Mahan Leads After First Round Of 2002 U.S. Amateur Public Links

Washington, Mich. – Hunter Mahan fired a bogey-free 66 to grab the lead in the first round of stroke play at the 77th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship Monday.

At the par-72, 7,001-yard Orchards Golf Club, Mahan, 20, of McKinney, Texas, recorded six birdies, including four on the front nine.

Starting on the 10th hole, Mahan was part of the first group out in the morning and seized upon the more forgiving early conditions to birdie all four par 5s en route to his 66, which tied the competitive course record.

“I had the putter going really well today,” said Mahan, the 1999 U.S. Junior Amateur Champion. “I made a lot of short par putts and really took advantage of the par 5s. I capitalized on the prime conditions this morning to go low and hope I can do the same tomorrow.”

Jay Choi charged ahead with an errorless 67 that put him alone in second place. Choi, 18, of Cerritos, Calif., roared out of the gates with three straight birdies to start and coasted in from there, adding two more birdies by the time he was done.

“I didn’t expect 67,” said Choi. “I had a great start and the putter was the key. I love this golf course, especially number nine (441 yards). It played into the wind today and I hit a ‘Tiger Stinger,’ or, at least, I tried to.”

Drawing on his prior experience in USGA championships, Choi added: “I feel safe going into tomorrow. If I can shoot par I’ll be in good shape. I was the leader after the first day at the 2000 Junior [Amateur] and I learned something from that. But I still think there are some birdies out there. ”

Two shots back of Mahan with 68 was a group of six led by Derek Tolan, 16, from Highlands Ranch, Colo. Tolan gained national fame in June when he qualified for the 2002 U.S. Open by chipping in to win a playoff for the last spot in sectional qualifying.

“Even though I shot 68, I still don’t think I played nearly as well as when I shot 78 in the first round of the Open," said Tolan, who had six birdies. "That golf course (Bethpage Black) was just so hard that I’m really proud of how well I played.”

Defending champion Chez Reavie, 20, of Mesa, Ariz., battled to a 1-over 73, which included two bogeys and a birdie. Reavie said the swirling afternoon winds made play even more difficult.

“A lot of people were struggling hitting the right clubs from the fairways," he said. "Sometimes the ball floats, sometimes it will carry; it leaves you guessing.”

Summing up his chances to qualify for match play Tuesday, Reavie said: “I have the ultimate motivation: I got to experience Augusta this year. I think that is an advantage over these guys because I know what it’s like and I’ll practice real hard to make sure I get to go back.”

Danny Green, runner-up last year to Reavie, rallied to a 69, three shots back. Green, 45, from Jackson, Tenn., is the 1999 U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion and a member of the 2001 Walker Cup team. With last year’s performance in the APL, Green stands alone in an historic category: he is the only person to ever reach the finals of the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Amateur Public Links and U.S. Mid-Amateur championships.

D.J. Trahan, 21, of Inman, S.C., -- 2000 U.S. APL champion and 2001 Walker Cup team member -- pieced together a 74, arriving fresh off a plane from Ireland after competing for the U.S. team in the Palmer Cup.

Guy Yamamoto, 40, the 1994 APL Champion from Waipahu, Hawaii, opened with a 76 in his ninth straight Public Links championship.

Rounding out the list of USGA Champions competing were Californians Henry Liaw, 16, of Rowland Heights, Calif., the reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion, who carded a 71 to remain in contention, and 2000 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Greg Puga, 31, of Los Angeles, who ran into trouble while shooting 83.

Note: Chris Rivard, of Manchester, N.H., holed a 2-iron from 229 yards to make double-eagle on the 523-yard par 5 15th hole at The Orchards. Rivard's shot made this only the second known double-eagle in APL history, with the first coming in 1982. Orchard's course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. just happened to be watching as the ball went in the hole.

The second round of stroke play is set for Tuesday before the field of 156 golfers is trimmed to the lowest 64 scorers, who will advance to match play. The championship continues through Saturday’s 36-hole final, with the winner earning an invitation to play in the next Masters tournament.

The Amateur Public Links is open to amateur golfers who are bona fide public course players and have USGA Handicap Indexes not exceeding 8.4.

The U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Story by David Normoyle, USGA.

Monday’s Results

Washington, Mich. – Results of Monday's first round of stroke play at the 2002 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, played at the par-72, 7,001-yard Orchards Club.


Hunter Mahan, McKinney, Texas, 32-34--66
Jay Choi, Cerritos, Calif., 34-33--67
Alan Hill, Spring Branch, Texas, 34-34--68
Derek Tolan, Highands Ranch, Colo., 34-34--68
Isaac Jimison, Orangevale, Calif., 34-34--68
Burke Spensky, Huntington, W.Va., 33-35--68
Eric Jorgensen, Grandville, Mich., 33-35--68
John Finnin, Crete, Ill., 35-33--68
J J Wall, San Antonio, Texas, 34-35--69
Bjorn Widerstedt, Sweden, 37-32--69
Kevin Tassistro, Rosemont, Ill., 34-35--69
Brent Wanner, Mashpee, Mass., 35-34--69
Brett Jones, Paducah, Ky., 36-33--69
J J Jakovac, Napa, Calif., 34-35--69
Danny Green, Jackson, Tenn., 34-35--69
Casey Lubahn, East Lansing, Mich., 36-34--70
Adam Williamson, Peru, Maine, 34-36--70
Corey Huss, Woodstock, Ga., 35-35--70
Billy Zihala, Little Rock, Ark., 35-35--70
Lee Williamson, Crawfordsville, Ind., 38-33--71
Timothy Murphy, Greensburg, Pa., 34-37--71
Dean Clapp, Parker, Colo., 35-36--71
Luke Stephan, Hoffman Estates, Ill., 34-37--71
Mike Bognar, Seven Hills, Ohio, 36-35--71
Brian Atkinson, Buffalo Grove, Ill., 37-34--71
Henry Liaw, Rowland Heights, Calif., 34-37--71
John Cassidy, Yelm, Wash., 36-35--71
Haymes Snedeker, Oxford, Miss., 37-34--71
Timothy Kane, Simsbury, Conn., 36-35--71
Neal Grusczynski, West Allis, Wis., 33-38--71
Ryan McClintock, Monmouth, Ill., 37-35--72
Kevin Warrick, Valrico, Fla., 34-38--72
Steve Lohmeyer, Dayton, Ohio, 39-33--72
Timothy Kunick, Bismarck, N.D., 36-36--72
Bryan Vahlberg, Norman, Okla., 36-36--72
John Lieber, San Diego, Calif., 36-36--72
Brady Stockton, San Ramon, Calif., 36-36--72
Fernando Mechereffe, Brazil, 35-37—72
Brad Lawrence, Richmond, Va., 36-36--72
Mark Sestilio, Punta Gorda, Fla., 36-36--72
Keith Hendrickson, Syosset, N.Y., 41-31--72
Russel Bergstedt III, Phoenix, Ariz., 36-36--72
Jason Harris, Clemmons, N.C., 37-35--72
Tim Elliott, Baltimore, Md., 36-36--72
Richard Dukelow, Chicago, Ill., 37-35--72
Matt Anderson, Minneapolis, Minn., 35-37--72
John Schones II, Tucson, Ariz., 36-36--72
Wren Fowler, Thomson, Ga., 35-37--72
Ryan Moore, Puyallup, Wash., 36-36--72
Robert Sul, Torrance, Calif., 35-37--72
Garrett Clegg, Bountiful, Utah, 35-37--72
Chris Rivard, Manchester, N.H., 40-33--73
Ryan Posey, Dallas, Texas, 37-36--73
Justin Walters, Raleigh, N.C., 39-34--73
Ross Erickson, Olympia, Wash., 37-36--73
Jon Lindstrom, Denver, Colo., 37-36--73
Kurt Watkins, Chandler, Ariz., 36-37--73
Gabe Alcala, Bastrop, Texas, 37-36--73
Chez Reavie, Phoenix, Ariz., 37-36--73
Jim Spagnolo, Ft Worth, Texas, 36-37--73
Eric McPhail, Milton, Mass., 35-38--73
James Fuller, Dryden, Mich., 37-36--73
Kevin Messer, Missouri City, Texas, 38-35--73
Chris Stroud, Groves, Texas, 39-34--73
Michael Letzig, Richmond, Mo., 39-34--73
D J Trahan, Inman, S.C., 37-37--74
Geoff Lound, Australia, 40-34--74
Stuart Moore, Gainesville, Ga., 36-38--74
Derek Ausherman, Middletown, Md., 38-36--74
Nick Becker, Boise, Idaho, 39-35--74
Russ Cunningham, Dewitt, Mich., 37-37--74
Justin Smith, Franklin, Pa., 36-38--74
Frank Monfrey, Wasilla, Alaska, 37-37--74
Luke Main, Australia, 35-39--74
Tim O'Neal, St Augustine, Fla., 38-36--74
Thomas Halla, Lannon, Wis., 37-37—74
Harry Goett III, Union, N.J., 37-37--74
Savio Nazareth, Orlando, Fla., 38-36--74
Brad McIntosh, Houston, Texas, 37-37--74
Drew Scott, Henderson, Nev., 38-36--74
Chris Clemens, Beech Grove, Ind., 37-37--74
Brian Hughes, Portland, Ore., 42-32--74
Thomas Giles, Marlboro, Mass., 38-36--74
Crispin Fuentes, El Paso, Texas, 38-36--74
Jeff Chandler, Kenton, Tenn., 41-33--74
Charlie Smith, Valencia, Calif., 39-35--74
Alan Beers, Midlothian, Va., 38-37--75
Jake Grodzinsky, Cornville, Ariz., 40-35--75
Frank Acker, Las Vegas, Nev., 37-38--75
Jay Smith, Plymouth, Mich., 40-35--75
Julien Trudeau, Scottsdale, Ariz., 38-37--75
Matt Van Cleave, Maryville, Mo., 38-37--75
Chase Baldwin, Plant City, Fla., 37-38--75
Nathan Bailey, Laurel, Mont., 36-39--75
Timothy Waggoner, Spokane, Wash., 37-38--75
Kelly Karmazin, Omaha, Neb., 38-37--75
Todd Deacon, Corvallis, Ore., 36-39--75
Shannon Sibayan, Kapaa, Hawaii, 38-37--75
Mike Sullivan, Plano, Texas, 40-35--75
Ken Wade, Kennewick, Wash., 37-38--75
Greg Kopf, Bay Harbor Island, Fla., 39-36--75
Guy Yamamoto, Waipahu, Hawaii, 38-38--76
Jerry Chang, Westlake Village, Calif., 39-37--76
Duncan Street, Bonita, Calif., 38-38--76
Brian Thornburg, Albuquerque, N.M., 39-37--76
Mike Paduano, Shrewsbury, N.J., 37-39--76
Robert Burns Jr, San Mateo, Calif., 39-37--76
Gavin Gillespie, Lexington, S.C., 39-37--76
Michael Sirois, Berlin, Conn., 38-38--76
Anthony Estorga, Fort Worth, Texas, 40-36--76
Dan Anderson, San Diego, Calif., 38-38--76
Richard Kimi, Hilo, Hawaii, 38-38--76
Chris Campbell, Louisville, Ky., 41-35--76
Tele Wightman, Chicopee, Mass., 40-36—76
Greg Uberuaga, San Diego, Calif., 39-37--76
Mike Miller, Knoxville, Tenn., 38-38--76
Jeffrey Chadwell, Worthington, Ohio, 39-38--77
Roger Hebert II, Dunedin, Fla., 37-40--77
Daniel Urban Jr, Grand Rapids, Mich., 39-38--77
Danny Sinksen, Sioux Falls, S.D., 41-36--77
Justin Jennings, Lunenburg, Mass., 39-38--77
Steve Groom, Raytown, Mo., 37-40--77
Miles Nixon, London, Ohio, 38-39--77
Robert Godfrey, Clemson, S.C., 39-38--77
Christopher O'Keefe, Massapequa, N.Y., 40-37--77
Eric Moore, Owasso, Okla., 39-38--77
Frank Babusik, Ft Lauderdale, Fla., 41-36--77
Mark Pattullo, Saline, Mich., 38-39--77
Jay Kurisu, Wailuku Maui, Hawaii, 37-40--77
Tommy Sharp, Salt Lake City, Utah, 38-39--77
Brad Wilder, Park Hills, Ky., 37-40--77
Tim Weiss, Mill Valley, Calif., 41-36--77
J T Johnson, Sparta, Wis., 41-37--78
Josh Green, Toms River, N.J., 39-39--78
William Wingerd, Baltimore, Md., 39-39--78
Mark Foss, Mayfield Heights, Ohio, 38-40--78
Josh Koschke, Westminster, Colo., 41-38--79
Andrew Lewis, Winston-Salem, N.C., 42-38--80
Lloyd Fisher, Grand Rapids, Mich., 40-40--80
Ross McIntosh, Zimbabwe, 41-39--80
Darius Kowalski, Newington, Conn., 39-41--80
Ian Harris, Walled Lake, Mich., 41-39--80
Andy Badeaux, Missouri City, Texas, 42-38--80
John Zubkus, Nashville, Tenn., 39-41--80
Kevin O'Connor, East Lyme, Conn., 40-40--80
Greg Douglas, Cooper, Texas, 40-40--80
Terrance Stewart, Greensboro, N.C., 42-38--80
Johnny Thompson, Ormond Beach, Fla., 38-42--80
Steven Bourgeois, Paulina, La., 39-42--81
Kevin Alberty, Strongsville, Ohio, 40-41--81
Will Claxton, Swainsboro, Ga., 40-41--81
Bill Piliaris, Cincinnati, Ohio, 44-37—81
Christian Akau, Waipahu, Hawaii, 43-38--81
Mark Beckworth, Jacksonville, Fla., 42-40--82
Greg Puga, Los Angeles, Calif., 42-41--83
David Williams, Corvallis, Ore., 43-44--87