Air Force golfer Tom Whitney is getting set for the biggest tournament of his career. He'll compete at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, which will be played July 13-18 in Norman, OK.

The winner of the tournament receives an invitation to play in the 2010 Masters.

Whitney will head to Norman on Friday to play practice rounds at the golf course.

I'll map out a game plan for the week ahead," explains Whitney. Figure out when I should hit driver or 3-iron and also make notes of what pins to go for, and which to hold back on."

This summer, Whitney has endured long hours in preparing for his big moment. He gets up at 4am to lead Basic Training Workouts before he heads to the golf course for daily practice. But the long days and hard work have made him a mentally strong golfer which could pay off at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.

"I'm sure my nerves will jacked up, but I should be able to hold them off and maintain the mental game I usually have," says Whitney.

The 2009 U.S. Publinks will be played at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in Norman, Okla. Following two rounds of stroke play (July 13-14), the field will be cut to the low 64 scorers, who advance to match play. The first round of match play is scheduled for Wednesday, July 15, followed by the second and third rounds on July 16. Quarterfinals and semifinals will take place July 17, while the 36-hole final round will be played Saturday, July 18.

The U.S. Publinks will mark the first USGA championship for Whitney, who competed in a U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying earlier this summer. He caps off a spectacular season in which he led the Falcons in all 12 tournaments, including the MWC Championship, where he earned all-conference honors for the first time in his career.

Whitney, who set numerous school records, including lowest individual round (64) and lowest season stroke average (72.0), also won a pair of medalist honors in back-to-back tournaments in March. He also became the first Air Force golfer since 2005 to compete at an NCAA Regional, placing 27th at the NCAA South Central Regional in Stillwater, Okla.