U.S. Amateur Champion, Runner-up Make Cut At Masters


April 9, 2005
By Dave Shedloski

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Amateurs made their presence felt Saturday at the 69th Masters Tournament as Ryan Moore and Luke List not only made the cut but turned quite a few heads.

Moore, the reigning U.S. Amateur and U.S. Public Links champion, the only player to ever win both in the same season, was on the leaderboard for the first two-plus days of the rain-interrupted championship. He shot a pair of 1-under-par 71s at famed Augusta National Golf Club and completed 36 holes at 142, tied for sixth place in the 92-player field.

He was joined on the weekend by Luke List, whom he defeated in the Amateur final. List rebounded from an opening 77 with a 3-under 69 to end up at 2-over 146.

Impressive work, considering only six amateurs had made the cut in the last five years. Two amateurs, 2003 Amateur runner-up Casey Wittenberg and 2003 APL champion Brandt Snedeker, also made the cut last year, with Wittenberg finishing tied for 13th and earning another invitation this year.

List, en route to finishing runner-up at last year's U.S. Amateur, scrambled to make the cut at the Masters. (USGA file photo)
"I'm psyched, I'm really pumped, and now we'll see if I can get myself into red numbers," said List, 20, who played with 1992 champion Fred Couples after his second round, in which he got as low as 4 under. "I took a lot of momentum from how I played (Friday), even though my score wasn't that good. That 77 didn't seem right."

Not as fortunate were the other two amateur invitees. Austin Eaton III, the U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, came in with 81-77-158 to miss the cut by 10 strokes. Six strokes adrift of Eaton was British Am champ Stuart Wilson of Forfar, Scotland, who struggled with a pair of 82s.

"I'm pretty unhappy with my game. I enjoyed the course and the company, but I never gave myself a chance. It was just a struggle," said Wilson, 27, who was so disheartened that he added, "if someone told me I wouldn't play golf the rest of my life, I wouldn't be unhappy."

His father caddieing for him, the 35-year-old Eaton would have liked to have scored better. But his mood was notably more upbeat than Wilson's. "It's been an amazing week, better than I could have ever imagined," he said. "The weather, it's been tough, but it hasn't dulled the experience at all."

Moore, a former UNLV All-American, who also has won the NCAA championship and the Western Amateur last year, came into the tournament believing he could contend for the title. His start was impressive, going 16 holes in the first round before making a bogey, the longest streak of par or better on Thursday.

Asked if he was in awe playing in the Masters with the defending champion, Phil Mickelson, the 22-year-old Moore said: "I don't know what amateurs are. I'm just being me.

"I don't feel out of place or feel in awe of myself being (on the leaderboard). I'm just playing golf, doing the things I need to do to be in contention. I'm playing really steady."

Unfortunately, the long days caused by inclement weather and delays seemed to catch up to both players. Moore, who almost made the cut in the 2003 Masters, dropped back a bit after a double-bogey at the par-4 10th hole. He was 2 over in his round, even par for the championship through 11 holes of the third round. He is tied for 19th.

List has one hole to play in the third round Sunday morning when play resumes at 8 a.m. After posting 40 on his opening nine, which began on the 10th tee, he is 5 over and 7 over for the tournament.

Dave Shedloski is a free-lance writer.