U.S. Amateur Semifinals Set:

Wittenberg vs. Williams; Oh vs. Flanagan

Oakmont, Pa. – USA Walker Cup team member Casey Wittenberg meets NCAA runner-up Lee Williams in Saturday’s semifinals of the 2003 U.S. Amateur at difficult Oakmont Country Club. In the other semifinal match, David Oh, 22, of Cerritos, Calif., faces Nick Flanagan, 19, of Australia .

Casey Wittenberg continued is race toward the U.S. Amateur title Friday, beating George Zahringer. (John Mummert/USGA)

In a seesaw match of ‘the ages,' 18-year-old Wittenberg of Memphis, Tenn., defeated the field’s oldest remaining player, George Zahringer, 50, of New York, N.Y., 1 up.

Wittenberg, whose slate of wins in 2003 includes the Southern Amateur and the Porter Cup, never trailed in his close duel with Zahringer, the U.S. Mid-Amateur champion. Wittenberg lost and then regained his lead four times in the match.

"It’s obviously been a huge goal of mine to be able to play well in the U.S. Amateur,” said Wittenberg . "It’s our biggest tournament and a lot of people that are great players can’t wait to get over the hurdle in the U.S. Amateur. It’s a tough thing and I’ve been put in a great situation this week and I’m going to take advantage of it.”

Williams, 21, Alexander City, Ala., beat Pat Carter, 35, of Huntingdon, W.Va., 4 and 3. A third-team All-American at Auburn University in 2003, Williams qualified for match play in the 14-for-12 spot playoff on Wednesday. He won the Dogwood Amateur earlier this year.

The winner of the 2002 Southern Amateur, Williams lost his first two holes but was 2-up after nine holes. He lost the 10 th hole with a bogey but won three of the next five holes with two birdies to gain a 4-up edge after 14 holes.

"It’s an honor to get here because there are so many good players that try to qualify,” Williams said of his expectations prior to the championship. “So when you get here, you might as well be thinking about winning.”

Flanagan, who won the 2003 Tasmanian Open and the 2003 Pacific Northwest Amateur, ended the chances of 44-year-old Jerry Courville, of Milford, Conn., with a 1-up victory. Courville, playing in his third Amateur quarterfinal, could not overcome the consistency of Flanagan, a member of the 2003 Australian national team, who also made it through the playoff for match play.

Oh, who defeated USA Walker-Cupper Trip Kuehne in the second round, continued his unpredicted run of success with a 2-and-1 win over 2002 semifinalist Bill Haas, 21, of Greer, S.C.

The 36-hole final is set for Sunday.

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

Results

Oakmont, Pa. – Results for Friday’s quarterfinal round of match play at the U.S. Amateur Championship, being played at the par 70, 7,171-yard Oakmont Country Club:

Lee Williams, Alexander City, Ala. (56) def. Patrick Carter, Huntington, W.Va. (16), 4 and 3

Casey Wittenberg, Memphis, Tenn. (29) def. George Zahringer, New York, N.Y. (53), 1 up

Nick Flanagan, Australia (55) def. Jerry Courville, Milford, Conn. (31), 1 up

David Oh, Cerritos, Calif. (30) def. Bill Haas, Greer, S.C. (22), 2 and 1

Pairings And Times

Oakmont, Pa. – Pairings for Saturday’s semifinal round of match play at the U.S. Amateur Championship, being played at the par 70, 7,171-yard Oakmont Country Club (all times EDT ):

9:00 a.m. – Lee Williams, Alexander City, Ala. (56) vs. Casey Wittenberg, Memphis, Tenn. (29)

9:15 a.m. – Nick Flanagan, Australia (55) vs. David Oh, Cerritos, Calif. (30)