Moore Wins Title For Second Time

Maple Grove, Minn. – Ryan Moore of Puyallup, Wash., won the U.S. Amateur Public Links for the second time, becoming the eighth multiple winner, at the 2004 Championship Saturday at Rush Creek Golf Club.

Ryan Moore holds the James D. Standish Jr. Cup as the 2004 Public Links champion. (Steven Gibbons/USGA)

Moore, 21, who also won the title in 2002, defeated Dayton Rose, 21, of Midwest City, Okla., 6 and 5 in the 36-hole final. Rose, the runner-up at the Public Links in 2003, was the first player to reach the final in consecutive years since Michael Combs in 1990 and 1991.

“I don't know where to start,” said Moore of his second title. “To have won it once is great. The second time, that's just amazing. Just to be part of any USGA championship is a lot of fun, let alone to win. That just makes it more special.”

The last player to win at least two Public Links championships was David Berganio, the 1991 and 1993 titlist. Carl Kaufmann, the champion in 1927, 1928 and 1929, is the only three-time winner.

Moore , who won the 2004 NCAA individual title, played in his third USGA final. He was also the runner-up at the 2000 Junior Amateur. He will be a senior at UNLV in the fall.

“He's got the best game in the world, as far as I'm concerned, for an amateur,” said Rose of Moore . “He's got everything covered. He hits the ball straight, he hits the ball long. His iron shots are precise. It seemed like every time he had it 10-12 feet on the green, it was automatic.”

Interview Transcript with Ryan Moore

2002 Champion Moore,

2003 Runner-up Rose Meet in Final

Maple Grove, Minn. – Ryan Moore of Puyallup, Wash., the 2002 champion, and 2003 runner-up Dayton Rose of Midwest City, Okla., will meet Saturday in the 36-hole final round of the 2004 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Rush Creek Golf Club.

In the semifinals, Moore, the 2004 NCAA individual champion, defeated Sunghoon Kang, 7 and 6, and Rose, who is the first player to reach the final in consecutive years since Michael Combs in 1990 and 1991, beat Evan Frederick, of Destin, Fla., 3 and 1.

“I don't look at as extra pressure,” said Moore, 21, of playing for a national championship and what has been a traditional invitation to the next Masters. “It's another great opportunity. It's a bonus at the end of the tunnel. It's wonderful. It's something I enjoy. It's worth fighting for.”

Semifinalist Biographies