Greensboro, N.C. – Thirteen players who finished at 5-over par through 36-holes of stroke-play qualifying at the 7,218-yard, par-71 Champions Course at Bryan Park Golf & Conference Center teed off No. 10 Wednesday morning, vying for the final six spots in the 64-player match-play field at the 2010 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
The playoff stretched over three holes, ending at No. 12, where Clayton Rotz, 21, of Chambersburg, Pa., and Andrew Perez, 20, of Oxnard, Calif., each made their par putts to earn the final two spots.
Rotz hit a 5-iron to 45 feet at the 12th and two-putted, while Perez punched a 4-iron straight at the hole, but came up a few yards short, making an up-and-down for par.
I was nervous coming into the playoff because I wanted to make it so bad, said Perez, who in the past month has won the L.A. City Men’s Championship and the Santa Barbara City Championship. But from now on, it’s just one word: aggressive.
I love match play, it’s great, said Rotz, a rising senior at Louisiana State University. You get to play one guy and you never know what can happen. I think I’ll be a little more aggressive going into match play.
After a suspension of play on Tuesday at 6:18 p.m. due to thunderstorms in the local area, the second round of stroke-play qualifying resumed at 7 a.m. Wednesday, with the playoff following immediately after.
John-Tyler Griffin, 23, of Wilson, N.C., shot 67 Tuesday to finish at 9-under-par 133 after 36 holes to earn stroke-play medalist honors. He will face Perez, who finished at 72-75—147, at 11:06 a.m. Rotz faces stroke-play runner-up Derek Ernst, 20, of Clovis, Calif., at 11:24 a.m.
Travis Gahman, Eric Hsu, Chris Igawa and Ricky Jones all made birdies at the 390-yard, par-4 10th to advance to match play, leaving seven players, who each made par, for the final two spots. Sam Lyons, Perez and Rotz followed with birdies at the 543-yard, par-5 11th. Lyons hit the green at the 12th but three-putted, leaving the final two spots for Perez and Rotz.
The U.S. Amateur Public Links, established in 1922 for bona fide public-course players, is one of 13
national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are
strictly for amateurs.
Story written by Justin Hancher and David Normoyle, USGA Communications. Contact them with
questions or comments at
jhancher@usga.org
ordnormoyle@usga.org.