The playoff has concluded after two holes on a dreary morning in Bridgehampton. Tim Mickelson and Richard Berkmeyer both parred the first playoff hole to earn spots in the match-play draw. Grady Brame birdied the second hole and Ryan Zamorano and Tim Spitz made par 3s to earn the other three spots.
Spitz actually earned the final spot in the field, meaning he’ll face one of the three stroke-play medalists, Nathan Smith. The match-play draw at USGA amateur championships always provides some interesting match-ups and this is one of the best in the first round. It was a year ago that Smith defeated Spitz, 7 and 6, in the Mid-Amateur final in South Carolina.
Another interesting match-up features a pair of Metropolitan Golf Association stalwarts – Joe Saladino of Huntington, N.Y., who won the Mid-Am sectional qualifier at The Baiting Hollow Club, against Raymond Floyd Jr. of Old Greenwich, Conn., who was the medalist at the qualifier at Wykagyl Country Club. Floyd is the son of 1986 U.S. Open champion Raymond Floyd, who won incidentally won that championship a few miles to the west of here at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton.
The weather forecast doesn’t look great for the next few days. Misty rain is predicted for most of the next few days, with a chance of a thunderstorm tomorrow. -- Beth Murrison