Aaron Goldberg Claims Medalist Honors At U.S. Amateur Public Links

Aurora, Colo. – Aaron Goldberg, 22, of Carlsbad, Calif., held off a late challenge Tuesday to claim medalist honors after two days of stroke play at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship being played at Murphy Creek Golf Course. Goldberg shot a 4-under-par 67 for a 36-hole total of 132, edging Rickie Fowler, 19, of Murrieta, Calif., by a stroke.

Fowler shot the low round of the day, with a 5-under-par 66, but missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the last hole that would have tied him with Goldberg. Zachary Zaremba, 20, of Pueblo West, Colo., was three back at 135. Brian Locke, 21, of Los Angeles, Calif.; Corey Nagy, 19, of Charlotte, N.C.; and Brandon Crick, 20, of McCook, Neb., finished at 137

The low 64 scorers advance to match play Wednesday through Saturday. The 36-hole championship final is scheduled for Saturday, with the winner receiving an invitation to play in the 2009 Masters Tournament.

Nineteen players finished under par for the 36 holes. The cut for match play came at 5-over-par 147, with 10 players in a playoff to determine the final one spot for match play.

Goldberg’s round was highlighted with an eagle 2 with a 5-iron on the 528-yard par 4 13th hole. He also had three birdies on his last nine holes to shoot a 5-under-par 30.

“I hit a really good shot, but anytime the ball goes in from that far away there’s a bit of luck involved,” said the 2007 quarterfinalist who is a recent graduate of San Diego State University.

Fowler, a sophomore at Oklahoma State University and a member of the winning 2007 USA Walker Cup team, used an eagle 2 on the 10th hole to lift his spirits.

Rickie Fowler watches a tee shot during the second round of stroke play at Murphy Creek Golf Club Tuesday. (John Mummert, USGA)

“It was pretty cool,” said Fowler. “I was trying to give Aaron a run for his money. When I tee it up, I’m always trying to be the low man.”

Fowler’s Walker Cup teammate Billy Horschel of Gainesville, Fla., and last year’s Public Links runner-up Cody Paladino of Kensington, Conn., were also among those who advanced to match play. Horschel finished at 2-under-par 140 and Paladino was at 1-over-par 143.

Brothers Pat and Jim Grady of Bloomfield, Colo., each advanced to match play as well, with totals of 143 and 145 respectively. Pat, the younger of the two brothers who is a senior at the University of Colorado, joked that he caught up his brother after years of playing in his shadow.

“He was recruited out of high school and I wasn’t,” said Pat. “But I’ve been smoking him pretty good the last three years.”

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

Story written by Director of USGA Media Relations Craig Smith. Email him at csmith@usga.org with any questions or comments.

Aurora, Colo. – Results of Tuesday’s second round of stroke play at the 2008 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, played at the 7,551-yard, par-71 Murphy Creek Golf Course (*--Ten players at 147 in a playoff to determine the final one spot for match play):

              Aaron Goldberg, Carlsbad, Calif. - 65-67--132

              Rickie Fowler, Murrieta, Calif. - 67-66--133

              Zachary Zaremba, Pueblo West, Colo. - 66-69--135

              Brandon Crick, McCook, Neb. - 69-68--137

              Brian Locke, Los Angeles, Calif. - 69-68--137

              Corey Nagy, Charlotte, N.C. - 67-70--137

              Jon McLean, Weston, Fla. - 69-69--138

              Travis Reid, Clovis, N.M. - 66-72--138

              Andy Winings, Brownsburg, Ind. - 68-71--139

              Kevin Aylwin, New Smyrna Beach, Fla. - 70-69--139

              Greg Pool, Canada - 70-70--140

              Jeff Dennis, Jacksonville, Fla. - 72-68--140

              Nakarintra Ratanakul, West Lafayette, Ind. - 70-70--140

              Riley Arp, Fort Collins, Colo. - 73-67--140

              Scott Langley, St Louis, Mo. - 72-68--140

              William Horschel, Gainesville, Fla. - 70-70--140

              Ji Moon, Las Vegas, Nev. - 74-67--141

              Kyle Leach, Louisville, Ky. - 71-70--141

              Trey Bowling, Manchester, Ky. - 72-69--141

              Andrew Paulson, White Bear Lake, Minn. - 70-72--142

              J C Horne, Daytona Beach, Fla. - 72-70--142

              Jack Newman, Des Moines, Iowa - 71-71--142

              James Dalthorp III, Houston, Texas - 73-69--142

              Philip Arouca, Wilmette, Ill. - 72-70--142

              Wesley Bryan, Chapin, S.C. - 72-70--142

              Cason Hammock, Columbus, Ga. - 74-69--143

              Cody Paladino, Kensington, Conn. - 72-71--143

              Daniel Sorgini III, Pickerington, Ohio - 70-73--143

              David Johnson, Palm Bay, Fla. - 68-75--143

              Kelly Kretz, Antigo, Wis. - 69-74--143

              Les Teuteberg, Watsonville, Calif. - 72-71--143

              Luke Morgan, Muldrow, Okla. - 68-75--143

              Pat Grady, Broomfield, Colo. - 72-71--143

              Brandon Berry, Lagrange, Ky. - 74-70--144

              Chan Kim, Chandler, Ariz. - 73-71--144

              Craig Voorhees, Burton, Ohio - 69-75--144

              Lucas Lee, Brazil - 69-75--144

              Matthew Lapham, Brighton, Mich. - 75-69--144

              Patrick Lundy, Little River, S.C. - 75-69--144

              Phillip Choi, Orlando, Fla. - 72-72--144

              Randall Hutchison, Traverse City, Mich. - 74-70--144

              Robert Rohanna, Waynesburg, Pa. - 70-74--144

              Austin Love, Redding, Calif. - 74-71--145

              Ben Bastel, Upper Sandusky, Ohio - 72-73--145

              Brad Nicholson, Chandler, Ariz. - 74-71--145

              Grant Leaver, Centerville, Tenn. - 72-73--145

              Jim Grady, Broomfield, Colo. - 77-68--145

              Kevin Foley, Somerville, N.J. - 74-71--145

              Lion An, Duluth, Ga. - 76-69--145

              Nicholas Macdonald, Zimbabwe - 72-73--145

              Nicklaus Newcomb, Benton, Ky. - 70-75--145

              Peter Fallon, Grapevine, Texas - 70-75--145

              Ricky Montanez, Helendale, Calif. - 69-76--145

              Ryan McDonald, Rocklin, Calif. - 73-72--145

              Dan Whitaker, Cle Elum, Wash. - 77-69--146

              David Ludlow, Burton, Ohio - 76-70--146

              John Chin, Temecula, Calif. - 71-75--146

              Kent Wiese, Los Angeles, Calif. - 77-69--146

              Michael Knott, Buffalo, N.Y. - 74-72--146

              Peter Malnati, Dandridge, Tenn. - 75-71--146

              Rod Butler, Carson City, Nev. - 74-72--146

              Sterling Clark, Salt Lake City, Utah - 75-71--146

              Zach Sebert, Grove City, Ohio - 73-73--146

              *Brady Johnson, Canada - 75-72--147 (3, 3)

Failed to Qualify

              *Casey Carnes, New Braunfels, Texas - 73-74--147 (3, NS)

              *Danny Anderson, Willmar, Minn. - 76-71—147 (3, 4)

              *Drew Lethem, Camdenton, Mo. - 74-73--147 (3, NS)

              *Minghao Wang, Peoples Rep. of China - 74-73—147 (NS)

              *A J Gerlach, Fairfax, Va. - 77-70—147 (NS)

              *Rob Garland, Nashville, Tenn. - 68-79—147 (NS)

              *Jonathan Hodge, Strawberry Plains, Tenn. - 73-74--147 (NS)

              *Troy Johnson, Maple Grove, Minn. - 74-73--147 (NS)

              *Seth Girouard, Keene, N.H. - 74-73--147 (NS)

              Andy Roberts, Owensboro, Ky. - 73-75--148

              Chris Brant, Edwardsville, Ill. - 76-72--148

              Matthew Hicks, Charleston, W.Va. - 74-74--148

              Peter Lansburgh, Woodland, Calif. - 75-73--148

              Ravi Patel, Chicago, Ill. - 75-73--148

              Steve Galko, Dallas, Texas - 75-73--148

              Terrence Miskell, New Braunfels, Texas - 75-73--148

              Travis Ross, Crookston, Minn. - 74-74--148

              Tyler Obermueller, River Falls, Wis. - 73-75--148

              Casey Calmi, Douglaston, N.Y. - 74-75--149

              Gerard Connolly, Ireland - 75-74--149

              Ian McConnell, Riverview, Fla. - 75-74--149

              James Allenby, Canada - 76-73--149

              Lance Lopez, Missouri City, Texas - 74-75--149

              Matthew Stephens, Mont Belvieu, Texas - 74-75--149

              Michael Brown, Cheltenham, Pa. - 77-72--149

              Ricky Jones, Thomaston, Maine - 72-77--149

              Robert Godfrey, Seneca, S.C. - 75-74--149

              Tim Kay, Bartlett, Ill. - 73-76--149

              Zack Fischer, Texarkana, Texas - 80-69--149

              Alex Williams, Vancouver, Wash. - 74-76--150

              Brent Martin, Laplata, Md. - 74-76--150

              Chandler Smith-Stetson, Albuquerque, N.M. - 74-76--150

              Chris Freeman, San Diego, Calif. - 74-76--150

              Jimmy Henderson, Lebanon, Ohio - 77-73--150

              John Moheyer, Lima, Ohio - 77-73--150

              Josh Brock, Wilmington, N.C. - 75-75--150

              Kenny Kim, Cerritos, Calif. - 75-75--150

              Michael Beausejour, Cincinnati, Ohio - 77-73--150

              Sean Maekawa, Paauilo, Hawaii - 76-74--150

              Andy Latowski, Plainsboro, N.J. - 74-77--151

              Benjamin Sumulong, Anchorage, Alaska - 74-77--151

              Chris Gilman, Yorba Linda, Calif. - 73-78--151

              Craig Cyr, Concord, N.H. - 77-74--151

              Danny Behm, Jackson, Wis. - 77-74--151

              Jared Sawada, Mililani, Hawaii - 75-76--151

              Kyle Prolo, Benicia, Calif. - 74-77--151

              Marais Lombard, South Africa - 76-75--151

              Nathan Schenz-Davis, San Diego, Calif. - 77-74--151

              Paco Saracho, Mexico - 77-74--151

              Chad Horner, Essexville, Mich. - 75-77--152

              David Sampson, Warren, R.I. - 79-73--152

              Derek Fathauer, Jensen Beach, Fla. - 75-77--152

              Josh Bevell, Southaven, Miss. - 77-75--152

              Michael Dominici, Norwalk, Conn. - 75-77--152

              Christopher Cappella, New Haven, Conn. - 77-76--153

              Dan Hosek, Alexandria, Va. - 75-78--153

              Danny Green, Jackson, Tenn. - 77-76--153

              Gene Webster Jr, San Bernardino, Calif. - 76-77--153

              John Huh, Montrose, Calif. - 74-79--153

              Michael Wog, Sumner, Wash. - 79-74--153

              Peter Gibbs, Granite Bay, Calif. - 76-77--153

              Phil Henzlik, Rapid City, S.D. - 74-79--153

              Tyson McFarland, Rexburg, Idaho - 77-76--153

              Christopher Okeefe, Brooklyn, N.Y. - 77-77--154

              Gabriel Maier, Cody, Wyo. - 75-79--154

              Kurt Lorenzen, Olathe, Kan. - 77-77--154

              Michael Brown, Fairfield, Ohio - 76-78--154

              Mike Gillis, Churchton, Md. - 79-75--154

              Tyler Weir, San Marcos, Calif. - 76-78--154

              Vincent Johnson, Portland, Ore. - 80-74--154

              Will Cullen, Bloomington, Ill. - 76-78--154

              Adam Tebbs, Henderson, Nev. - 74-81--155

              Nathan Chambers, Purcell, Okla. - 80-75--155

              Ryan Castanet, Mcdonald, Pa. - 83-72--155

              Brendan Borst, Pittsburgh, Pa. - 76-80--156

              D J Harries, Temecula, Calif. - 82-74--156

              Jeremy Franklin, St Louis, Mo. - 75-81--156

              Seve Gonzales, La Mesa, Calif. - 76-80--156

              David McKendrick, Australia - 78-79--157

              Douglas Snoap, Apopka, Fla. - 80-77--157

              Jordan Mitchell, Atlanta, Ga. - 81-76--157

              Lee Levine, Hewlett, N.Y. - 81-76--157

              Taeksoo Kim, Wailuku, Hawaii - 82-75--157

              Thomas Timby, Doylestown, Pa. - 84-73--157

              James Jones, Montgomery, Ala. - 78-80--158

              John Baranco, Boise, Idaho - 82-76--158

              Brad Arrington, Augusta, Ga. - 77-83--160

              Kellen Watabu, Kapaa, Hawaii - 82-78--160

              Jay Betchan, Garber, Okla. - 81-80--161

              Zach Sommers, Southbury, Conn. - 80-81--161

              Burke Nagle, Canada - 82-80--162

              Eric Burch, Rockford, Ill. - 77-WD--WD

Aurora, Colo. – Pairings for Wednesday’s first round of match play at the 2008 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, being played at the 7,551-yard, par-71 Murphy Creek Golf Course (Times are MDT):         

Upper Bracket

8:00 am -- Aaron Goldberg, Carlsbad, Calif. (132) vs. Brady Johnson, Canada (147)

8:09 am -- Cason Hammock, Columbus, Ga. (143) vs. Daniel Sorgini III, Pickerington, Ohio (143)

8:18 am -- Riley Arp, Fort Collins, Colo. (140) vs. Jim Grady, Broomfield, Colo. (145)

8:27 am -- Trey Bowling, Manchester, Ky. (141) vs. Lion An, Duluth, Ga. (145)

8:36 am -- Travis Reid, Clovis, N.M. (138) vs. Dan Whitaker, Cle Elum, Wash. (146)

8:45 am -- James Dalthorp III, Houston, Texas (142) vs. Randall Hutchison, Traverse City, Mich. (144)

8:54 am -- Kevin Aylwin, New Smyrna Beach, Fla. (139) vs. Peter Malnati, Dandridge, Tenn.  (146)

9:03 am -- Andrew Paulson, White Bear Lake, Minn. (142) vs. Chan Kim, Chandler, Ariz. (144)

9:12 am -- Brian Locke, Los Angeles, Calif. (137) vs. Kent Wiese, Los Angeles, Calif. (146)

9:21 am -- Kelly Kretz, Antigo, Wis. (143) vs. Lucas Lee, Brazil (144)

9:30 am -- William Horschel, Gainesville, Fla. (140) vs. Nicholas Macdonald, Zimbabwe (145)

9:39 am -- Jack Newman, Des Moines, Iowa (142) vs. Ryan McDonald, Rocklin, Calif. (145)

9:48 am -- Corey Nagy, Charlotte, N.C. (137) vs. David Ludlow, Burton, Ohio (146)

9:57 am -- Les Teuteberg, Watsonville, Calif. (143) vs. Patrick Lundy, Little River, S.C. (144)

10:06 am -- Nakarintra Ratanakul, West Lafayette, Ind. (140) vs. Austin Love, Redding, Calif. (145)

10:15 am – J.C. Horne, Daytona Beach, Fla. (142) vs. Grant Leaver, Centerville, Tenn. (145)

Lower Bracket

10:24 am -- Rickie Fowler, Murrieta, Calif. (133) vs. Michael Knott, Buffalo, N.Y. (146)

10:33 am -- Cody Paladino, Kensington, Conn. (143) vs. Phillip Choi, Orlando, Fla. (144)

10:42 am -- Scott Langley, St Louis, Mo. (140) vs. Peter Fallon, Grapevine, Texas (145)

10:51 am -- Kyle Leach, Louisville, Ky. (141) vs. Nicklaus Newcomb, Benton, Ky. (145)

11:00 am -- Jon McLean, Weston, Fla. (138) vs. Rod Butler, Carson City, Nev. (146)

11:09 am -- David Johnson, Palm Bay, Fla. (143) vs. Matthew Lapham, Brighton, Mich. (144)

11:18 am -- Andy Winings, Brownsburg, Ind. (139) vs. Sterling Clark, Salt Lake City, Utah (146)

11:27 am -- Philip Arouca, Wilmette, Ill. (142) vs. Robert Rohanna, Waynesburg, Pa. (144)

11:36 am -- Zachary Zaremba, Pueblo West, Colo. (135) vs. Zach Sebert, Grove City, Ohio (146)

11:45 am -- Pat Grady, Broomfield, Colo. (143) vs. Brandon Berry, Lagrange, Ky. (144)

11:54 am -- Jeff Dennis, Jacksonville, Fla. (140) vs. Ricky Montanez, Helendale, Calif. (145)

12:03 pm -- Ji Moon, Las Vegas, Nev. (141) vs. Ben Bastel, Upper Sandusky, Ohio (145)

12:12 pm -- Brandon Crick, McCook, Neb. (137) vs. John Chin, Temecula, Calif. (146)

12:21 pm -- Luke Morgan, Muldrow, Okla. (143) vs. Craig Voorhees, Burton, Ohio (144)

12:30 pm -- Greg Pool, Canada (140) vs. Kevin Foley, Somerville, N.J. (145)

12:39 pm -- Wesley Bryan, Chapin, S.C. (142) vs. Brad Nicholson, Chandler, Ariz. (145)