James Erkenbeck fired a bogey-free 4-under-par 67 on Tuesday for a 36-hole total of 7-under 135 to earn medalist honors at the 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links.
Talor Gooch, who shot a championship-best 64 early on Tuesday, and T.J. Vogel, who carded a 65, finished a stroke back at the par-71, 7,670-yard Soldier Hollow Golf Course.
The low 64 players advanced to match play, which begins Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. MDT. The match-play cut came at 4-over 146 with exactly 64 players.
Erkenbeck credits his length and familiarity with altitude for his success. He is a rising senior at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, which is situated at 5,500 feet above sea level – the same elevation as Soldier Hollow.
The course sets up good to my eye, said Erkenbeck, 22, of San Diego. The course isn’t playing super-long for me. I only hit two or three drivers today. If I can hit a pitching wedge or gap wedge into [the 540-yard 11th] where other guys are hitting 5- or 6-irons, it makes it a lot easier for me.
Vogel, 21, of Miami, started the day at even par, but wasted no time getting into red figures. Starting on the 10th, he birdied holes Nos. 11 and 13 and holed his approach for eagle at the 15th.
"The gallery threw up their hands so I knew it went in," said Vogel of his wedge at the 420-yard par 4.
He added birdies at 16 and 18 to go out in 6-under 29. Despite his array of birdies, it was a par putt that convinced Vogel he could go low.
"I hit a short 5-foot par putt on the hole just before the eagle," said Vogel, who won two collegiate events at the University of Florida this past season. "After that I had a feeling it was going to be a good day."
Gooch, 20, of Midwest City, Okla., birdied his first two holes, on his way to making eight in total, during his nearly record-tying round. Danny Green shot 63 at Rush Creek Golf Club in Maple Grove, Minn., during the first round of the 2004 APL.
"It was one of those days where everything was on," said Gooch, a rising junior at Oklahoma State University. "I only missed one or two fairways and maybe one green. When you’re getting that many opportunities, you have a chance to shoot a score like this."
On Monday, Gooch four-putted the 10th hole for double bogey to drop to three over for the championship, but remained confident that he could turn it around.
"Just because you’re three over through 10, it doesn’t mean the tournament is over," said Gooch, who lost in the round of 16 in the 2011 APL. "I tend to make my birdies in bunches so I knew if I just stayed patient and hit fairways and greens, I was eventually going to make some birdies."
Gooch finished before an early-afternoon thunderstorm suspended play for 33 minutes. When play resumed, first-round co-leader Jace Long continued his stellar play, following his opening-round 67 with a 1-under 70. He birdied two of his last three holes, including a 9-iron to six feet on the 18th, but said the course changed as the day wore on.
"Conditions were drastically different today," said Long, 22, of Dixon, Mo. "It got brown, it got firm and the greens were rock hard. It was a good day for me overall and I’m happy to be in match play."
The other overnight leader, Cheng-Tsung Pan, 20, of Chinese Taipei, played what he termed a boring round, making two birdies and two bogeys for an even-par 71. While his ball-striking was just as good as it was during Monday’s 67, he felt he let some strokes get away on the greens.
"I hit lots of fairways and lots of greens, but the putting wasn’t as sharp as yesterday," said Pan, a rising sophomore at the University of Washington.
The 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links is the first USGA championship held in Utah and two residents of the Beehive State will be moving on to match play. Ogden’s Zac Blair (71-69–140) and Sandy’s Dan Horner (69-71–140) were both comfortably within the top 64, along with BYU’s Justin Keiley (69-71–140).
The APL is one of 13 individual national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Michael Trostel is the curator/historian at the USGA Museum. Email him at mtrostel@usga.org.
Results
Midway, Utah – Results from the second and final round of stroke-play qualifying at the 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship being played at 7,670-yard, par-71 Soldier Hollow Golf Course:
James Erkenbeck, San Diego, Calif. - 68-67--135
T. J. Vogel, Miami, Fla. - 71-65--136
Talor Gooch, Midwest City, Okla. - 72-64--136
Jace Long, Dixon, Mo. - 67-70--137
Michael Kim, Del Mar, Calif. - 69-69--138
Cheng-Tsung Pan, Chinese Taipei - 67-71--138
Jordan Wetsch, St. Charles, Ill. - 69-69--138
Brett Patterson, McMinnville, Tenn. - 71-67--138
Kevin Aylwin, New Smyrna Beach, Fla. - 69-70--139
Dan Horner, Sandy, Utah - 69-71--140
Derek Ernst, Clovis, Calif. - 70-70--140
Garrett Rank, Canada - 73-67--140
Casey Fernandez, McAlester, Okla. - 72-68--140
Justin Keiley, Haiku, Hawaii - 69-71--140
Chris Williams, Moscow, Idaho - 71-69--140
Zachary Blair, Ogden, Utah - 71-69--140
Tyler Ekenberg, Apple Valley, Minn. - 70-71--141
Anton Arboleda, La Canada, Calif. - 70-71--141
Brad Schneider, Orlando, Fla. - 70-71--141
Cody McManus, Phoenix, Ariz. - 74-68--142
Carlos Rodriguez, Colombia - 71-71--142
Manav Shah, Bakersfield, Calif. - 71-71--142
Bryson Dechambeau, Clovis, Calif. - 69-73--142
Seth Reeves, Duluth, Ga. - 73-69--142
Steven Fox, Hendersonville, Tenn. - 71-71--142
Michael Blair, Canada - 72-70--142
Xander Schauffele, San Diego, Calif. - 70-73--143
Payne Gniewek, Austin, Texas - 69-74--143
Kyle Beversdorf, Plymouth, Minn. - 73-70--143
Korky Kemp, Greensboro, N.C. - 71-72--143
Greg Condon, Monte Vista, Colo. - 73-70--143
Justin Fraley, Allen, Texas - 74-69--143
Benjamin Griffin, Chapel Hill, N.C. - 72-72--144
Chelso Barrett, Keene, N.H. - 71-73--144
Tommy Ponce, Edwardsville, Ill. - 72-72--144
Chad Johnson, Plymouth, Mich. - 71-73--144
Ryan Kuroiwa, Aiea, Hawaii - 74-70--144
Grant Weaver, Wooster, Ohio - 71-73--144
Alberto Sanchez, Nogales, Ariz. - 76-68--144
Mitchell Rutledge, Creve Coeur, Mo. - 74-70--144
Scott McNeil, Philadelphia, Pa. - 73-71--144
Cody Robinson, Discovery Bay, Calif. - 73-71--144
Richard Hattori, Honolulu, Hawaii - 73-71--144
Joel Dahlenburg, Saint Augustine, Fla. - 70-75--145
Ben Geyer, Arbuckle, Calif. - 72-73--145
Sam Horsfield, Davenport, Fla. - 73-72--145
Thomas O'Bryan, Aurora, Ill. - 73-72--145
Paul McConnell, Garland, Texas - 70-75--145
Byron Meth, San Diego, Calif. - 72-73--145
Alex Williams, Seattle, Wash. - 72-73--145
Ryan Werre, Canada - 73-72--145
Tyler Klava, Pace, Fla. - 73-72--145
Zach Fullerton, Albuquerque, N.M. - 71-74--145
Kirby Pettitt, Carroll, Iowa - 72-73--145
Jacob Knapp, Costa Mesa, Calif. - 74-72--146
Jack Teal, Excelsior, Minn. - 72-74--146
Joseph Prince, San Diego, Calif. - 74-72--146
Victor Kyatt, Hoover, Ala. - 72-74--146
Shane Smith, Godfrey, Ill. - 73-73--146
Wes Hillen, Columbia, Ill. - 72-74--146
Aaron West, Woodland Hills, Calif. - 74-72--146
Sam Saunders, Albuquerque, N.M. - 75-71--146
Paul Misko, Thousand Oaks, Calif. - 73-73--146
Alex Edfort, Somerset, N.J. - 77-69--146
Failed to Qualify:
Kyle Westmoreland, Katy, Texas - 76-71--147
Chase Wilson, Zanesville, Ohio - 76-71--147
Steve Tarkon, Boise, Idaho - 74-73--147
Chris Davis, Glendora, Calif. - 72-75--147
Alex Bungert, Elk Grove, Calif. - 75-72--147
Joseph Alfieri II, Lutz, Fla. - 73-74--147
John Jackopsic, West Hartford, Conn. - 75-72--147
Adam Larkin, North Bellmore, N.Y. - 71-76--147
Todd Griffin, Rock Springs, Wyo. - 77-70--147
Kevin Penner, Las Vegas, Nev. - 76-71--147
Zecheng Dou, Ppls Rep. of China - 71-76--147
Damon Salo, New Ipswich, N.H. - 76-71--147
Eric Busalacchi, Waukesha, Wis. - 72-76--148
Ty Travis, Eagle, Idaho - 73-75--148
Michael Schmitmeyer, St Marys, Ohio - 73-75--148
Reid Dean, Webberville, Mich. - 74-74--148
Philip Gieseker, Ann Arbor, Mich. - 74-74--148
Kory Webb, Knoxville, Tenn. - 73-75--148
Greg Werner, Farmington, Minn. - 76-72--148
Mitchell McLeroy, Mansfield, Texas - 75-73--148
Andrej Bevins, Elk Grove, Calif. - 72-76--148
Joseph Barr, Versailles, Ky. - 75-73--148
Cheyne Kendall, Deer Park, Texas - 75-73--148
Sepp Straka, Valdosta, Ga. - 75-74--149
Aaron Moreno, Gilbert, Ariz. - 75-74--149
Yi-Hsiu Luo, Chinese Taipei - 75-74--149
Sam Stark, Hartland, Mich. - 76-73--149
Andrew Lawson, Dallas, Texas - 77-72--149
Herbie Aikens, Pembroke, Mass. - 76-74--150
Adam Loran, San Jose, Calif. - 73-77--150
Johnny Ruiz, Camarillo, Calif. - 76-74--150
Nick Drost, Cottonwood Heights, Utah - 76-74--150
Trent Karlik, Pittsburgh, Pa. - 75-75--150
Kyeton Littel-Kamimoto, Kahului, Hawaii - 77-73--150
Michael Gellerman, Sterling, Kan. - 71-80--151
Carter Pool, San Diego, Calif. - 76-75--151
Brennan Amirkhizi, Newport Beach, Calif. - 78-73--151
Adam Tebbs, Las Vegas, Nev. - 75-76--151
Dalen Yamauchi, Hilo, Hawaii - 78-73--151
Casey Pyne, Bloomington, Ill. - 74-77--151
Anthony Degol, Hollidaysburg, Pa. - 76-75--151
Tyler Simpson, Portland, Ore. - 75-76--151
Bryan Ratterman, Louisville, Ky. - 74-77--151
Bryan Lichimo, Canada - 73-78--151
Bo Sarratt, Gentry, Ark. - 77-74--151
Joel Driver, Oklahoma City, Okla. - 75-76--151
Sean Elliott, Bayonne, N.J. - 75-77--152
Sangsoo Lee, Ridgefield, N.J. - 77-75--152
Daniel Charen, Langhorne, Pa. - 78-74--152
Jack Radley, Sanford, N.C. - 77-75--152
Jooho Lee, Canada - 77-75--152
Scott Kim, Corvallis, Ore. - 77-75--152
James Van Fleet, McHenry, Ill. - 76-76--152
Paul Blanche, Anchorage, Alaska - 78-75--153
Aaron Klimchuk, White Plains, N.Y. - 79-74--153
Matt Schneider, Grand Rapids, Minn. - 76-77--153
Brodie Williams, Lapel, Ind. - 78-75--153
Cory Sciupider, Etowah, N.C. - 81-72--153
Bob Cavanagh, Perham, Minn. - 79-74--153
Steve Ross, Huntington, W.Va. - 77-76--153
Logan Holt, Dublin, Ohio - 81-72--153
Collin Engelhardt, Orlando, Fla. - 74-80--154
Alexander Chiarella, Pukalani, Hawaii - 80-74--154
Sean Packer, Seattle, Wash. - 80-74--154
Mike Vanier, Lincoln, Neb. - 78-76--154
Dylan Crowley, Glen Cove, N.Y. - 79-75--154
Jon Veneziano, Mt Dora, Fla. - 77-78--155
Matthew Porter, Cortland, N.Y. - 75-80--155
John Wegmann, Southwest Ranches, Fla. - 74-81--155
Eric Fitzsimmons, Las Vegas, Nev. - 75-80--155
Steve Groom, Raytown, Mo. - 79-76--155
Jay Tilton, Cincinnati, Ohio - 80-76--156
Mark Cusic, California, Md. - 81-76--157
Nick Robles, Crystal Lake, Ill. - 79-78--157
Alex McMahon, Oro Valley, Ariz. - 83-74--157
Ryan Kohler, Alstead, N.H. - 78-80--158
Taisei Negishi, Hilo, Hawaii - 81-77--158
John Moheyer, Baltimore, Md. - 77-82--159
Keith Buntrock, Franklin, Wis. - 81-78--159
Chris Waters, Athens, Ga. - 80-80--160
Ben Kern, Algona, Iowa - 78-82--160
Spencer Williams, Great Falls, Mont. - 81-80--161
Brian Bilodeau, Auburn, Maine - 81-80--161
Chris Coleman, Dayton, Ohio - 86-75--161
Kevin Ruby, Temecula, Calif. - 82-82--164
Jake Miller, Woodbury, Minn. - 83-82--165
Chris Long, Garretson, S.D. - 82-83--165
Marais Lombard, South Africa - 89-77--166
Sean Thomas, Arvada, Colo. - 83-85--168
Ted Moehrke, Vacaville, Calif. - 86-84--170
Kevin Boie, Beaverton, Ore. - 87-86--173
J. T. Timmons, Salt Lake City, Utah - 74-DQ--DQ
Midway, Utah – Pairings and starting times for the first round of match play at the 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship being played at 7,670-yard, par-71 Soldier Hollow Golf Course. (All times MDT):
8 a.m. James Erkenbeck, San Diego, Calif. (135) vs. Alex Edfort, Somerset, N.J. (146)
8:10 a.m. Justin Fraley, Allen, Texas (143) vs. Benjamin Griffin, Chapel Hill, N.C. (144)
8:20 a.m. Zachary Blair, Ogden, Utah (140) vs. Byron Meth, San Diego, Calif. (145)
8:30 a.m. Tyler Ekenberg, Apple Valley, Minn. (141) vs. Paul McConnell, Garland, Texas (145)
8:40 a.m. Brett Patterson, McMinnville, Tenn. (138) vs. Joseph Prince, San Diego, Calif. (146)
8:50 a.m. Steven Fox, Hendersonville, Tenn. (142) vs. Mitchell Rutledge, Creve Coeur, Mo. (144)
9 a.m. Kevin Aylwin, New Smyrna Beach, Fla. (139) vs. Jack Teal, Excelsior, Minn. (146)
9:10 a.m. Seth Reeves, Duluth, Ga. (142) vs. Scott McNeil, Philadelphia, Pa. (144)
9:20 a.m. Jace Long, Dixon, Mo. (137) vs. Aaron West, Woodland Hills, Calif. (146)
9:30 a.m. Kyle Beversdorf, Plymouth, Minn. (143) vs. Chad Johnson, Plymouth, Mich. (144)
9:40 a.m. Casey Fernandez, McAlester, Okla. (140) vs. Tyler Klava, Pace, Fla. (145)
9:50 a.m. Cody McManus, Phoenix, Ariz. (142) vs. Ben Geyer, Arbuckle, Calif. (145)
10 a.m. Michael Kim, Del Mar, Calif. (138) vs. Wes Hillen, Columbia, Ill. (146)
10:10 a.m. Payne Gniewek, Austin, Texas (143) vs. Ryan Kuroiwa, Aiea, Hawaii (144)
10:20 a.m. Garrett Rank, Canada (140) vs. Zach Fullerton, Albuquerque, N.M. (145)
10:30 a.m. Carlos Rodriguez, Colombia (142) vs. Joel Dahlenburg, Saint Augustine, Fla. (145)
10:40 a.m. T. J. Vogel, Miami, Fla. (136) vs. Paul Misko, Thousand Oaks, Calif. (146)
10:50 a.m. Greg Condon, Monte Vista, Colo. (143) vs. Chelso Barrett, Keene, N.H. (144)
11 a.m. Chris Williams, Moscow, Idaho (140) vs. Alex Williams, Seattle, Wash. (145)
11:10 a.m. Anton Arboleda, La Canada, Calif. (141) vs. Thomas O'Bryan, Aurora, Ill. (145)
11:20 a.m. Jordan Wetsch, St. Charles, Ill. (138) vs. Victor Kyatt, Hoover, Ala. (146)
11:30 a.m. Michael Blair, Canada (142) vs. Alberto Sanchez, Nogales, Ariz. (144)
11:40 a.m. Dan Horner, Sandy, Utah (140) vs. Jacob Knapp, Costa Mesa, Calif. (146)
11:50 a.m. Bryson Dechambeau, Clovis, Calif. (142) vs. Cody Robinson, Discovery Bay, Calif. (144)
Noon Talor Gooch, Midwest City, Okla. (136) vs. Sam Saunders, Albuquerque, N.M. (146)
12:10 p.m. Korky Kemp, Greensboro, N.C. (143) vs. Tommy Ponce, Edwardsville, Ill. (144)
12:20 p.m. Justin Keiley, Haiku, Hawaii (140) vs. Ryan Werre, Canada (145)
12:30 p.m. Brad Schneider, Orlando, Fla. (141) vs. Sam Horsfield, Davenport, Fla. (145)
12:40 p.m. Cheng-Tsung Pan, Chinese Taipei (138) vs. Shane Smith, Godfrey, Ill. (146)
12:50 p.m. Xander Schauffele, San Diego, Calif. (143) vs. Grant Weaver, Wooster, Ohio (144)
1 p.m. Derek Ernst, Clovis, Calif. (140) vs. Kirby Pettitt, Carroll, Iowa (145)
1:10 p.m. Manav Shah, Bakersfield, Calif. (142) vs. Richard Hattori, Honolulu, Hawaii (144)