The Crimson Tide continued to roll through Cherry Hills during the Thursday morning matches of the U.S. Amateur outside of Denver.

No. 1 seed Bobby Wyatt, a who will enter his junior year at the University of Alabama this fall, reached the tournament's Sweet Sixteen by beating Matthew Stieger of Australia 2 up.

Wyatt,who tied the Am's scoring record in stroke play qualifying to claim medalist honors, finished birdie-par to win the 17th and 18th holes of an up-and-down match, in which he found himself three-down through five holes.

The Mobile, Ala. native will see a familiar face in his afternoon match: Crimson Tide teammate Justin Thomas, who beat University of California senior Max Homa 3&1 to advance. The rising sophomore won 15, 16 and 17 to close it out, after trailing much of the match.

The Wyatt/Thomas match should get top billing Thursday afternoon. Although Thomas is seeded 16th this week, he actually ranks fifth in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. And at sixth, Wyatt isn't far behind.

The Alabama golf team won the SEC Championship last season, and finished second in NCAAs, losing to Texas in the team finals.

For full match play results, head over to the official USGA Website.

Oklahoma State's all-conference quarterback Brandon Weeden announced during a news conference this week that he's sticking around for another season in Stillwater. The more surprising news came hours later — via a Tweet:

"I forgot to mention I'm also the newest member of the OSU golf team!!!!" Weeden wrote on his Twitter page. "Proud to be part of something special! Football and Golf!!!!"

Weeden, who does not appear to carry an official handicap with the USGA, will join the squad as a walk-on. The OSU golf coach, Mike McGraw, told The Oklahoman that some of his players tee it up regularly with Weeden and have been impressed by his swing.

"They like his game," McGraw said. "Now am I saying he's going to lead us to a national championship? Probably not."

Weeden, 27, is more than just a two-sport athlete. In 2002, he was drafted as a pitcher by the New York Yankees. He played on the Yankees' Single A squad before the team traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Weeden joins a crop of high-profile football players who have crossed over to golf's elite ranks in recent months. Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice played a couple of events on the Nationwide Tour last year — albeit with dire results. And in June, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo advanced to sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open.

After posting the news on his Twitter feed, Weeden quickly received a word of encouragement from Hunter Mahan, the three-time PGA Tour winner and a fellow Okie.

"Good luck this year!" Mahan tweeted. "I'll be keeping up with ya!"

Special Section: Golf and Football

(Photo: John Biever/SI)

Reporters and human-rights activists may not be welcome in North Korea, but golfers are about to get the red-carpet treatment. According to Alastair Gale of the The Wall Street Journal:

From April 26 to 30, the isolated nation will host the first ever North Korean Amateur Golf Open. The competition is open to amateur golfers from around the world willing to part with 999 euros to enter.

The venue is the Pyongyang Golf complex, North Korea’s only 18-hole golf course, where local legend has it that Kim Jong Il shot a world record 38 under par, including 11 holes in one, when he opened the course in 1991.

How cool would it be to tell your friends you broke that record?

According to the competition website the entry fee includes travel by train into the country from China, visas, meals and accommodation, as well as a 3 day tour of the country.

Freedom of speech not included.

Oklahoma State quarterback to join golf team
Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden announced Wednesday that he will return to OSU for another season. The real news? He’s also joining OSU's powerhouse golf team. Weeden, who has also played some minor league baseball, broke the news on Twitter:

"Proud to be part of something special!" he wrote. "Football and golf!!!!"

Mike McGraw, the Cowboy's golf coach, confirmed to The Oklahoman that Weeden is indeed the newest Cowboy golfer. 

“He's going to walk on for us,” McGraw said in a phone interview. “He's a great leader, he loves golf and he's a great Cowboy.”

Weeden regularly plays golf with Kevin Tway [Bob’s son] and other OSU golfers. McGraw said Tway and the other golfers already have delivered scouting reports on Weeden's game.

“They like his game,” McGraw said. “Now am I saying he's going to lead us to a national championship? Probably not.”

Harrington endures Rocky-like workouts, grows beard
Remember Padraig Harrington, the guy who won three majors in 13 months? Don’t write him off just yet. Seems the Irishman is poised for a big year after putting himself through “a grueling winter training regime,” reports Brian Keogh at the Irish Golf Desk.

Ireland’s triple major winner—who was sporting a beard as he tackled Portmarnock Links in a charity Pro-Am on Thursday—says he worked harder than ever during his traditional six-week winter break, which will come to an end on Saturday when he jets out to desert for next week’s Abu Dhabi Championship.

That’s saying something considering Paddy's coach, Bob Torrance, is renowned for driving him harder than a plow mule.

“I had a serious hard-working winter,” said Harrington, who appears likely to remain in the Middle East for the inaugural Volvo Golf Champions in Bahrain from January 27-30. “I did a lot of work in the gym and hit more shots than in previous winters. Why? Because I enjoy doing it.”

Harrington has yet to set his schedule in stone but it appears likely that he will play eight events before the Masters by following his appearances in the desert with six tournaments in an eight-week spell on the PGA Tour.

Tweet of the Day

 @Win McMurry: Released today: Tavistock 2011 to feature 4 teams. Joining Isleworth & Lake Nona, Albany (Bahamas) & Queenwood (London). Isleworth to host.

What, no love for The Villages?

Andrew Giuliani and his mother, Donna Hanover, met with reporters on Thursday at the driving range at Randall's Island. As he beat balls off a mat, he talked about his lawsuit against Duke, which accuses the university of dismissing him from the team without just cause and of dashing his hopes of becoming a pro. But it also emerged that he's seeking lifetime playing privileges at Duke's facilities. According to The Times:

In the suit, Andrew Giuliani is asking for damages and for the right to use Duke’s golf center for the rest of his life, as he said he was promised when he was recruited to play for the school.

While it looked like a very nice range at Randall's Island, especially by New York City standards, losing out on a neverending pass to the spread at Duke (above right) definitely seems worth going to court over. The school's Web site describes the practice facilities this way:

The practice and chipping greens total over 20,000 square feet of putting surface and are carefully maintained to match the speed of the greens on the course. You can really give your "short game" a great workout here! 

The driving range is also enormous, with more than 40 hitting stations. The Duke men's and women's golf teams have their own practice areas, so don't worry about being crowded!

(Photo: golf.duke.edu)