Brandt Snedeker of Nashville, Tenn., birdied five of nine holes in the afternoon 18 on his way to a dominant 10-and-9 victory over Dayton Rose of Stillwater, Okla., in the 36-hole final of the 2003 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Blue Heron Pines Golf Club in Galloway Township, N.J. Overall, Snedeker made 11 birdies over 27 holes.

"It's one of those things that I'll look back on 40 years from now and I'll get goose bumps every time I think about it, about how I played," said Snedeker, a first-team All-American and 2003 graduate of Vanderbilt, of his victory. "I'll probably be able to recall every shot I hit against every person. It's going to be a great memory."

Snedeker took the lead with a birdie on the first hole and mad six birdies overall in the morning round to gain a 3-up lead after 18 holes. He added five birdies in nin holes in the afternoon.

By making an 11-foot birdie putt on the 27th hole, Snedeker closed out Rose, 20, a junior at Oklahoma State, and tied for the second-largest margin of victory in 78 years of the championship's history.

"each time I hit a solid shot, each time I made a putt, I knew things were going to go my way," said Snedeker, the 2003 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. "my iron game was phenomenal. I don't think I've ever hit my irons this solidly, especially my long irons."

"Whew, that is seriously good," said Rose of Snedeker's play on the first nine holes of the afternoon 18. "Shooting 30 on that nine is incredible. That's what you have to do to win a national championship. I don't think there's anybody in the world that could have beat him. I don't think Tiger Woods could have beat him."

A quarterfinalist at the 2003 North and South Amateur and a member of Team USA at the Palmer Cup in South Carolina, Snedeker was 3 up through seven holes before Rose wont the 9th and 12th holes with birdies to cut Snedeker's edge to 1 up. Snedeker responded with winning birdies on holes 13 and 16 to increase his lead again to 3 up.

Snedeker's road to the final included wins over defending champion Ryan More of Puyallup, Wash., in the second round, over Brady Stockton of San Ramon, Calif., in the quarterfinals and over Luke List of Ringgold, Ga., in his semifinal match.

The long-hitting Rose had defeated record-setting medalist Jeff Overton of Evansville, Ind., in the quarterfinals and Chris Stroud of Groves, Texas, in the semifinals. A two-time Oklahoma State high school champion, Rose had only regional success in golf before this APL.

Overton earned medalist honors with a record-tying 132 (10 under par), seven strokes better than Snedeker and Chris Wheeler, 20, of Pilot Point, Texas. His first-round 64 also tied for the lowest round in Public Links stroke-play history.

Norman, Okla., represented by Rose and Wheeler, won the team title at 282.