D.J. Trahan

Qualifying medalist D.J. Trahan, 19, of Inman, S.C. overcame a gutsy charge from Ben "Bubba" Dickerson, 19, of Hilliard, Fla., to win the 36-hole match play final of the 2000 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Heron Lakes' Great Blue Course in Portland, Ore., in 37 holes.

The 37-hole match tied for the longest in the 75 - year history of the championship. It had happened six times previously, the most recent being Guy Yamamoto's win over Chris Riley at Eagle Bend G.C. in Bigfork, Mont., in 1994.

"It means a ton; it's a national championship," Trahan said of his hard-fought victory. "Any time you can even have a chance to win a national championship it's just a wonderful feeling and a great thing. To actually win it is unbelievable, breathtaking. There's not enough words to describe it."

His victory made him the first Amateur Public Links medalist to win the title since David Berganio in 1993. Ironically, the medalist has won the championship in three of the four Amateur Public Links' visits to Portland -1979 (Dennis Walsh at West Delta G.C., now Heron Lakes), 1990 (Michael Combs at Eastmoreland), and now Trahan at Heron Lakes.

Trahan made four birdies and hit seven fairways and 12 greens during the first 18 holes to take a 3-up lead into the final 18 holes of the match.

The 2000 Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year in his freshman season at Clemson, Trahan built his advantage to 4-up after 25 holes with a 28-foot birdie putt on No.7. After three successive halved holes with par. Trahan's lead disappeared.

Dickerson, a sophomore at Florida. won three consecutive holes as Trahan bogeyed Nos. 11. 12 and 13. Trahan actually made four straight bogeys but his 5 on the par-4 14th halved the hole.

"When 1 got to 4-up. 1 was looking to hit solid shots and put the ball on the greens and make some putts," Trahan said. "I started to struggle with my game out there. He started making some good shots and applying the pressure."

Trahan won the 34th with a par to go 2-up. Dickerson then holed a IS-foot putt from the collar to save par on the 35th to win the hole, closing the gap to I-down. He followed with a downhill, 8-foot birdie putt to win the hole and even the match after 36 holes. Trahan then parred the 37th hole with two putts while Dickerson made bogey.

"I honestly didn't have control of the match," Trahan said. "He had to make the putt on 17 and he had to make the putt on 18. He was in control of his own destiny there and he made two great putts."

Trahan was the first alternate from the Greenville. S.C.. qualifying site. When an exempt player. Jedd McLuen, who had qualified for the U.S. Open. declined his invitation to the championship, Trahan was called and he accepted.

Trahan and Kyle Thompson, 21, of Columbia, S.C., won the Warren G. Harding Trophy for the team championship with a total of 285.

The cut came at 10-over par 154 and featured a 12-for-one playoff that was won by Jerry Strege of Fond Du Lac, Wis. Of the 156 players in the field, seven were exempt.