Bandon, Ore. – Corbin Mills of Easley, S.C., fired a championship-best, 4-under-par 67 on Tuesday to earn medalist honors at the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Mills’ 3-under-par total of 138 bested Jonathan Randolph by three strokes.
Starting on the 10th hole at Old Macdonald, one of two courses being used for the championship this week, the 21-year-old Mills reeled off four consecutive birdies from holes 13 to 16 on the 7,016-yard, par-71 layout. This came a day after he posted a 1-over 71 at Bandon Trails.
Randolph, 22, of Brandon, Miss., shot his second consecutive even-par round to finish at 141, two shots ahead of three players, including 2010 APL quarterfinalist Harris English of Athens, Ga.
Nearly an inch of rain fell at the resort between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, softening conditions for the players.
Additionally, winds that gusted to more than 30 miles per hour on Monday were comparatively calm on Tuesday, allowing for more favorable scoring conditions.
Fifteen golfers, led by Mills’ 67, broke par after Devon Purser of Clearfield, Utah, was the lone player to better par on Monday at Bandon Trails. Purser shot a 75 on Tuesday.
Mills, a junior at Clemson, capitalized on his good fortune in the draw (morning on Monday and afternoon on Tuesday) and took advantage of the benign conditions.
I got blessed with the weather, said Mills, who avoided Monday’s rain. I birdied four in a row on the back nine, all inside 15 feet, and missed another short one on 17. The greens were softer today and I was able to take advantage.
His only bogey came on the par-3 fifth hole when he three-putted from 40 feet.
Mills rebounded quickly, though, by making a birdie 4 at the par-5 sixth before closing with three pars.
Though the 2011 APL is Mills’ third USGA championship and second APL, it is the first time he has qualified for match play.
I’ve grown a lot the last couple of years since I’ve been in school, said Mills. I’ve learned a lot. That’s been the difference this week.
Like Mills, Randolph had a hot start to his round, hitting a wedge to 10 feet to set up a birdie on the par-4 first hole en route to going out in 31.
After a three-putt bogey at 10 and a double bogey at 11 when he found a pot bunker with his approach, Randolph got back to basics by hitting greens and making pars.
As you can see with the high scores, par is your friend on a lot of holes, said Randolph. You need to take what the course will give you because the way it’s set up, if you try to get a little fancy you’re going to hit it in some spots you didn’t even know existed.
Randolph has plenty of experience playing on links courses and is looking forward to match play. Last summer, he played in both the British Amateur at Muirfield and the Palmer Cup at Royal Portrush.
As strange as it sounds to say a Mississippi boy is used to playing links golf, I’ve had a little experience in these kinds of conditions and know what it takes in match play, said Randolph.
Alex Edfort, 19, of Somerset, N.J., is part of the group at 2-over 143. Edfort birdied all three of the par 5s on Old Macdonald in carding a 68.
I certainly got the good end of the draw, getting out in the morning yesterday and you couldn’t ask for better weather this afternoon, said Edfort. It was warm with no wind – perfect scoring conditions.
The scores supported Edfort’s claims as the top nine finishers during stroke-play qualifying started early Monday and late Tuesday.
Six players from the other half of the draw finished at 4-over 145, including Charlie Hughes, 19, of Canada, one of three players representing the University of Washington this week.
Hughes is no stranger to success at Bandon, having recorded his first college victory at the Bandon Dunes Championship three months ago.
I’ve been able to keep my ball out of the wind, said Hughes. I did that in March when I won the college event here. And I’ve been able to stick with it. I feel really comfortable in the wind.
Six golfers played off for two spots to round out the 64-player match-play portion of the championship, which begins Wednesday at Bandon Trails. Max McKay and Greg O’Connor, who secured the 63rd and 64th seeds, respectively, took very different routes to get into the playoff. McKay played his final three holes in four over, while O’Connor birdied three of his final six holes just to get in the playoff.
After Wednesday’s first round of match play, the final five rounds will be at Old Macdonald, including Saturday’s 36-hole final.
This year’s APL is being played concurrently at Bandon Dunes with the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. Cheyenne Woods was the WAPL medalist, shooting a 2-under 69 at Bandon Trails on Tuesday for a two-day total of 141. The WAPL field will begin match play at Old Macdonald on Wednesday, then switch to Bandon Trails on Thursday and return to Old Macdonald on Friday for the final three rounds.
Michael Trostel is the curator/historian at the USGA Museum. Email him at mtrostel@usga.org.
Bandon, Ore. – Results from Tuesday’s second and final stroke-play qualifying round at the 86 th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship being played at 7,016-yard, par-71 Old Macdonald at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Note: First round was played at 6,832-yard, par-70 Bandon Trails. (*-Denotes playoff for final match-play spots)
Corbin Mills, Easley, S.C. - 71-67--138
Jonathan Randolph, Brandon, Miss. - 70-71--141
Alex Edfort, Somerset, N.J. - 75-68--143
Harris English, Thomasville, Ga. - 73-70--143
Paul McConnell, Garland, Texas - 75-68--143
Chris Williams, Moscow, Idaho - 72-72--144
Maxwell Marsico, Las Vegas, Nev. - 70-74--144
Josh Anderson, Murrieta, Calif. - 72-72--144
Devon Purser, Clearfield, Utah - 69-75--144
Todd Baek, San Diego, Calif. - 76-69--145
Tim Cochran, Des Peres, Mo. - 71-74--145
Julian Suri, St. Augustine, Fla. - 72-73--145
John Thompson, Coconut Creek, Fla. - 72-73--145
Derek Ernst, Clovis, Calif. - 70-75--145
Kyle Beversdorf, Plymouth, Minn. - 73-72--145
Talor Gooch, Midwest City, Okla. - 72-73--145
Ben Geyer, Arbuckle, Calif. - 75-70--145
Anthony Degol, Hollidaysburg, Pa. - 72-73--145
Charlie Hughes, Canada - 71-74--145
James Erkenbeck, San Diego, Calif. - 73-73--146
J.J. Spaun, Los Angeles, Calif. - 76-70--146
Daniel Miernicki, Santee, Calif. - 76-70--146
Kevin Fitzgerald, Riverside, Calif. - 78-69--147
Jed Dirksen, Hampton, Iowa - 76-71--147
Joon Heui Lee, Las Cruces, N.M. - 79-68--147
T.J. Howe, Osceola, Pa. - 75-72--147
Jack Schultz, Whitefish Bay, Wis. - 77-71--148
Taylor Smith, Covington, Ga. - 74-74--148
Scott Kammann, Baneberry, Tenn. - 73-75--148
Jim Liu, Smithtown, N.Y. - 78-70--148
Alex Williams, Cornwall On Hudson, N.Y. - 79-69--148
John Peterson, Fort Worth, Texas - 77-71--148
Peter Williamson, Hanover, N.H. - 74-74--148
Brodie Hullinger, Vivian, S.D. - 78-71--149
Harold Varner III, Gastonia, N.C. - 73-76--149
Alexander Moore, Richland, Wash. - 76-73--149
Herbie Aikens, Pembroke, Mass. - 75-74--149
Andrew Gain, Bradenton, Fla. - 76-73--149
Clifford Blanquicet Jr., Sanford, N.C. - 77-72--149
Andrew Vijarro, Bend, Ore. - 74-75--149
Robert Hoadley, Southern Pines, N.C. - 79-70--149
Kevin Rei, Chico, Calif. - 72-77--149
Daniel Falcucci, Worcester, Mass. - 75-74--149
Sean Maekawa, Paauilo, Hawaii - 77-72--149
Scott Pinckney, Scottsdale, Ariz. - 77-72--149
Chris Mory, Haslett, Mich. - 82-68--150
Kevin Miller, Dover, Ohio - 77-73--150
T.J. Shuart, Coral Springs, Fla. - 78-72--150
Garrett Rank, Canada - 82-68--150
Nick MacDonald, Lebanon, N.H. - 76-74--150
Joseph David, Madison, Tenn. - 76-74--150
Peter Kyo Won Koo, Korea - 77-73--150
Eric Steger, Noblesville, Ind. - 74-77--151
Jesse Droemer, Sealy, Texas - 79-72--151
David Flynn, Elk Grove Village, Ill. - 77-74--151
Kevin Lee, Cerritos, Calif. - 74-77--151
Minghao Wang, Alpharetta, Ga. - 78-73--151
David Smith, Plymouth, Minn. - 77-74--151
Dan Ellis, Negaunee, Mich. - 77-74--151
J.J. Holen, Castaic, Calif. - 77-74--151
Bryan Bergna, Riverside, Calif. - 77-74--151
Paul Misko, Thousand Oaks, Calif. - 75-76--151
*-Greg O'Connor, Alpharetta, Ga. - 76-76—152 (3)
*-Max McKay, St. Augustine, Fla. - 76-76--152 (3)
Failed To Qualify
*-Jon Lindstrom, Broomfield, Colo. - 74-78--152 (4)
*-Alexander Medinis, Fort Myers, Fla. - 75-77--152 (4)
*-J.T. Griffin, Wilson, N.C. - 75-77--152 (4)
*-Paul McClure, Mobile, Ala. - 77-75--152 (4)
Jared Walahoski, Iowa City, Iowa - 75-78--153
Trevor Simsby, Carlsbad, Calif. - 76-77--153
Jason Millard, Murfreesboro, Tenn. - 73-80--153
Joshua Manske, Algona, Iowa - 80-74--154
Brandon Gama, Santa Barbara, Calif. - 78-76--154
Bill Anderson, Deltona, Fla. - 77-77--154
Tyler Gann, Tomball, Texas - 80-74--154
Kevin Josephson, New Britain, Conn. - 76-78--154
Dylan Jackson, Seaside, Calif. - 77-77--154
Benjamin Engle, Floyds Knobs, Ind. - 73-81--154
Paul Dagys, Oak Forest, Ill. - 78-76--154
Wesley Bryan, Chapin, S.C. - 77-77--154
T.J. Kua, Lihue, Hawaii - 76-78--154
Daryl Spivey, Meridian, Idaho - 81-73--154
Brett Patterson, McMinnville, Tenn. - 78-76--154
Ryan Black, Port St. Lucie, Fla. - 74-80--154
Andrew Yun, Chandler, Ariz. - 79-75--154
Brian Colbert, Palatine, Ill. - 79-76--155
Nicholas Scott, Union, Ohio - 74-81--155
Bryce Edmister, Rochester, N.Y. - 75-80--155
Steven Liebler, Irmo, S.C. - 79-76--155
Curtis Reed, Castroville, Texas - 78-77--155
Dick Wenzel, Sparks, Nev. - 77-78--155
Spencer Williams, Great Falls, Mont. - 82-74--156
Douglas Head, Temecula, Calif. - 80-76--156
George Gandranata, Indonesia - 82-74--156
Justin Keiley, Haiku, Hawaii - 81-75--156
Brett Cairns, Canada - 78-78--156
Nicklaus Benton, Cabot, Ark. - 77-79--156
Timothy Madigan, Rio Rancho, N.M. - 77-79--156
John Wright, Aurora, Ill. - 77-79--156
Bryan Harris, Newport Beach, Calif. - 80-77--157
Keith Kwasnik, New Britain, Conn. - 83-74--157
Kamrin Allen, Sheridan, Wyo. - 86-71--157
Joshua Chamberlain, Amherst, N.H. - 81-76--157
Nicholas Christenson, Grandy, Minn. - 76-82--158
Daniel Walker, Earlysville, Va. - 84-74--158
Steven Delmar Jr., Gaithersburg, Md. - 78-80--158
John Larson, Springfield, Minn. - 77-82--159
Sean O'Donnell, Buckeye, Ariz. - 84-75--159
Jon Brestle, Absecon, N.J. - 78-81--159
David Shields, Erdenheim, Pa. - 83-76--159
Jamie Schmitt, Grain Valley, Mo. - 79-80--159
Aaron Watkins, Loyall, Ky. - 81-78--159
Zachary Potter, Cocoa Beach, Fla. - 83-77--160
Blake Snyder, Seattle, Wash. - 82-78--160
Nicholas Brown, Rocklin, Calif. - 84-76--160
Bryan Hogan, Bakersfield, Calif. - 83-77--160
Thomas Reddick, Bardstown, Ky. - 83-77--160
Rafael Becker, Brazil - 84-76--160
Phil Caravia, Columbia, Ill. - 78-82--160
Stanton Tondre, Castroville, Texas - 80-80--160
Daniel Stanley, Boiling Springs, S.C. - 80-80--160
Mark Miller, West Covina, Calif. - 81-79--160
Gaston De La Torre, Brush Prairie, Wash. - 80-80--160
Matthew Record, Phoenix, Ariz. - 83-78--161
Christopher Brown, Garland, Texas - 80-82--162
Timothy Crouch, Mount Vernon, Ohio - 84-78--162
Glenn Przybylski, Frankfort, Ill. - 86-76--162
Jonathan Park, Denver, Colo. - 80-82--162
Yi-Hsiu Luo, Evansville, Ind. - 86-76--162
Jameson Keiley, Haiku, Hawaii - 81-82--163
Kyle Brey, Farmingdale, N.Y. - 81-82--163
Hal Willardson, Palmer, Alaska - 87-76--163
Michael Timpson, Montrose, Calif. - 82-81--163
Nick Tremps, Williamsburg, Va. - 87-76--163
Daniel Iceman III, Louisville, Ky. - 83-81--164
Elliot Soyez, Wichita, Kan. - 84-80--164
Jon Bohannon, Taos, N.M. - 83-81--164
Max Gilbert, Canada - 83-81--164
Jimmy Henderson, Lebanon, Ohio - 82-82--164
Charles Chon, Aurora, Colo. - 84-81--165
Mike Haynes, Gallipolis, Ohio - 80-85--165
Ryan Peterson, Eagan, Minn. - 87-78--165
Austin Gaugert, Lake Geneva, Wis. - 86-79--165
Nathan Hughes, Bartlesville, Okla. - 81-84--165
Casey Vangsness, Alexandria, Minn. - 82-83--165
Matthew Metje, Bonita, Calif. - 87-79--166
Max Bichsel, Cranbury, N.J. - 86-80--166
Paul Macke Jr., Cleves, Ohio - 79-87--166
Andy Okita, Mililani, Hawaii - 85-82--167
Mac Boucher, Canada - 95-73--168
Wayne Hall, Fredericksburg, Va. - 85-83--168
John Urquhart, Phoenix, Ariz. - 87-82--169
Aaron Kunitomo, Lahaina, Hawaii - 89-81--170
Landon Johnson, Pepeekeo, Hawaii - 87-84--171
Isaiah Huerta, Duncanville, Texas - 91-83--174
Tim Hogarth, Northridge, Calif. – WD-WD—WD
Bandon, Ore. – Pairings and starting times for the first round of match play at the 86 th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship being held at 6,832-yard, par-71 Bandon Trails. (All times PDT)
Upper Bracket
8 a.m.: Corbin Mills, Easley, S.C. (138) vs. Greg O’Connor, Alpharetta, Ga. (152)
8:10 a.m.: John Peterson, Fort Worth, Texas (148) vs. Peter Williamson, Hanover, N.H. (148)
8:20 a.m.: Talor Gooch, Midwest City, Okla. (145) vs. Garrett Rank, Canada (150)
8:30 a.m.: Ben Geyer, Arbuckle, Calif. (145) vs. T.J. Shuart, Coral Springs, Fla. (150)
8:40 a.m.: Josh Anderson, Murrieta, Calif. (144) vs. Minghao Wang, Alpharetta, Ga. (151)
8:50 a.m.: Joon Heui Lee, Las Cruces, N.M. (147) vs. Andrew Vijarro, Bend, Ore. (149)
9 a.m.: Devon Purser, Clearfield, Utah (144) vs. Kevin Lee, Cerritos, Calif. (151)
9:10 a.m.: Jed Dirksen, Hampton, Iowa (147) vs. Robert Hoadley, Southern Pines, N.C. (149)
9:20 a.m.: Harris English, Thomasville, Ga. (143) vs. Bryan Bergna, Riverside, Calif. (151)
9:30 a.m.: Scott Kammann, Baneberry, Tenn. (148) vs. Alexander Moore, Richland, Wash. (149)
9:40 a.m.: John Thompson, Coconut Creek, Fla. (146) vs. Peter Kyo Won Koo, Korea (150)
9:50 a.m.: James Erkenbeck, San Diego, Calif. (146) vs. Scott Pinckney, Scottsdale, Ariz. (149)
10 a.m.: Paul McConnell, Garland, Texas (143) vs. J.J. Holen, Castaic, Calif. (151)
10:10 a.m.: Taylor Smith, Covington, Ga. (148) vs. Herbie Aikens, Pembroke, Mass. (149)
10:20 a.m.: Julian Suri, St. Augustine, Fla. (145) vs. Eric Steger, Noblesville, Ind. (151)
10:30 a.m.: J.J. Spaun, Los Angeles, Calif. (146) vs. Sean Maekawa, Paauilo, Hawaii (149)
Lower Bracket
10:40 a.m.: Jonathan Randolph, Brandon, Miss. (141) vs. Max McKay, St. Augustine, Fla. (152)
10:50 a.m.: Alex Williams, Cornwall On Hudson, N.Y. (148) vs. Brodie Hullinger, Vivian, S.D. (149)
11 a.m.: Kyle Beversdorf, Plymouth, Minn. (145) vs. Nick MacDonald, Lebanon, N.H. (150)
11:10 a.m.: Anthony Degol, Hollidaysburg, Pa. (145) vs. Kevin Miller, Dover, Ohio (150)
11:20 a.m.: Maxwell Marsico, Las Vegas, Nev. (144) vs. David Smith, Plymouth, Minn. (151)
11:30 a.m.: T.J. Howe, Osceola, Pa. (147) vs. Clifford Blanquicet Jr., Sanford, N.C. (149)
11:40 a.m.: Todd Baek, San Diego, Calif. (146) vs. David Flynn, Elk Grove Village, Ill. (151)
11:50 a.m.: Kevin Fitzgerald, Riverside, Calif. (147) vs. Kevin Rei, Chico, Calif. (149)
Noon: Alex Edford, Somerset, N.J. (143) vs. Paul Misko, Thousand Oaks, Calif. (151)
12:10 p.m.: Jim Liu, Smithtown, N.Y. (148) vs. Harold Varner III, Gastonia, N.C. (149)
12:20 p.m.: Derek Ernst, Clovis, Calif. (145) vs. Joseph David, Madison, Tenn. (150)
12:30 p.m.: Charlie Hughes, Canada (145) vs. Chris Mory, Haslett, Mich. (150)
12:40 p.m.: Chris Williams, Moscow, Idaho (144) vs. Dan Ellis, Negaunee, Mich. (151)
12:50 p.m.: Jack Schultz, Whitefish Bay, Wis. (148) vs. Andrew Gain, Bradenton, Fla. (149)
1 p.m.: Tim Cochran, Des Peres, Mo. (145) vs. Jesse Droemer, Sealy, Texas (151)
1:10 p.m.: Daniel Miernicki, Santee, Calif. (146) vs. Daniel Falcucci, Worcester, Mass. (149)