third-team All-America honors.

Dunne is the first amateur to share the 54-hole lead at the British Open since Bob Jones in 1927. He finished at 6 under par, in a tie for 30th place. He is 38th in the current World Amateur Golf Ranking™ (having moved up from No. 80) and he represented Ireland in the 2014 World Amateur Team Championship.

He will be competing in his first USGA championship.

For tickets and additional information on the U.S. Amateur, the oldest golf championship in the United States, visit www.2015usamateur.com.