2002 Champion Moore Reaches Quarterfinals; Medalist Green Defeated

Maple Grove, Minn. – Ryan Moore of Puyallup, Wash., the 2002 champion, won two matches and advanced to the quarterfinal round of match play while medalist Danny Green of Jackson, Tenn., was eliminated Thursday at the 2004 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Rush Creek Golf Club.

Will Claxton beat medalist Danny Green in the longest match in Public Links history, 26 holes. (Steven Gibbons/USGA)

Green, 47, was beaten in 26 holes, the longest match in Public Links history, by Will Claxton, 22, of Swainsboro, Ga., in the third round. The previous longest match was 25 holes in the first round in 1963, when Clyde E. Sniffen defeated Hung Soo Ahn.

Moore, 21, who did not trail in either match, advanced with a pair of 5-and-4 decisions. In the third round, he beat Jon Veneziano, 32, of Mt. Dora, Fla., and earlier in the second round, he dispatched Christopher Davidson, 23, of Woodstock, Md.

“I played really solid,” said Moore, who won the 2004 NCAA individual title and was a member of the 2003 USA Walker Cup squad. “I played the same both times. I started rolling the putter better and making 15-20-25 footers, the putts I haven't been making much of lately. It took the pressure off the ball striking and I was able to relax out there.”

Moore 's 13 birdies, with no bogeys, in 28 holes through two matches, evoked memories of his stellar play in winning the 2002 championship.

“I've kind of had that same feeling for the last eight months,” said Moore. “My game is there. I was on fire that week (in 2002). I've recaptured that and figured out what it was for that week.”

Green, the oldest remaining player who had set USGA and Public Links marks with a 13-under-par score of 131 in stroke play, had a 4-up lead on Claxton through 12 holes. However, the 1999 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and runner-up at the 2001 Public Links and 1989 Amateur then lost holes 13 and 14 as well as 17 and 18.

“I let it get away at 13 and 14 to let him get back in the match,” said Green. “It's my own fault.”

Claxton, who plays collegiately at Auburn University, won the 17th with a birdie and the 18 th by chipping in for eagle. He closed out Green with a birdie on the par-5 8th.

“I haven't played match play until this week,” said Claxton. “I talked to my roommate, Lee Williams, who was on the USA Walker Cup team, about it and that helped.”

Danny Green demonstrates his frustration during his loss in the third round. (Steven Gibbons/USGA)

Dayton Rose, 21, of Midwest City, Okla., the 2003 runner-up, also advanced, as did 17-year-old Sunghoon Kang, of Korea, the youngest remaining player in the field, who won medalist honors at the 2003 Junior Amateur

A pair of higher seeds, No. 3 Chris Stroud of Groves, Texas, and No. 4 Anthony Kim of Norman, Okla., was eliminated in the second round. Stroud, 22, was a semifinalist in 2002 and 2003 and Kim, 18, was the national freshman of the year at the University of Oklahoma.

Players who advanced to the quarterfinals Thursday are exempt from qualifying for the 2005 Championship at Shaker Run Golf Club in Lebanon, Ohio.

Match play continues with the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds Friday, which begin at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. respectively and concludes with the 36-hole championship match on Saturday.

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

Results

Maple Grove, Minn. – Results from Thursday's second and third rounds of match play at the 2004 U.S. Amateur Public Links played at Rush Creek Golf Club (7,132 yards, par 72:

Second Round

Danny Green, Jackson, Tenn. (131) def. Madalitso Muthiya, Zambia (144), 6 and 4

Will Claxton, Swainsboro, Ga. (142) def. Daryl Fathauer, Stuart, Fla. (146) 1 up

Evan Frederick, Destin, Fla. (145) def. Jamie Miller, Silver Creek, N.Y. (148), 1 up

Nathan Smith, Soquel, Calif. (139) def. Greg Koch, Orlando, Fla. (144), 3 and 2

Seung-Su Han, Korea (145) def. Anthony Kim, Norman, Okla. 135), 1 up.

William Moore, Pacific Grove, Calif. (146) def. Billy Wingerd, Baltimore, Md. (146), 2 and 1

Brendan Steele, Idyllwild, Calif. (148) def. Matthew Hicks, Sissonville, W.Va. (144), 4 and 3

Dayton Rose, Midwest City, Okla. (147) vs. Brian Atkinson, Palatine, Ill. (143), 19 holes

Ryan Moore, Puyallup, Wash. (132) def. Christopher Davidson, Woodstock, Md. (144), 5 and 4

Jon Veneziano, Mt. Dora, Fla. (146) def. Jason Harris, Clemmons, N.C. (141), 1 up

Terrence Miskell, New Braunfels, Texas (136) def. Anthony Bedient, York, Neb. (145), 5 and 3

Clay Ogden, West Point, Utah (144) def. Josh Williams, Davis, Calif. (139), 5 and 4.

Dirk Fennie, Greensboro, N.C. (144) def. Chris Stroud, Groves, Texas (133), 2 and 1

Zack Reeves, Arlington, Texas (141) def. Barry Schenk, Layton, Utah (143), 21 holes

Joshua Wooding, Riverside, Calif. (144) def. Charles Soule, Longmont, Colo. (148), 4 and 3

Sunghoon Kang, Korea (140) def. Aaron Choi, San Diego, Calif. (143), 2 up

Third Round

Claxton def. Green, 26 holes

Frederick def. Smith, 2 and 1

W. Moore def. Han, 20 holes

Rose def. Steele, 1 up

R. Moore def. Veneziano, 5 and 4

Odgen def. Miskell, 20 holes

Fennie vs. Reeves, 1 up

Kang def. Wooding, 5 and 3

Pairings

Maple Grove, Minn. -- Pairings for Friday's quarterfinal round of match play at the 2004 U.S. Amateur Public Links played at Rush Creek Golf Club (7,132 yards, par 72); times CDT :

7:30 a.m. Will Claxton, Swainsboro, Ga. (142) vs. Evan Frederick, Destin, Fla. (145)

7:40 a.m. William Moore, Pacific Grove, Calif. (146) vs. Dayton Rose, Midwest City, Okla. (147)

7:50 a.m. Ryan Moore, Puyallup, Wash. (132) vs. Clay Ogden, West Point, Utah (144)

8:00 a.m. Dirk Fennie, Greensboro, N.C.(144) vs. Sunghoon Kang, Korea (140)