Todd White has always enjoyed playing the Dye Course at Colleton River Plantation. So it was difficult for the Hilton Head Island High School history teacher not to take part in the annual U.S. Amateur Championship qualifier held at the Bluffton course this time last year.

"I always love coming to Colleton River to qualify because the golf course is so tough and so good," he said. " ... I've developed a lot of great friends here. It's always satisfying to qualify here."

White missed out on the 2011 event after suffering ligament damage in his left hand. But the Furman Hall of Famer made up for last year's absence this time around, as he fired a second-round score of 69 on Tuesday to earn one of five automatic spots at the U.S. Amateur Championship, which will be held Aug. 13-19 at Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colo.

A flurry of birdies on Nos. 12, 13 and 14 got the 1995 U.S. Open participant to 5-under par for the day before he cruised to the finish line.

"Any time you can play under par here at the Dye course it's a good round," White said.

The win will give White the chance to compete in his fourth U.S. Amateur Championship -- and his second in three years -- after he also qualified in 1990, 2003 and 2010.

"I knew coming in that as long as I didn't make any kind of major mistakes that everything would be OK," the 44-year-old said.

" ... The ultimate goal is to qualify for the U.S. Amateur. That's what I was able to do."

White's two-day total of 72-69--141 was three strokes better than Clemson's Michael Muscatell, who took home the second spot after posting the day's low round -- a 6-under-par 66 which included three birdies and an eagle. Winnsboro's Brandon Truesdale, South Africa's Zander Lombard and John Varol of Waxhaw, N.C. claimed the final three spots after finishing in a tie with a score of 1-over 145.

"I had a couple big numbers yesterday with some bad breaks as well," said Muscatell, who shot a 78 Monday thanks to a triple-bogey on No. 9. "Today I just stuck to the game plan and executed."

Meanwhile, former USC Beaufort standout Luke McClellan netted the second alternate spot after falling in a sudden death playoff on No. 10 to Taylor Martin of Braselton, Ga. McClellan made a nice shot to get out of the bunker but missed a putt from about 6 feet that would have sent the playoff to a second hole. Instead, Martin capitalized by connecting on a short putt for par to earn the title of top alternate.

"I played pretty well," said McClellan, who birdied three of his final five holes before the playoff. "It's still a bummer though, I guess."

McClellan still has hope in earning a spot in Colorado, though, thanks in part to his newfound confidence. He said he had been struggling mentally in recent weeks before a strong showing in last week's Players Amateur began to turn things around.

"Leading up to the Players Am was pretty rough, I'm not going to lie," he said. "But something just clicked early last week, I guess. It didn't really show (at the Players Am). But I came here and it's been solid."

He may be able to learn a thing or two from White, who bounced back from his own set of struggles to earn yet another spot in the U.S. Amateur.

"I'm at full strength," he said with a satisfying nod. "I'm looking forward to going to Colorado."

US Amateur Qualifying

Dye Course, Colleton River Plantation, Bluffton

par 72, 7,283 yards

Round 2

(x-denotes qualifier; y-denotes alternate)

x-Todd White (Spartanburg) 72-69--141

x-Michael Muscatell (Lake Wylie) 78-66--144

x-John Varol (Waxhaw, NC) 71-74--145

x-Brandon Truesdale (Winnsboro) 71-74--145

x-Zander Lombard (Pretoria, S.A.) 72-73--145

y-Taylor Martin (Braselton, GA) 75-71--146

y-Luke McClellan (Ridgeland) 74-72--146

Austin Cody (N Charleston) 74-73--147

Michael Balzer (Bluffton) 76-72--148

Cameron Bell (Charlotte,NC) 74-74--148

Scott Strohmeyer (Miramar Beach,FL) 74-74--148

Ben Fogler (Elgin) 76-73--149

Drew Aimone (Savannah,GA) 74-75--149

William Starke (Chapin) 75-74--149

Todd Eckstein (Durham,NC) 73-76--149

Jordan Sease (Lexington) 77-72--149

Woody Woodward (Bridgeport,WV) 77-72--149

Dylan Freeman (Athens,GA) 77-73--150

Austin Frick (Myrtle Beach) 76-74--150

Thomas Bradshaw (Columbia) 77-73--150

Jordan Byrd (Pendleton) 74-76--150

Jacob Burger (Orangeburg) 77-73--150

Matt Cheng (Hilton Head Island) 74-77--151

Taylor Zoller (North Charleston) 78-73--151

Fredric Nordhoff (Charlotte,NC) 78-74--152

Hugh Morrison (Charleston) 79-73--152

John Skeadas (Savannah,GA) 74-78--152

Travis Cashion (Columbia) 77-75--152

Kelby Burton (Evans,GA) 77-76--153

Turner Southey Gordon (Johns Island) 77-76--153

John Patterson (Bluffton) 73-80--153

Tripp Coggins (Pooler,GA) 75-78--153

Lance Johnson (North Augusta) 79-75--154

Charlie Smiley (Savannah,GA) 74-80--154

Scott Weeks (Savannah,GA) 79-75--154

Luke Haithcock (Burlington,NC) 79-75--154

Steven Wright (Winter Haven,FL) 74-80--154

Dalton Ward (Sumter) 79-75--154

Davis Bateman (Charlotte,NC) 77-78--155

Jon Weiss (Florence) 74-81--155

Jason Hnat (Tega Cay) 78-77--155

Justin Hoft (Bluffton) 78-77--155

Matthew Hopper (Gaffney) 79-76--155

Grant Waggoner (North Charleston) 76-80--156

Scott Glaze (Charleston) 78-78--156

Walt Todd Jr (Laurens) 79-77--156

Henry Shimp (Charlotte,NC) 79-77--156

Drew Mathews (Winter Haven,FL) 75-81--156

Butler Melnyk (Saint Simons Island,GA) 77-80--157

Parker Allen (Blythewood) 78-79--157

Steve Agazzi (Charleston) 79-78--157

Jamie Felder (Grovetown,GA) 78-79--157

Richie Wiltfang (Brunswick,GA) 76-82--158

Daniel Mobley (Waynesboro,GA) 78-81--159

John O'Brien (Columbia) 78-81--159

Caulder Moore (Isle Of Palms) 79-80--159

Nicholas Eberhardt (Fort Mill) 76-84--160

Charlie Niland (Hilton Head Island) 78-82--160

Dalton Olawsky (West Columbia) 76-85--161

Chandler Vilcheck (Bluffton) 77-84--161

Jefferson Murray (Augusta,GA) 77-84--161

Damon Postal (Blythewood) 79-84--163

J. J. Jordan (Ninety Six) 78-85--163

Michael Fowler (Evans,GA) 76-0--WDI

Cary Phillips (Kershaw) 78-0--DQ

Robert Butler (Atlanta,GA) 78-0--WD

Marcel Puyat (San Francisco,CA) 79-0--WD

David Foster (Charleston) 79-0--WD