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U.S. Amateur Public Links Blog
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Magnificent Seven
The competitors were not the only ones putting in long days at the 2007 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. Several USGA Rules officials from the APL Championship Committee worked as many as three matches on Thursday.
That group included Jim Patten, Jim Magette, Mike Sweeney, Duane D'Allessandro, John Kueper, Larry Knisely and Bob Bender.
All seven might need a good message tonight. Perhaps a soak in a bathtub to relax the feet. But it takes a lot of dedication and commitment to walk three matches in a day. I know I saw Magette limping a little in between the second and third rounds, yet he was out there making sure the Daniel Im/Derek Fathauer match was played under the Rules and in an orderly manner. These gentlemen give up a lot of time and energy to support the USGA and all of their expenses come out of their pockets.
At least they get to work outside and the last two days here in Chicago have been downright beautiful.
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More Gorgeous Weather
| We have another marathon day of golf ahead of us on Thursday at the U.S. Amateur Public Links, but it looks like Mother Nature is going to deliver another glorious day of weather. There's not a cloud in the sky this morning and there's virtually no humidity. The players might be exhausted, but at least they won't be suffering from the stifling heat we had here this past weekend. |
Andy Dandy
Andy Roberts is one of those stories that make the U.S. Amateur Public Links the special championship that it is. He's 27, married and a full-time accountant. He took a week's vacation to come to Cantigny this week. He played his college golf at an NAIA school, Brescia University, in his hometown of Owensboro, Ky. He could have gone to NCAA Division II Northern Kentucky, but chose to stay closer to home.
Unlike so many collegians today, he did not turn pro out of college. He became an accountant and settled down. Seven years ago, he qualified for his first USGA championship, the APL in Portland, Ore., and lost to Adrian Quintela in a 20-hole second-round match.
He never made it back to another USGA championship until this week. He then qualified for match play by garning the last spot in a 19-for-16 playoff. Then he went out and upset the stroke-play medalist, 2007 U.S. Open qualifier Mark Harrell of Hazlehurst, Ga., and a rising senior at Division I stalwart Alabama.
"It's hard enough to qualify for this tournament," said Roberts after the victory. "And it's hard enough to get into the top 64. To start winning matches is even more difficult because you are starting to play against good players. Each match, it seems, takes on a life of its own. Beating No. 1 is great, but it's still a long way from being over."
Roberts has a little more time to play golf in the summer after the spring tax season. But still, he doesn't play as much as the junior and college contingent assembled here this week. He's a regular working guy who plays at a public golf course in his town. Now he's here on the biggest stage for public golfers and he's into the round of 32. That's pretty neat.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer |
Finally A Break
Thankfully, the first horns we heard today came at 8:36 p.m. That meant we got a full day of golf in without any interruption from Mother Nature. Eventually, the 2007 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship will get back on schedule, barring any rumblings from above. But some guys will have a lot of golf to play on Thursday. Rory Hie, should he win his first- and second-round matches, could play as many as 50 holes of golf in one day. If he should get to the 36-hole final on Saturday, he's looking at the potential of playing some 114 holes of golf in a 72-hour period. I sure hope he's got a good message therapist.
Then there are guys like Philip Arouca, who has received plenty of breaks from the draw. The Wilmette, Ill., resident played 18 holes on Monday, then got a day off from golf because of the weather, and then played 18 more holes on Wednesday morning. He then received an early first-round match Wednesday afternoon and was able to finish before darkness, beating Danny Sorgini, 4 and 3. He'll have three solid nights of sleep prior to his second-round match Thursday morning.
Of course, most of these guys are young and can handle the walking. Virtually all of them have caddies, so it's a matter of just being in good condition to walk. And the weather could not have been more ideal on Wednesday. We had no humidity and temperatures were in the 70s with some nice breezes. Translated: it was perfect golf weather. More of the same is forecast for Thursday and Friday.
David Shefter
USGA Staff Writer |
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