UNIVERSITY PLACE, WASH.--There were no shortage of opinions last week as to how Chambers Bay held up during the 110th U.S. Amateur Championship. But what's hard for either critics or crusaders of the links-style course, set along the Puget Sound, to dispute was that the creativity and shotmaking that the firm-and-fast 7,724-yard layout required resulted in the amateur game's elite players rising to the top.
Indeed, the foursome of Peter Uihlein, the eventual champion, David Chung, Byeong-Hun An and Patrick Cantlay was as impressive a group of semifinalists as I've seen in my 13 years covering the championship. Toss in the fact that the NCAA champion (Scott Langley) and a former Walker Cup player (Morgan Hoffmann) also reached the quarterfinals, and it's clear that there would be no flukes contending for the Havemeyer Trophy.
Still, the questions I heard most from those watching the happenings in the Pacific Northwest were these:
Just how fair actually was the set-up at Chamber Bay?
And is the course a true championship test?
Regarding the first, no doubt there was a good amount of griping at the start of the week about how Mike Davis and the USGA staff presented Chambers Bay to the 312 players in the field. Davis' candor in admitted that the course became too dry on Monday afternoon only increased the noise that the USGA had started the championship by making a double bogey.
Part of the issue was that Chambers Bay had never been set up in such a fashion before, this being the first time hosting a national championship caliber event. During the practice rounds, Davis knew how hard the course was getting (literally and figuratively) but wasn't sure exactly how exactly to address it. In fairness to those competing Monday in the most difficult conditions, Davis didn't want to soften things up too much for Tuesday's rounds.
Come Tuesday night, however, Davis told the Chambers Bay maintenance staff to "flood the place," soaking the greens with water to help get moisture to seep six to eight inches below the surface and "recharge" them so that while continuing to present the challenges of a firm-and-fast layout, it also remained fair.
"We didn't anticipate the water-management issues," Davis said. "This is something that at least in my time with the USGA we have never encountered."
To hear some of the competitors who played Monday afternoon, you'd have thought the championship had actually been conducted on the runways at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Granted, the average score for the afternoon was north of 80, and just seven of the 64 players who advance to match play competed in that wave of players. Among those who did though was Chung, who seemed to overcome the bad luck of the draw. All told 25 of the 64 players who advanced to match play had afternoon times either Monday or Tuesday at Chambers Bay, including Uihlein and An.
Ultimately, the overall stroke average at Chambers Bay came in at 79.247, a seemingly high number for a course that was a par 71(only five players broke that number) but not all that out of the ordinary. Five years ago when the U.S. Amateur was held at Merion GC outside Philadelphia, the stroke-play course average was 78.157 with six players breaking Merion's par of 70.
Said USGA president Jim Hyler at the conclusion of the championship: "We were thrilled with the golf course."
Additionally, Davis offered a couple salient points for those concerned about the course set-up as it relates to 2015, when the U.S. Open comes to Chambers Bay. For one thing, the Open being held in June rather than August will likely make it difficult for the course to get to the extreme firm-and-fast condition seen last week. "That's the million dollar question," Davis said. "I think you will not see these wonderful tan and brown hues to it. You'll see tan, but it won't look parched."
Aside from the set-up itself, the topic of Chambers Bay is a true championship test is an intriguing one with arguments to be made on both sides Those who love the course suggest the necessity to think your way around the layout, utilizing the slopes and contours, makes it a breath of fresh air compared to traditional American target-golf facilities.
Conversely, some will argue that watching Uihlein and Chung play the 12th hole, a short par 4 that offers the risk/reward of attempting to drive the green, as an example of the course perhaps being over the top. Twice Uihlein hit the green with his drive during the championship match, each time leaving himself with roughly a 40-foot putts for eagle. Neither time, however, did he actually aim his the putt towards the hole, instead rolling his ball well right of the hole up a "backboard" and then funneling it back down the slope hoping it got near the hole. What's the point of going for the green if you can't actually attempt the eagle putt?
A few other holes also appeared to "outthink" themselves. The first hole plays as either a par 4 or par 5 depending on which tee is used. The green is elevated beside a dune on the right with a massive hill cascading down the left of the putting surface. The contours force players to aim right as the green slopes right to left. Because of how firm and fast the course played, however, even well struck shots toward the right side of the green often rolled off the left side, sometimes trundling 40 yards away from the hole.
Davis acknowledge that he didn't think No. 1 would play quite that way and during a discussion with officials from Chambers Bay and the course architects last Friday suggested taking down some of the slope right of the green to prevent good shots from getting back breaks. Additionally Davis also mentioned some tweak to the seventh and 13th greens he recommened to make them more receptive to long approach shots.
"With most of these things, it's not necessarily change the architecture," said Davis. "It's just taking what they wanted to see happen and massaging it."
Overall, there was something to be said for seeing golfers need to play the ball low to the ground, asking for a more complete examination of a player's skill than another much ballyhooed "links-style" course, Whistling Straits, which offers too few greenside openings for players to run their balls up to the hole to make a true "links."
At the same time doesn't the R&A already hold a British Open each year in July. Does the U.S. Open need to move more in that direction or not?
Personally I liked seeing golfers challenged to be more creative on the course, even if a few the course had a little more elevation changes than you'd find on a true links.
Suffice it to say, the best players in the world have nearly five years to get ready for Chambers Bay. And as they do, they'd be well off to pull out a DVD of Uihlein's triumph over Chung from Sunday to see a blueprint for what it will take to win hard by the Puget Sound.
Results for August 2010
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USA men's World Amateur team selected
UNIVERSITY PLACE, WASH.--USA World Amateur Team captain Fred RIdley will have a trio of collegiate golfers on top of their games at the ready when the American squad heads to Argentina in October to compete for the Eisenhower Trophy in the biennial event.
Selected for the men's squad are U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein, runner-up David Chung and NCAA champion Scott Langley.
Uihlein's summer was capped with his 4-and-2 victory over Chung Sunday at Chambers Bay. Additionally the Oklahoma State junior claimed the title at the Sahalee Players Championship in July by seven strokes.
Despite losing to Uihlein in the Amateur final, Chung, a Stanford junior, claimed two prestigious victories this summer at the Porter Cup and Western Amateur.
After winning medalist honors at NCAAs in June, Langley qualified for the U.S. Open, where he finished T-16 securing a share of low amateur honors. The Illinois senior went on to reach the quarterfinals last week at Chambers Bay to secure his spot on the team.
All three golfers have experience competing for the U.S. in international competition. Uihlein was a member of the victorious Walker Cup squad last September, posting a 4-0 record in the competition. Chung and Langley both compete for the American side in the Palmer Cup this June.
"The players selected for the USA team all have played tremendous golf throughout their careers and on grand stages in 2010," Ridley said in a press release. "More importantly, they are fine young men of character and each possess the human qualities which the game of golf represents. It is my distinct honor to captain these young men as they compete for the Eisenhower Trophy. We will represent the United States and the USGA with great pride."
Georgia senior Russell Henley and Oklahoma State junior Morgan Hoffmann have been named the first and second alternates.
The last time the U.S. won the World Amateur Team title was in Puerto Rico in 2004. The competition will take place Oct. 28-31 at Olivos GC and Buenos Aires GC.
Selected for the men's squad are U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein, runner-up David Chung and NCAA champion Scott Langley.
Uihlein's summer was capped with his 4-and-2 victory over Chung Sunday at Chambers Bay. Additionally the Oklahoma State junior claimed the title at the Sahalee Players Championship in July by seven strokes.
Despite losing to Uihlein in the Amateur final, Chung, a Stanford junior, claimed two prestigious victories this summer at the Porter Cup and Western Amateur.
After winning medalist honors at NCAAs in June, Langley qualified for the U.S. Open, where he finished T-16 securing a share of low amateur honors. The Illinois senior went on to reach the quarterfinals last week at Chambers Bay to secure his spot on the team.
All three golfers have experience competing for the U.S. in international competition. Uihlein was a member of the victorious Walker Cup squad last September, posting a 4-0 record in the competition. Chung and Langley both compete for the American side in the Palmer Cup this June.
"The players selected for the USA team all have played tremendous golf throughout their careers and on grand stages in 2010," Ridley said in a press release. "More importantly, they are fine young men of character and each possess the human qualities which the game of golf represents. It is my distinct honor to captain these young men as they compete for the Eisenhower Trophy. We will represent the United States and the USGA with great pride."
Georgia senior Russell Henley and Oklahoma State junior Morgan Hoffmann have been named the first and second alternates.
The last time the U.S. won the World Amateur Team title was in Puerto Rico in 2004. The competition will take place Oct. 28-31 at Olivos GC and Buenos Aires GC.
Uihlein holds 2-up lead through first 18
UNIVERSITY PLACE, WASH.--So far, Peter Uihlein's 21st birthday has been pretty enjoyable. Through 18 holes of the U.S. Amateur final at Chambers Bay GL, the Oklahoma State junior holds a 2-up lead over David Chung.
Uihlein shot the equivalent of a 66, with normal match-play concessions, making five birdies and an eagle chip-in on the par-5 18th from 40 feet. It helped end a run by Chung, who had cut Uihlein's 3-up advantage after nine holes to 1 up when he won the 11th and 17th holes with birdie.
Chung started slowly, making bogeys on three of his first six holes, missing several putts inside 10 feet. On the back nine, however, Chung got the putter going, making five birdies yet only cut Uihlein's advantage by one hole.
Uihlein shot the equivalent of a 66, with normal match-play concessions, making five birdies and an eagle chip-in on the par-5 18th from 40 feet. It helped end a run by Chung, who had cut Uihlein's 3-up advantage after nine holes to 1 up when he won the 11th and 17th holes with birdie.
Chung started slowly, making bogeys on three of his first six holes, missing several putts inside 10 feet. On the back nine, however, Chung got the putter going, making five birdies yet only cut Uihlein's advantage by one hole.
Stellar U.S. Amateur final pits Chung, Uihlein
UNIVERSITY PLACE, WASH.--Say what you will about Chambers Bay GL. The links-style course hard by Puget Sound has sorted through the original 312 players in the field at the U.S. Amateur and impressively brought together the two top golfers from the summer of 2010 as the finalists in Sunday's 36-hole championship match.
With David Chung, a 20-year-old Stanford junior set to face Oklahoma State junior Peter Uihlein, who celebrates his 21st birthday tomorrow, the USGA has its best final-round showdown in its oldest event since Ricky Barnes and Hunter Mahan squared off in 2002.
Chung's marvelous summer run continued when the winner of the Porter Cup and Western Amateur somehow outlasted defending champion Byeong-Hun An, 1 up, in their Saturday semifinal match.
It looked like Chung might have met his match when An got off to the best start of any player this week, making four birdies and an eagle over the first six holes to take a 3-up advantage.
"It was fun for me to watch him play," admitted Chung. "It's not like I was 'Oh man, I can't believe he's doing so well. I'm going to lose.' It was actually more fun to see somebody playing so well."
Still, Chung made three birdies in that same stretch and knew he needed to stay focused on his own game and let things play out. It was a lesson the Fayetteville, N.C., native says he learned in the final round of the Porter Cup in July, when after starting in a tie for the lead he wound up five shots back after just three holes but hung around to eventually claim the title.
So it was that Chung stayed patient even when he was 3 down at the turn, slowly chipping away at An's lead with birdies on the 10th and 12th holes. Chung then made crucial up-and-downs par saves on the 13th and 14th to halve the holes, the latter coming after he played an all-world flop shot from 15 yards right of the green to 2 1/2 feet from the hole.
"I'm always messing around on the practice facility, throwing it up as high as I can," Chung said. "I don't think I could have hit that shot again in 20 shots."
When An hit his tee shot on the par-3 15th over the green, leading to a bogey, the match returned to all square for the first time since the first hole. Chung then took his first lead of the day with an eight-foot birdie on the 16th hole.
Give credit to An, though, who wouldn't end his title defense without a fight. On the par-3 17th hole, when Chung hit his tee shot into the right bunker, An made a two-putt par to force the match to all square heading to the home hole.
With both golfers in the fairway off the tee on the par 4, An's second shot was from a downhill lie. Using a 5-iron, he came out of the shot, the ball landing short left in the greenside bunker. Chung hit his second on the green but 40 feet away. His job became easier, however, when An blasted his third shot over the green, on a similar line to Chung's. An then putted his par putt off the green, allowing Chung to lag his birdie try to few feet. When An missed his bogey try, he conceded Chung's putt for the match.
"I'm more disappointed because I was playing well, but just couldn't get it done in the last few holes, especially the back nine," said An, who now heads down the coast to start his college career at California. "I just missed a lot of chances."
As for Uihlein, he too needed time to get his barrings in his semifinal match versus incoming UCLA freshman Patrick Cantlay. While winning the first hole with a par, Uihlein had to hole par putts of 12 feet, 20 feet, six feet and 15 feet on Nos. 2-5 merely to halve each hole.
"Peter played well and made a ton of putts at the beginning and really never made any mistakes," Cantlay said.
A par on the 11th hole gave Uihlein a 2-up advantage, and pars on the 14th and 15th allowed him to close out Cantlay, 4 and 3.
Uihlein has enjoyed the times he's come to the Pacific Northwest in the past year. He won the Ping/Golfweek Invitational at Gold Mountain GC in nearby Bremerton last fall and then took the Sahalee Players title by seven strokes down the road at The Home Course in July. While attending that event, Uihlein snuck in two rounds at Chambers Bay to get a glimpse of what he was in store for.
"I have a good relationship with David," Uihlein said regarding his final-match opponent. "I think tomorrow will be a lot of fun."
Indeed, the finalists are quite familiar with each other, having first played in the same tournament together when they were 10 years old. Three times they have competed against each other in match play, splitting matches at the U.S. Junior and the AJGA Polo match play. Last June, Chung took a 2-1 advantage when he defeated Uihlein, 1 up, at the NCAA Championship as part of Oklahoma State and Stanford facing off in the quarterfinals.
"I know [Peter's] a great putter," Chung said. "He hits it far, really has no weaknesses. But after the match I had with Ben, I think I'm pretty prepared for anything."
With David Chung, a 20-year-old Stanford junior set to face Oklahoma State junior Peter Uihlein, who celebrates his 21st birthday tomorrow, the USGA has its best final-round showdown in its oldest event since Ricky Barnes and Hunter Mahan squared off in 2002.
Chung's marvelous summer run continued when the winner of the Porter Cup and Western Amateur somehow outlasted defending champion Byeong-Hun An, 1 up, in their Saturday semifinal match.
It looked like Chung might have met his match when An got off to the best start of any player this week, making four birdies and an eagle over the first six holes to take a 3-up advantage.
"It was fun for me to watch him play," admitted Chung. "It's not like I was 'Oh man, I can't believe he's doing so well. I'm going to lose.' It was actually more fun to see somebody playing so well."
Still, Chung made three birdies in that same stretch and knew he needed to stay focused on his own game and let things play out. It was a lesson the Fayetteville, N.C., native says he learned in the final round of the Porter Cup in July, when after starting in a tie for the lead he wound up five shots back after just three holes but hung around to eventually claim the title.
So it was that Chung stayed patient even when he was 3 down at the turn, slowly chipping away at An's lead with birdies on the 10th and 12th holes. Chung then made crucial up-and-downs par saves on the 13th and 14th to halve the holes, the latter coming after he played an all-world flop shot from 15 yards right of the green to 2 1/2 feet from the hole.
"I'm always messing around on the practice facility, throwing it up as high as I can," Chung said. "I don't think I could have hit that shot again in 20 shots."
When An hit his tee shot on the par-3 15th over the green, leading to a bogey, the match returned to all square for the first time since the first hole. Chung then took his first lead of the day with an eight-foot birdie on the 16th hole.
Give credit to An, though, who wouldn't end his title defense without a fight. On the par-3 17th hole, when Chung hit his tee shot into the right bunker, An made a two-putt par to force the match to all square heading to the home hole.
With both golfers in the fairway off the tee on the par 4, An's second shot was from a downhill lie. Using a 5-iron, he came out of the shot, the ball landing short left in the greenside bunker. Chung hit his second on the green but 40 feet away. His job became easier, however, when An blasted his third shot over the green, on a similar line to Chung's. An then putted his par putt off the green, allowing Chung to lag his birdie try to few feet. When An missed his bogey try, he conceded Chung's putt for the match.
"I'm more disappointed because I was playing well, but just couldn't get it done in the last few holes, especially the back nine," said An, who now heads down the coast to start his college career at California. "I just missed a lot of chances."
As for Uihlein, he too needed time to get his barrings in his semifinal match versus incoming UCLA freshman Patrick Cantlay. While winning the first hole with a par, Uihlein had to hole par putts of 12 feet, 20 feet, six feet and 15 feet on Nos. 2-5 merely to halve each hole.
"Peter played well and made a ton of putts at the beginning and really never made any mistakes," Cantlay said.
A par on the 11th hole gave Uihlein a 2-up advantage, and pars on the 14th and 15th allowed him to close out Cantlay, 4 and 3.
Uihlein has enjoyed the times he's come to the Pacific Northwest in the past year. He won the Ping/Golfweek Invitational at Gold Mountain GC in nearby Bremerton last fall and then took the Sahalee Players title by seven strokes down the road at The Home Course in July. While attending that event, Uihlein snuck in two rounds at Chambers Bay to get a glimpse of what he was in store for.
"I have a good relationship with David," Uihlein said regarding his final-match opponent. "I think tomorrow will be a lot of fun."
Indeed, the finalists are quite familiar with each other, having first played in the same tournament together when they were 10 years old. Three times they have competed against each other in match play, splitting matches at the U.S. Junior and the AJGA Polo match play. Last June, Chung took a 2-1 advantage when he defeated Uihlein, 1 up, at the NCAA Championship as part of Oklahoma State and Stanford facing off in the quarterfinals.
"I know [Peter's] a great putter," Chung said. "He hits it far, really has no weaknesses. But after the match I had with Ben, I think I'm pretty prepared for anything."
Uihlein wins Cowboy quarterfinal shootout
UNIVERSITY PLACE, WASH.--There wasn't any triumphant fist pump from Peter Uihlein on the 18th green at Chambers Bay GL, no outward display of elation for having won his quarterfinal match at the U.S. Amateur Championship and advancing one step closer to holding the Havemeyer Trophy.
Having defeated Morgan Hoffmann, his college roommate at Oklahoma State the last two years, all Uihlein could do is reach out his hand and give his opponent a hug.
"It's bittersweet. I just took out one of my best friends," said Uihlein, a 1-up winner who faces UCLA incoming freshman Patrick Cantlay in the semifinals. "It's hard because seeing him after, he wasn't happy."
If you think it was difficult for the players, consider how Alan Bratton felt. The OSU assistant coach has been caddieing for Uihlein all week and had to watch as two of his top players faced-off.
"I told both of them last night, they needed to try to thump each others same as they would anyone else," Bratton said. "I was really proud of them though. They played great."
Indeed, both Cowboys brought their All-American caliber games Friday morning, making a collective eight birdies and one eagle during a round in which neither golfer held more than a 1-up lead.
Throughout the match, the two were gracious with concessions on the greens, a conscious decision on both parts. "We both kind of wanted to control the match in our hands," Uilhein said. "So if I had a two-footer for par and he had a six-footer for birdie, he would give it to me because he wanted to be the one to make the putt. I was doing the same thing to him as well."
Case in point: on the 18th green Uihlein held a 1-up lead and faced a five-foot putt for par as Hoffmann rolled his 15-foot birdie try three feet past the hole. Before Hoffmann could get to the cup, Uihlein had already given him the par putt, setting up a must-make putt of his own to win the match. The 20-year-old calmed rolled the ball into the center of the hole for the victory.
While Hoffmann had cruised through his opening matches, a few stumbles on the greens against Uihlein proved costly. Three-putts on the ninth and 12th holes caused him to lose both.
"We each put pressure on each other," Hoffmann said. "But I didn't really give myself many opportunities."
Still, the match was all square as they played the 16th hole, with both players having birdie chances on the 397-yard par 4. Hoffmann missed his 15-foot attempt to the right while Uihlein rolled in a eight footer to take a 1-up advantage that would prove decisive.
"The fact is one of us had to lose." Hoffmann said. "Hopefully He goes on and wins it for our team."
****
For the first time since Tiger Woods in 1996, the defending U.S. Amateur champion has advanced to the semifinals.
That Byeong-Hun An is among the four players left at Chambers Bay probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise, except if you had talked to An himself only a few weeks ago. After playing in nine professional events, making just one cut, the 18-year-old who missed his first day of classes at Cal Berkeley yesterday admitted to being a bit burned out only a few weeks before arriving in the Pacific Northwest.
Yet An, who knocked off future Cal teammate Max Homa, 1 up, Friday afternoon, has regained some confidence this week.
"I've definitely passed my goal [for the week]," An said. "I just wanted to get into match play."
An takes a perfect 10-0 U.S. Amateur match-play record with him when faces David Chung, arguably the hottest player in the field entering the tournament, in their semifinal match Saturday. Chung defeated NCAA champion Scott Langley, 1 up, setting up a chance for him to claim the Porter Cup, Western Amateur and U.S. Amateur titles in the same summer.
While the Havemeyer Trophy isn't up for grabs until Sunday, there's a fair amount on the line in the semifinals. The winner of the matches will receive an exemption into the U.S. Open at Congressional CC next June and a likely invitation to the Masters as well.
****
SATURDAY'S SEMIFINALS
8:30 a.m. (PDT)--David Chung vs. Byeong-Hun An
8:45 a.m.--Patrick Cantlay vs. Peter Uihlein
Having defeated Morgan Hoffmann, his college roommate at Oklahoma State the last two years, all Uihlein could do is reach out his hand and give his opponent a hug.
"It's bittersweet. I just took out one of my best friends," said Uihlein, a 1-up winner who faces UCLA incoming freshman Patrick Cantlay in the semifinals. "It's hard because seeing him after, he wasn't happy."
If you think it was difficult for the players, consider how Alan Bratton felt. The OSU assistant coach has been caddieing for Uihlein all week and had to watch as two of his top players faced-off.
"I told both of them last night, they needed to try to thump each others same as they would anyone else," Bratton said. "I was really proud of them though. They played great."
Indeed, both Cowboys brought their All-American caliber games Friday morning, making a collective eight birdies and one eagle during a round in which neither golfer held more than a 1-up lead.
Throughout the match, the two were gracious with concessions on the greens, a conscious decision on both parts. "We both kind of wanted to control the match in our hands," Uilhein said. "So if I had a two-footer for par and he had a six-footer for birdie, he would give it to me because he wanted to be the one to make the putt. I was doing the same thing to him as well."
Case in point: on the 18th green Uihlein held a 1-up lead and faced a five-foot putt for par as Hoffmann rolled his 15-foot birdie try three feet past the hole. Before Hoffmann could get to the cup, Uihlein had already given him the par putt, setting up a must-make putt of his own to win the match. The 20-year-old calmed rolled the ball into the center of the hole for the victory.
While Hoffmann had cruised through his opening matches, a few stumbles on the greens against Uihlein proved costly. Three-putts on the ninth and 12th holes caused him to lose both.
"We each put pressure on each other," Hoffmann said. "But I didn't really give myself many opportunities."
Still, the match was all square as they played the 16th hole, with both players having birdie chances on the 397-yard par 4. Hoffmann missed his 15-foot attempt to the right while Uihlein rolled in a eight footer to take a 1-up advantage that would prove decisive.
"The fact is one of us had to lose." Hoffmann said. "Hopefully He goes on and wins it for our team."
****
For the first time since Tiger Woods in 1996, the defending U.S. Amateur champion has advanced to the semifinals.
That Byeong-Hun An is among the four players left at Chambers Bay probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise, except if you had talked to An himself only a few weeks ago. After playing in nine professional events, making just one cut, the 18-year-old who missed his first day of classes at Cal Berkeley yesterday admitted to being a bit burned out only a few weeks before arriving in the Pacific Northwest.
Yet An, who knocked off future Cal teammate Max Homa, 1 up, Friday afternoon, has regained some confidence this week.
"I've definitely passed my goal [for the week]," An said. "I just wanted to get into match play."
An takes a perfect 10-0 U.S. Amateur match-play record with him when faces David Chung, arguably the hottest player in the field entering the tournament, in their semifinal match Saturday. Chung defeated NCAA champion Scott Langley, 1 up, setting up a chance for him to claim the Porter Cup, Western Amateur and U.S. Amateur titles in the same summer.
While the Havemeyer Trophy isn't up for grabs until Sunday, there's a fair amount on the line in the semifinals. The winner of the matches will receive an exemption into the U.S. Open at Congressional CC next June and a likely invitation to the Masters as well.
****
SATURDAY'S SEMIFINALS
8:30 a.m. (PDT)--David Chung vs. Byeong-Hun An
8:45 a.m.--Patrick Cantlay vs. Peter Uihlein
Chung continues winning ways
UNIVERSITY PLACE, WASH.--David Chung could get used to this winning thing.
Actually, from the looks of it he already has.
Having claimed the Porter Cup and Western Amateur titles in the last five weeks, the 20-year-old Stanford junior has continued his winning ways at Chambers Bay and the U.S. Amateur Championship. After a 4-and-3 second-round win over Skip Berkmeyer Thursday morning, Chung knocked of 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links champ Brad Benjamin, 2 and 1, in the third round.
While admitting to a certain level of confidence following his two major amateur triumphs, the Fayetteville, N.C., native says he tries to keep his mind focused on the present rather than reliving the past. "The experience is in the back of my mind," Chung said, "but I'm really just thinking about my opponent and the course I'm playing."
So what gives? Why the solid play? Chung points to the week he spent earlier in the summer with instructor Adam Schreiber in Michigan. The ability to work on his technique was something he didn't have the luxury to do while in school this past spring, when he played solidly but failed to win any tournaments, and in part explains the success he subsequently has had.
"I feel like I've been waiting to break through for a while and it's now starting to happen," he said. "I wasn't sure when it might kick in, and it did right away."
Chung will face Scott Langley, the NCAA champion from Illinois and a fellow U.S. Palmer Cup team member in their quarterfinal draw Friday. Langley defeated Australia's Ryan McCarthy, 6 and 4, in the third round.
After needing 19 holes to defeat his first two opponents, Langley was more than happy to make quick work of McCarthy, particularly considering the new challenge that presented itself at the Robert Trent Jones Jr. course Thursday: wind. Twenty mile per hour breezes off the Puget Sound, more than the exception than the rule ordinarily at Chambers Bay, offered even more to think about for the players as they tried to negotiate there way around the sinister course.
"The golf course changes dramatically, especially from yesterday to today," Langley said. "You had to think your way around and play smart and know your distance into the green in order to take advantage of the slopes around the green, to run the ball toward the hole. You had to hit it in a five-yard window. You had to be precise."
Said Chung: "It was probably the windiest golf I've played in all summer. It was a survival test out there."
One that he passed with flying colors.
****
When Max Homa, a 4-and-3 winner in the third round against Harris English, faces defending champion Byeong-Hun An in their quarterfinal match Friday, it will be a clash of Golden Bears. Homa, 19, finished his freshman year at Cal last spring, playing in eight events during the season including the NCAA Championship. An, meanwhile is supposed to be starting classes as an incoming freshman this week.
"It's not good to have Cal against Cal in the quarters," An said after beating Scott Strohmeyer, 3 and 2, in the third round Thursday, running his match-play record at the U.S. Amateur to a impressive 9-0 mark. "I'd rather play with someone I don't know."
That said, the future teammates hadn't met each other until this morning.
The Homa/An match won't be the only quarterfinal tilt that pits golfers from the same school. Oklahoma State's Morgan Hoffmann beat Alex Ching, 4 and 2, in the third round and faces a fellow Cowboy after Peter Uihlein defeated John Hahn in 19 holes Thursday afternoon.
Uihlein struggled with the windy conditions versus Hahn, the 2009 Western Amateur champion, never actually having a lead until Hahn made a double-bogey 6 on the first extra hole while Uihlein, on the green in regulation, was conceded a birdie for the victory.
"It will be fun," said Uihlein regarding facing Hoffmann, also a fellow U.S. Walker Cup teammate. "We never have played head-to-head before [in a tournament]. He's one of my best friends, but it won't be any different [than any other match]."
****
Friday quarterfinals
8 a.m.--David Chung vs. Scott Langley
8:15 a.m.--Max Homa vs. Byeong-Hun An
8:30 a.m.--Patrick Cantlay vs. Jed Dirksen
8:45 a.m.--Morgan Hoffmann vs. Peter Uihlein
Actually, from the looks of it he already has.
Having claimed the Porter Cup and Western Amateur titles in the last five weeks, the 20-year-old Stanford junior has continued his winning ways at Chambers Bay and the U.S. Amateur Championship. After a 4-and-3 second-round win over Skip Berkmeyer Thursday morning, Chung knocked of 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links champ Brad Benjamin, 2 and 1, in the third round.
While admitting to a certain level of confidence following his two major amateur triumphs, the Fayetteville, N.C., native says he tries to keep his mind focused on the present rather than reliving the past. "The experience is in the back of my mind," Chung said, "but I'm really just thinking about my opponent and the course I'm playing."
So what gives? Why the solid play? Chung points to the week he spent earlier in the summer with instructor Adam Schreiber in Michigan. The ability to work on his technique was something he didn't have the luxury to do while in school this past spring, when he played solidly but failed to win any tournaments, and in part explains the success he subsequently has had.
"I feel like I've been waiting to break through for a while and it's now starting to happen," he said. "I wasn't sure when it might kick in, and it did right away."
Chung will face Scott Langley, the NCAA champion from Illinois and a fellow U.S. Palmer Cup team member in their quarterfinal draw Friday. Langley defeated Australia's Ryan McCarthy, 6 and 4, in the third round.
After needing 19 holes to defeat his first two opponents, Langley was more than happy to make quick work of McCarthy, particularly considering the new challenge that presented itself at the Robert Trent Jones Jr. course Thursday: wind. Twenty mile per hour breezes off the Puget Sound, more than the exception than the rule ordinarily at Chambers Bay, offered even more to think about for the players as they tried to negotiate there way around the sinister course.
"The golf course changes dramatically, especially from yesterday to today," Langley said. "You had to think your way around and play smart and know your distance into the green in order to take advantage of the slopes around the green, to run the ball toward the hole. You had to hit it in a five-yard window. You had to be precise."
Said Chung: "It was probably the windiest golf I've played in all summer. It was a survival test out there."
One that he passed with flying colors.
****
When Max Homa, a 4-and-3 winner in the third round against Harris English, faces defending champion Byeong-Hun An in their quarterfinal match Friday, it will be a clash of Golden Bears. Homa, 19, finished his freshman year at Cal last spring, playing in eight events during the season including the NCAA Championship. An, meanwhile is supposed to be starting classes as an incoming freshman this week.
"It's not good to have Cal against Cal in the quarters," An said after beating Scott Strohmeyer, 3 and 2, in the third round Thursday, running his match-play record at the U.S. Amateur to a impressive 9-0 mark. "I'd rather play with someone I don't know."
That said, the future teammates hadn't met each other until this morning.
The Homa/An match won't be the only quarterfinal tilt that pits golfers from the same school. Oklahoma State's Morgan Hoffmann beat Alex Ching, 4 and 2, in the third round and faces a fellow Cowboy after Peter Uihlein defeated John Hahn in 19 holes Thursday afternoon.
Uihlein struggled with the windy conditions versus Hahn, the 2009 Western Amateur champion, never actually having a lead until Hahn made a double-bogey 6 on the first extra hole while Uihlein, on the green in regulation, was conceded a birdie for the victory.
"It will be fun," said Uihlein regarding facing Hoffmann, also a fellow U.S. Walker Cup teammate. "We never have played head-to-head before [in a tournament]. He's one of my best friends, but it won't be any different [than any other match]."
****
Friday quarterfinals
8 a.m.--David Chung vs. Scott Langley
8:15 a.m.--Max Homa vs. Byeong-Hun An
8:30 a.m.--Patrick Cantlay vs. Jed Dirksen
8:45 a.m.--Morgan Hoffmann vs. Peter Uihlein
Langley wins wild second-round match
UNIVERSITY PLACE, WASH.--You often see some see-saw matches at the U.S. Amateur Championship, but you won't find too many like the second-round tilt between Scott Langley and Patrick Reed at Chambers Bay GC Thursday morning. From the 10th hole to the match's conclusion, no hole was halved, with Langley, the reigning NCAA champion from Illinois, hanging on to win on the 19th hole, advancing to the afternoon's third-round match with Ryan McCarthy.
"Wow, I didn't know that," said Langley, when told of the back-and-forth play on the back nine. "Those matches are fun. It's a lot more fun for me now that I won. I'm sure Patrick doesn't feel the same way, but that's what match play is about."
Perhaps you knew the match was going to be an unusual one when Reed, a member of the Augusta State national championship squad and one of the pre-tournament favorites, won the opening hole with a double-bogey 6 as Langley had a 30-footer on the green for an 8.
Thankfully, the caliber of play improved greatly, Reed winning the third hole with a birdie to take a 2-up lead, an advantage he would hold as the two players made the turn and finished up the 10th hole.
It was then that the roller-coaster ride began. A wayward second shot by Reed on the 11th led to a bogey, giving Langley the hole. Reed redeemed himself by hitting 3-wood to eight feet on the drivable par-4 12th to win with an eagle and go back to 2 up.
Langley proceeded to win the 13th and 14th holes with a par and birdie to square the match, then took his first lead of the day when he made a two-putt par on the 15th while Reed hit his tee ball into the front bunker and failed to get up and down.
On the 16th hole, with the tee moved up to 297 yards to the flagstick to entice players to try and drive the green, Reed gave it a run, hitting the ball just short and left of the green. Langley, who hit an iron off the tee, put his approach shot into the greenside bunker left, but then watched Reed scull his chip over the green into a bunker on the right side. If he was feeling any relief, it vanished when Reed then holed his bunker shot for a birdie, which won him the hole when Langley's bunker shot went off the green.
All square on the 17th tee with the wind in the players' faces, Reed took an extra club, but his 5-iron approach astonishingly landed 30 yards short in the front bunker. Langley missed the green to the left, but got up and down for par to win the hole and retake a 1-up lead.
On the par-5 18 Reed's drive hit the fairway after Langley's found a bunker right. Reed eventually won with a conceded birdie to send the match to extra holes.
Back on the first hole, where Reed, knowing the disaster it had been for both earlier, proceeded to hit the one shot you had to avoid, pushing his drive high in to the fescue right of the fairway. It took almost the whole five minutes to find the ball.
"The only reason I could find it was I nearly stepped on it," Reed said.
Reed whacked the ball out with a lob wedge, watching it trundle to a lower spot in the fescue. He hacked his third shot across to the left rough but his fourth hit the front of the green and rolled down the severe slope left of the green that has unnerved players all week. While eventually getting on the green with his seventh shot, he conceded the match when Langley got out of the green side bunker and on to the green with his third shot.
"I shouldn't have even been in the situation in the first place," Reed said. "I let him back in the match. ... I just couldn't make any putts. I felt I didn't make anything out there. I made the turn at 2 up and I can count four putts inside six feet i missed on the front nine. If I made three of those all of a sudden I'm 5 up."
"It was tough the whole day," said Langley, who also cameback from a 2-down deficit to win in 19 holes against Tim Jackson in the first round. "But that's the way match play is. It doesn't amatter if you shoot 67 or 77, if you beat the other guy, you're moving on. It was a tough day for both of us, and I'm just happy to be on the right side of it again."
And to think he has to go back out and play another match.
"Wow, I didn't know that," said Langley, when told of the back-and-forth play on the back nine. "Those matches are fun. It's a lot more fun for me now that I won. I'm sure Patrick doesn't feel the same way, but that's what match play is about."
Perhaps you knew the match was going to be an unusual one when Reed, a member of the Augusta State national championship squad and one of the pre-tournament favorites, won the opening hole with a double-bogey 6 as Langley had a 30-footer on the green for an 8.
Thankfully, the caliber of play improved greatly, Reed winning the third hole with a birdie to take a 2-up lead, an advantage he would hold as the two players made the turn and finished up the 10th hole.
It was then that the roller-coaster ride began. A wayward second shot by Reed on the 11th led to a bogey, giving Langley the hole. Reed redeemed himself by hitting 3-wood to eight feet on the drivable par-4 12th to win with an eagle and go back to 2 up.
Langley proceeded to win the 13th and 14th holes with a par and birdie to square the match, then took his first lead of the day when he made a two-putt par on the 15th while Reed hit his tee ball into the front bunker and failed to get up and down.
On the 16th hole, with the tee moved up to 297 yards to the flagstick to entice players to try and drive the green, Reed gave it a run, hitting the ball just short and left of the green. Langley, who hit an iron off the tee, put his approach shot into the greenside bunker left, but then watched Reed scull his chip over the green into a bunker on the right side. If he was feeling any relief, it vanished when Reed then holed his bunker shot for a birdie, which won him the hole when Langley's bunker shot went off the green.
All square on the 17th tee with the wind in the players' faces, Reed took an extra club, but his 5-iron approach astonishingly landed 30 yards short in the front bunker. Langley missed the green to the left, but got up and down for par to win the hole and retake a 1-up lead.
On the par-5 18 Reed's drive hit the fairway after Langley's found a bunker right. Reed eventually won with a conceded birdie to send the match to extra holes.
Back on the first hole, where Reed, knowing the disaster it had been for both earlier, proceeded to hit the one shot you had to avoid, pushing his drive high in to the fescue right of the fairway. It took almost the whole five minutes to find the ball.
"The only reason I could find it was I nearly stepped on it," Reed said.
Reed whacked the ball out with a lob wedge, watching it trundle to a lower spot in the fescue. He hacked his third shot across to the left rough but his fourth hit the front of the green and rolled down the severe slope left of the green that has unnerved players all week. While eventually getting on the green with his seventh shot, he conceded the match when Langley got out of the green side bunker and on to the green with his third shot.
"I shouldn't have even been in the situation in the first place," Reed said. "I let him back in the match. ... I just couldn't make any putts. I felt I didn't make anything out there. I made the turn at 2 up and I can count four putts inside six feet i missed on the front nine. If I made three of those all of a sudden I'm 5 up."
"It was tough the whole day," said Langley, who also cameback from a 2-down deficit to win in 19 holes against Tim Jackson in the first round. "But that's the way match play is. It doesn't amatter if you shoot 67 or 77, if you beat the other guy, you're moving on. It was a tough day for both of us, and I'm just happy to be on the right side of it again."
And to think he has to go back out and play another match.
Mid-ams try to hang with the young guns
UNIVERSITY PLACE, WASH.--Amateur golf remains a young man's game, but that doesn't mean the old guys have stopped fighting the good fight. For the second straight year at the U.S. Amateur Championship, a golfer older than 47 claimed medalist honors.
Jeff Wilson headlined a group of 11 mid-amateurs who advanced through stroke-play qualifying to compete during Wednesday's first round of match play at Chambers Bay, using patience and guile to confound Father Time and give hope to all those closer to getting an AARP card than their driver's license.
"As a general rule, we want to see the amateur game healthy and we want more mid-amateurs playing the game competitively," said Mike McCoy, 47, who made it to match play for the the third time before falling to pre-tournament favorite David Chung, the 20-year-old junior at Stanford. "That's what I think keeps a lot of us going. If the last few of us surrender, there won't be many left."
Former U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Tim Jackson is one of those not quite ready to wave the white flag. The 51-year-old from Tennessee qualified for the U.S. Amateur for the second straight year thanks to being the low am at the U.S. Senior Open. In 2009, he was in contention at the Senior Open for much of the tournament but says that when he became the oldest medalist in U.S. Amateur history later that summer (Wilson became the second oldest) was even more special.
"When I look back on it, I was more proud of that," Jackson said. "These kids are so good, and they hit it so far. To be able to still be competitive with them [means a lot]."
Scott Langley, the reigning NCAA champion from Illinois who shared low amateur honors at the U.S. Open in June, didn't take anything for granted when facing Jackson in Round 1, nor was he all that surprised that he needed 19 holes to get by his older opponent. "As soon as I saw Tim's name, I knew I was going to have to play well to beat him," Langley said. "I knew I was going to have to play well to beat him."
Indeed, Langley had to shoot the equivalent of three under with six birdies to hold off Jackson, who was one under par.
All square on the 17th hole, Jackson hit his pitching wedge over the green on the short par 3 and failed to get up and down for par, conceding a eight-footer to Langley to give the St. Louis area native 1-up lead going to the 18th. But Jackson wouldn't quit, hitting his second shot into a bunker on the par-4 closing hole then making a clutch up-and-down par save to extend the match.
On the first extra hole, Jackson's run came to an end when Langley made a 12-foot birdie while Jackson missed the green with his approach shot.
As the first round moved along, though, McCoy's and Jackson's fates were the same for most of the 25 and older set. After shooting a career-best 62 in stroke-play qualifying, Wilson couldn't get any putts to fall, losing his match to Amory Davis, 3 and 1.
All told only one managed to claim a victory Wednesday, 36-year-old Skip Berkmeyer beating Conrad Shindler, 2 up.
Mid-Am Results (age)
Jeff Wilson (47) loses to Amory Davis, 3 and 1
Mike McCoy (47) loses to David Chung, 3 and 2
Skip Berkmeyer (36) defeats Conrad Shindler, 2 up
Tim Jackson (51) loses to Scott Langley, 19 holes
Joe Saladino (30) loses to Eugene Wong, 19 holes
Robert Leopold (25) loses to Justin Thomas, 6 and 5
Todd White (42) loses to Alex Shi Yup Kim, 1 up
Brad Shaw (27) loses to Patrick Cantlay,
Scott Harvey (32) loses to Tyler Sheppard, 4 and 2
Harry Rudolph III (40) loses to Hudson Swafford, 19 holes
Michael Morrison (32) loses to Jed Dirksen, 6 and 5
****
Two marquee second round matches to keep an eye on Thursday morning.
Scott Langley vs. Patrick Reed, 8 a.m. PDT
Two of the most talented collegians in the country face off. Coin flip really on who to predict will come out on top.
Eugene Wong vs. Harris English, 8:20 a.m.
Same as above. Wong was the Jack Nicklaus POY in college golf last spring for Oregon while English is a first-team All-American candidate at Georgia.
Jeff Wilson headlined a group of 11 mid-amateurs who advanced through stroke-play qualifying to compete during Wednesday's first round of match play at Chambers Bay, using patience and guile to confound Father Time and give hope to all those closer to getting an AARP card than their driver's license.
"As a general rule, we want to see the amateur game healthy and we want more mid-amateurs playing the game competitively," said Mike McCoy, 47, who made it to match play for the the third time before falling to pre-tournament favorite David Chung, the 20-year-old junior at Stanford. "That's what I think keeps a lot of us going. If the last few of us surrender, there won't be many left."
Former U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Tim Jackson is one of those not quite ready to wave the white flag. The 51-year-old from Tennessee qualified for the U.S. Amateur for the second straight year thanks to being the low am at the U.S. Senior Open. In 2009, he was in contention at the Senior Open for much of the tournament but says that when he became the oldest medalist in U.S. Amateur history later that summer (Wilson became the second oldest) was even more special.
"When I look back on it, I was more proud of that," Jackson said. "These kids are so good, and they hit it so far. To be able to still be competitive with them [means a lot]."
Scott Langley, the reigning NCAA champion from Illinois who shared low amateur honors at the U.S. Open in June, didn't take anything for granted when facing Jackson in Round 1, nor was he all that surprised that he needed 19 holes to get by his older opponent. "As soon as I saw Tim's name, I knew I was going to have to play well to beat him," Langley said. "I knew I was going to have to play well to beat him."
Indeed, Langley had to shoot the equivalent of three under with six birdies to hold off Jackson, who was one under par.
All square on the 17th hole, Jackson hit his pitching wedge over the green on the short par 3 and failed to get up and down for par, conceding a eight-footer to Langley to give the St. Louis area native 1-up lead going to the 18th. But Jackson wouldn't quit, hitting his second shot into a bunker on the par-4 closing hole then making a clutch up-and-down par save to extend the match.
On the first extra hole, Jackson's run came to an end when Langley made a 12-foot birdie while Jackson missed the green with his approach shot.
As the first round moved along, though, McCoy's and Jackson's fates were the same for most of the 25 and older set. After shooting a career-best 62 in stroke-play qualifying, Wilson couldn't get any putts to fall, losing his match to Amory Davis, 3 and 1.
All told only one managed to claim a victory Wednesday, 36-year-old Skip Berkmeyer beating Conrad Shindler, 2 up.
Mid-Am Results (age)
Jeff Wilson (47) loses to Amory Davis, 3 and 1
Mike McCoy (47) loses to David Chung, 3 and 2
Skip Berkmeyer (36) defeats Conrad Shindler, 2 up
Tim Jackson (51) loses to Scott Langley, 19 holes
Joe Saladino (30) loses to Eugene Wong, 19 holes
Robert Leopold (25) loses to Justin Thomas, 6 and 5
Todd White (42) loses to Alex Shi Yup Kim, 1 up
Brad Shaw (27) loses to Patrick Cantlay,
Scott Harvey (32) loses to Tyler Sheppard, 4 and 2
Harry Rudolph III (40) loses to Hudson Swafford, 19 holes
Michael Morrison (32) loses to Jed Dirksen, 6 and 5
****
Two marquee second round matches to keep an eye on Thursday morning.
Scott Langley vs. Patrick Reed, 8 a.m. PDT
Two of the most talented collegians in the country face off. Coin flip really on who to predict will come out on top.
Eugene Wong vs. Harris English, 8:20 a.m.
Same as above. Wong was the Jack Nicklaus POY in college golf last spring for Oregon while English is a first-team All-American candidate at Georgia.
Chambers Bay is a hard course--literally
UNIVERSITY PLACE, WASH.--Under the heading of "Water Management" on the course set-up notes for the first round of match play at the U.S. Amateur Championship there is an interesting comment:
"The putting greens were rather heavily watered last evening in an attempt to slightly soften them relative to the firmness of we had for stroke play."
Some of the players might argue that making them "slightly softer" wasn't enough. They needed to be heavily watered to make them "much" softer.
While players expected to be greeted with firm-and-fast conditions at Chambers Bay, what they found was firmer and faster than most truly envisioned. Through two rounds of stroke-play competition on the course, the average score at Chambers Bay was 79.247.
By way of comparison, Scott Langley played at the Royal Portrush in Scotland for the Palmer Cup and at Pebble Beach for U.S. Open at Pebble Beach earlier this summer. When asked about the conditions of those courses compared to Chambers Bay, he noted that each was softer than what he found here at the three-year-old course along the Puget Sound.
With the move to match play, the USGA's Mike Davis got a chance to adjust the tee markers on several holes and even change par on a few. The 18th hole was moved up to 515 yards and technically played as a par 4 rather than the 604-yard, par 5 it was listed at for stroke play. Conversely, the tees were moved back on the first hole to 542 yards and the hole became a par 5 rather than the par 4 it played as Monday and Tuesday.
"The putting greens were rather heavily watered last evening in an attempt to slightly soften them relative to the firmness of we had for stroke play."
Some of the players might argue that making them "slightly softer" wasn't enough. They needed to be heavily watered to make them "much" softer.
While players expected to be greeted with firm-and-fast conditions at Chambers Bay, what they found was firmer and faster than most truly envisioned. Through two rounds of stroke-play competition on the course, the average score at Chambers Bay was 79.247.
By way of comparison, Scott Langley played at the Royal Portrush in Scotland for the Palmer Cup and at Pebble Beach for U.S. Open at Pebble Beach earlier this summer. When asked about the conditions of those courses compared to Chambers Bay, he noted that each was softer than what he found here at the three-year-old course along the Puget Sound.
With the move to match play, the USGA's Mike Davis got a chance to adjust the tee markers on several holes and even change par on a few. The 18th hole was moved up to 515 yards and technically played as a par 4 rather than the 604-yard, par 5 it was listed at for stroke play. Conversely, the tees were moved back on the first hole to 542 yards and the hole became a par 5 rather than the par 4 it played as Monday and Tuesday.
Ready for match play at Chambers Bay
Handle with care. That is the overriding lesson the USGA's Mike Davis learned the last two days in regards to setting up Chambers Bay, the three-year-old links course hard by the Puget Sound that will host the 2015 U.S. Open.
Make no mistake, the 36-hole stroke-play qualifying at the 110th U.S. Amateur Championship was as much about Davis learning how the course will react versus some of the best golfers in the country as it was about whittling the 312-player field down to approximately 64 players. (Sixteen golfers will return early Wednesday to fight for the final six spots in the match-play bracket.)
Davis wanted Chambers Bay playing firm and fast to see how it would hold up (answer: just fine, thank you very much). Additionally he learned that the course can get too firm and too fast perhaps too quickly, as he suggested had become the case Monday afternoon with players making good shots yet failing for a while to be rewarded. It's a mental note he won't soon forget down the road.
For the record: the field shot a 79.247 average at Chambers Bay compared to 75.343 at The Home Course.
With the "dry run" portion of the championship essentially over, the fun actually might only now be beginning. You can make the argument Chambers Bay is a better match-play venue than stroke-play one, with all the nuances of the course and various approaches you can take to attacking it.
So what are some of the most intriguing matches for Round 1? Here are a few (times are PDT):
Jeff Wilson vs. TBD, 2:10 p.m.
After opening with a 62 at The Home Course Monday, the 47-year-old from Fairfield, Calif., followed it up with a three-over 74 at Chambers Bay to secure medalist honors by a stroke over Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Rodgers. It's the fifth time Wilson has been a medalist at a USGA event (Amateur 2000; Mid-Amateur 2000, 2001 and 2004). The question now is whether he can finally carry that momentum into match play, where he has never got past the quarterfinals in a USGA event.
David Chung vs. Mike McCoy, 9:10 a.m.
Chung has showed his chops in match play this summer, reaching the semifinals at the North & South and winning the Western Amateur. He'll get all he can handle, however, from McCoy, a 47-year-old from Iowa who twice has reached the semifinals of the U.S. Mid-Amateur.
Tim Jackson vs. Scott Langley, 9:50 a.m.
Another tilt of experience against youth as the 51-year-old Jackson (low amateur at the last two U.S. Senior Opens) faces the reigning NCAA champion and the low amateur at this year's U.S. Open.
David Dannelly vs. Byeong-Hun An, 11 a.m.
An is the first champion to defend his title since 2000. Interestingly, those that have come back have fared well. Jeff Quinney reached the quarterfinals in 2001, as did Matt Kuchar in 1998. And of course Tiger Woods won again in 1995 and 1996. Meanwhile, Dannelly, a senior at Clemson, is playing in his first USGA event.
Kevin Tway vs. Blayne Barber, 11:10 a.m.
Two players talented enough to match this worthy of the 36-hole final rather than a first-round contest. Both have had strong summers, with Tway winning the Players Amateur by seven strokes and Barber on the leader board at more than a half-dozen amateur events in 2010.
Cheng Tsung Pan vs. Peter Uihlein, 12:50 p.m.
Pan might not have the high profile of Uihlein, but his resume is pretty stout. He reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 U.S. Amateur at age 15 and has twice been medalist at the Western Amateur. Like Uihlein, Pan's a Leadbetter Academy product who could give the Oklahoma State All-American a run for his money.
Make no mistake, the 36-hole stroke-play qualifying at the 110th U.S. Amateur Championship was as much about Davis learning how the course will react versus some of the best golfers in the country as it was about whittling the 312-player field down to approximately 64 players. (Sixteen golfers will return early Wednesday to fight for the final six spots in the match-play bracket.)
Davis wanted Chambers Bay playing firm and fast to see how it would hold up (answer: just fine, thank you very much). Additionally he learned that the course can get too firm and too fast perhaps too quickly, as he suggested had become the case Monday afternoon with players making good shots yet failing for a while to be rewarded. It's a mental note he won't soon forget down the road.
For the record: the field shot a 79.247 average at Chambers Bay compared to 75.343 at The Home Course.
With the "dry run" portion of the championship essentially over, the fun actually might only now be beginning. You can make the argument Chambers Bay is a better match-play venue than stroke-play one, with all the nuances of the course and various approaches you can take to attacking it.
So what are some of the most intriguing matches for Round 1? Here are a few (times are PDT):
Jeff Wilson vs. TBD, 2:10 p.m.
After opening with a 62 at The Home Course Monday, the 47-year-old from Fairfield, Calif., followed it up with a three-over 74 at Chambers Bay to secure medalist honors by a stroke over Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Rodgers. It's the fifth time Wilson has been a medalist at a USGA event (Amateur 2000; Mid-Amateur 2000, 2001 and 2004). The question now is whether he can finally carry that momentum into match play, where he has never got past the quarterfinals in a USGA event.
David Chung vs. Mike McCoy, 9:10 a.m.
Chung has showed his chops in match play this summer, reaching the semifinals at the North & South and winning the Western Amateur. He'll get all he can handle, however, from McCoy, a 47-year-old from Iowa who twice has reached the semifinals of the U.S. Mid-Amateur.
Tim Jackson vs. Scott Langley, 9:50 a.m.
Another tilt of experience against youth as the 51-year-old Jackson (low amateur at the last two U.S. Senior Opens) faces the reigning NCAA champion and the low amateur at this year's U.S. Open.
David Dannelly vs. Byeong-Hun An, 11 a.m.
An is the first champion to defend his title since 2000. Interestingly, those that have come back have fared well. Jeff Quinney reached the quarterfinals in 2001, as did Matt Kuchar in 1998. And of course Tiger Woods won again in 1995 and 1996. Meanwhile, Dannelly, a senior at Clemson, is playing in his first USGA event.
Kevin Tway vs. Blayne Barber, 11:10 a.m.
Two players talented enough to match this worthy of the 36-hole final rather than a first-round contest. Both have had strong summers, with Tway winning the Players Amateur by seven strokes and Barber on the leader board at more than a half-dozen amateur events in 2010.
Cheng Tsung Pan vs. Peter Uihlein, 12:50 p.m.
Pan might not have the high profile of Uihlein, but his resume is pretty stout. He reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 U.S. Amateur at age 15 and has twice been medalist at the Western Amateur. Like Uihlein, Pan's a Leadbetter Academy product who could give the Oklahoma State All-American a run for his money.
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