Colombian Oscar Alvarez Leads By Three
After First Round Of U.S. Amateur
Mamaroneck, N.Y. - Oscar Alvarez, 21, of Colombia, made five birdies over his last 13 holes to shoot a 3-under-par 67 on the East Course at Winged Foot Golf Club to hold a three-stroke lead after the weather-shortened first day of stroke play Monday at the U.S. Amateur.
Spencer Levin, 20, of Elk Grove, Calif.; Jason Hartwick, 22, of Sacramento, Calif.; and Luke List, 19, of Ringgold, Ga., shared second place with even-par 70s. Four more players finished at 71. But, 36 golfers were unable to complete their first round when play was suspended for the day at 7:10 p.m. due to inclement weather. The first round will resume at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
The low score on the longer West Course, site of four U.S. Opens and the layout 1974 Open winner Hale Irwin has repeatedly called the hardest course he has ever played, was Levin's 70. Aron Price, 22, of Statesboro, Ga., was a stroke back with his 1-over-par 71 on the West Course, and one of four players with 71s overall.
Teenager Tom Glissmeyer, 17, of Colorado Springs, Colo., who qualified for the 2003 U.S. Open, was one of the nine players who finished at 72.
Another finisher of note was Winged Foot member and four-time Club champion (2000-2003) Andrew Svoboda, 24, of Stamford, Conn., who was in with a good score of 74 on the West Course. One of those who failed to finish was reigning NCAA Division I champion Ryan Moore, 21, of Puyallup, Wash., who was 2 over after nine holes on the East Course.
"It's been an awesome summer," said Alvarez, a BYU junior, who along with his friend, Camillo Villegas, became the first Colombians to play in a U.S. Open. "My first USGA tournament was the (2004) U.S. Open. I'm playing in the Open and then here.
"I had a perfect time to play today. The greens were quick but soft. I was pretty lucky."
Alvarez enjoyed his early afternoon tee time between bad weather periods with his older brother, Andres, as his caddie.
Levin, the hottest amateur golfer in the country, agreed. He recently won the 36-hole final of the Northern California Match Play by a whooping 11-and-10 margin.
"I played solid all day," said Levin, a junior at the University of New Mexico who was the low amateur, tying for 19th place, at this year's Open. "I never saw the rough. I'm happy with this as a first round. The main thing is just to get into match play.
"Right now I'm tired but you get yourself up for the U.S. Amateur."
The morning conditions in a steady rain were a stark contrast to how Alvarez and Levin found the golf course.
"It was just punishing out there," said Glissmeyer, who made an unexpected early exit from last month's U.S. Junior Amateur. "I felt like I shot about even par."
Chris Nallen, 24, of Hackettstown, N.J., a member of the 2003 USA Walker Cup squad agreed.
"The golf course was playing really long this morning," said Nallen of his trip around the soggy 7,266-yard layout. "My driver was backing up in the fairway. I wore out my 4- and 5-irons today. It was playing brutal."
Nallen is one who has been pointing to this week since failing to advance to match play a year ago.
"I've worked pretty hard for this tournament," said Nallen, who is playing in his third Amateur. "I was pretty disappointed last year."
Following with the second round of stroke play, the field of 312 golfers will be trimmed to the lowest 64 scorers who will advance to match play. The championship continues through Sunday's scheduled 36-hole final match.
The U.S. Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Story written by Craig Smith, USGA Director of Media Relations. E-mail him with questions or comments at csmith@usga.org.
Results
Mamaroneck, N.Y. - Results for those who finished the first round of stroke play at the U.S. Amateur Championship, Monday at the 7,266-yard, par 70, West Course and the 6,775-yard, par 70, East Course at Winged Foot Golf Club (w=West, e=East) (36 golfers will resume play to complete their first round at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday):
Oscar Alvarez, Colombia, 36-31--67e
Ryan Moore, Puyallup, Wash., 37-32--69e
Jason Hartwick, Sacramento, Calif., 38-32--70e
Luke List, Ringgold, Ga., 35-35--70e
Spencer Levin, Elk Grove, Calif., 36-34--70w
Josh Persons, Fargo, N.D., 36-35--71e
Ryan Keeney, Las Vegas, Nev., 35-36--71w
Nick Cook, Shelton, Conn., 37-34--71e
Packard DeWitt, Collierville, Tenn., 36-35--71e
Aron Price, Australia, 37-34--71w
Nicholas Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla., 37-35--72e
Kevin Miller, Virginia Beach, Va., 36-36--72w
Chad Poling, Delaware, Ohio, 36-36--72e
John Holmes, Campbellsville, Ky., 35-37--72w
Tom Glissmeyer, Colorado Springs, Colo., 36-36--72e
David Denham, Tifton, Ga., 36-36--72w
Vincent Johnson, Portland, Ore., 37-35--72w
Jordan Nasser, Anaheim Hills, Calif., 36-36--72e
Pat Moore, Phoenix, Ariz., 36-36--72e
Patrick Carter, Huntington, W.Va., 35-37--72e
Trent Leon, Dallas, Tex., 37-36--73e
Chris Nallen, Hackettstown, N.J., 36-37--73w
Charlie Soule, Longmont, Colo., 38-35--73e
Trip Kuehne, Dallas, Tex., 37-36--73e
Jeff Overton, Evansville, Ind., 35-38--73e
Madalitso Muthiya, Zambia, 37-36--73e
Mantor Hays, Palm Desert, Calif., 35-38--73e
Matt Harmon, Grand Rapids, Mich., 37-36--73w
Tyler Docking, Overland Park, Kans., 38-35--73e
Brandon Skeen, Jefferson City, Tenn., 34-39--73w
Terrence Miskell, New Braunfels, Tex., 38-35--73w
James Allenby, Canada, 38-35--73e
Barden Berry, Kinston, N.C., 39-34--73e
Patrick Sullivan, Maumelle, Ark., 37-36--73w
Roger Hoit, Summit, N.J., 36-37--73e
J. J. Jakovac, Napa, Calif., 41-32--73e
Andrew Medley, Athens, Ala., 36-37--73e
Danny Green, Jackson, Tenn., 40-33--73e
Bronson La'Cassie, Australia, 37-37--74w
Mike Putnam, Tacoma, Wash., 39-35--74w
Clint Deibert, Doylestown, Pa., 36-38--74w
John Keller, Bayside, N.Y., 37-37--74e
Jim Wilson, Durham, Calif., 38-36--74e
Michael Mitchell, Chevy Chase, Md., 35-39--74w
Shane Mason, San Diego, Calif., 37-37--74e
Jonathan Fricke, Covington, Ga., 37-37--74w
Daniel Mitchell, Oklahoma City, Okla., 35-39--74e
Andy Svoboda, Stamford, Conn., 37-37--74w
Mark Anderson, Sioux Falls, S.D., 38-36--74e
Dayton Rose, Midwest City, Okla., 37-37--74w
Pat Tallent, Vienna, Va., 36-38--74w
Kevin Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio, 34-40--74w
Ryan Baca, Richmond, Tex., 39-35--74e
Micheal Thompson, Tucson, Ariz., 37-37--74e
Jonathan Pauli, St. Johns, Mich., 36-38--74w
Duke Butler IV, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., 35-39--74w
David Brown, Upper St. Clair, Pa., 37-37--74e
Webb Simpson, Raleigh, N.C., 38-36--74e
Kyle McCarthy, St. Petersburg, Fla., 36-38--74w
Joseph Bramlett, Saratoga, Calif., 36-38--74e
Peter Laws, Canada, 37-37--74w
Frank Vana, Jr., Worcester, Mass., 36-38--74w
Robert Caton, Huntington Beach, Calif., 40-34--74e
Jack Ferguson, Seneca, S.C., 34-40--74w
Tom Miles, Dublin, Ohio, 36-38--74e
Clayton Ellis, Memphis, Tenn., 39-36--75e
Max Alverio, Humacao, P.R., 39-36--75e
Ryota Ito, Japan, 37-38--75w
Richard Scott, Canada, 38-37--75e
Mike Lane, Citrus Heights, Calif., 40-35--75w
Sean Szerencsits, Coplay, Pa., 37-38--75w
Nathan Smith, Santa Cruz, Calif., 39-36--75w
Jarred Texter, Lancaster, Pa., 36-39--75w
Robert Keller, Temecula, Calif., 38-37--75e
Sam Saunders, Windermere, Fla., 39-36--75e
Roberto Castro, Alpharetta, Ga., 36-39--75e
Skip Berkmeyer, St. Louis, Mo., 38-37--75e
Buck Williams, Raleigh, N.C., 38-37--75w
Brian Harman, Savannah, Ga., 37-38--75e
Lee Williams, Alexander City, Ala., 39-36--75e
Andrew McKenzie, Australia, 37-38--75e
Jim Lehman, Minneapolis, Minn., 36-39--75w
Andy Bare, West End, N.C., 37-38--75e
Anthony Kim, Norman, Okla., 38-37--75w
Brendan Hester, Sutton, Mass., 35-40--75e
Neal Grusczynski, West Allis, Wis., 36-39--75e
Tom Gieselman, Commerce Township, Mich., 41-34--75e
Matt Kodama, Las Vegas, Nev., 38-37--75w
Matt Keith, Springfield, Mo., 37-38--75w
Zack Reeves, Arlington, Tex., 40-35--75e
Tyson Alexander, Gainesville, Fla., 37-38--75e
Brian Gillespie, Wayne, Pa., 38-38--76w
Greg Reynolds, Grand Blanc, Mich., 38-38--76e
David Jones, Norwich, Conn., 37-39--76e
Tommy Medina, Thatcher, Ariz., 39-37--76w
Matthew Hicks, Sissonville, W.Va., 41-35--76e
Daryl Fathauer, Stuart, Fla., 39-37--76e
Richard Ross, Canada, 40-36--76w
Billy Wingerd, Baltimore, Md., 38-38--76w
Brady Myers, Colusa, Calif., 37-39--76e
Matthew Swan, Montgomery, Ala., 41-35--76e
Raymond Sheedy, Westminster, Md., 37-39--76e
Clark Brown, Navarre, Fla., 38-38--76e
Garrett Chaussard, Millbrae, Calif., 40-36--76w
Tyler Riley, Findlay, Ohio, 37-39--76e
Jeff Hood, Atascadero, Calif., 41-35--76e
Sihwan Kim, Fullerton, Calif., 38-38--76w
Kevin Kisner, Aiken, S.C., 38-38--76e
Ryan Stinnett, Amherst, Va., 38-38--76w
Doug Hurson, Bethesda, Md., 39-37--76e
Scott Micklewright, Harrisburg, Pa., 39-37--76e
Spencer Anderson, Los Angeles, Calif., 39-37--76e
Dustin Cone, Bennington, Vt., 38-38--76e
Andrew DiBitetto, Rochester, N.Y., 38-38--76w
Sam MacNaughton, Edmond, Okla., 40-36--76w
Tom Offutt , Arlington, Va., 38-38--76e
Jonathan Dismuke, Calhoun City, Miss., 36-40--76e
Tim Hogarth, Northridge, Calif., 39-37--76w
Jordan Cox, Redwood City, Calif., 34-42--76w
Tyler Leon, Dallas, Tex., 40-37--77e
Toby Ragland, Jacksonville, Fla., 40-37--77w
Cole Isban, South Bend, Ind., 40-37--77w
Harold Wyatt, Atlanta, Ga., 37-40--77w
Brendan Steele, Idyllwild, Calif., 37-40--77e
Tyler Smith, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 41-36--77w
Patton Kizzire, Tuscaloosa, Ala., 39-38--77w
John Griffin, Wilson, N.C., 37-40--77w
Steve Conway, Irvine, Calif., 40-37--77e
Luke Antonelli, Silt, Colo., 39-38--77w
Dave Pulk, Hudson, Ohio, 37-40--77e
Brad Coleman, Navarre, Ohio, 38-39--77e
Mike Castleforte, Springboro, Ohio, 39-38--77w
Christopher Gold, Haddonfield, N.J., 37-40--77w
Doug Clapp, Walpole, Mass., 39-38--77e
Andres Gonzales, Olympia, Wash., 37-40--77w
Ryan Cochran, Paducah, Ky., 40-37--77e
Jay Reynolds, Austin, Tex., 36-41--77e
Nick Juszczak, Phoenix, Ariz., 38-39--77e
Neal Jones, Charlotte, N.C., 40-37--77e
Bryan Bigley, Schenectady, N.Y., 38-39--77w
John Hayes, Littleton, Colo., 40-37--77e
Buddy Wilkins, Glen Ellyn, Ill., 37-40--77e
Ricky Carrillo, Mexico, 40-37--77w
Mark Strickland, Woodstock, Ga., 39-38--77w
David Spitz, Norwell, Mass., 40-37--77w
Chan Song, Orlando, Fla., 40-37--77w
Dan Whitaker, Cle Elum, Wash., 38-39--77w
J. J. Killeen, Lubbock, Tex., 42-35--77e
Brandon Bennett, Douglasville, Ga., 39-38--77e
Tim Schmitt, Garden City, N.Y., 42-36--78e
A. J. Elgert, Lincoln, Nebr., 39-39--78w
Brad Wilder, Florence, Ky., 41-37--78e
Tommy Mansuwan, Woodland Hills, Calif., 40-38--78w
Gary Wolstenholme, England, 37-41--78w
T. J. Shuart, Coral Springs, Fla., 38-40--78w
David Chung, Fayetteville, N.C., 42-36--78w
Mark Wentz, Deforest, Wis., 40-38--78e
Ryan Neal, Arlington, Tex., 37-41--78e
Jeff Wilson, Fairfield, Calif., 39-39--78w
Evertte Nini, Sour Lake, Tex., 39-39--78e
Jesse Schulte, Wichita, Kans., 37-41--78e
Trent Karlik, McKees Rocks, Pa., 38-40--78w
Bryan Baker, Whitehouse, Tex., 41-37--78e
David Schultz, Richardson, Tex., 40-38--78w
Bryan Norton, Mission Hills, Kans., 38-40--78e
Adam Mitchell, Chattanooga, Tenn., 37-41--78e
Jonathan Moore, Vancouver, Wash., 38-40--78e
Brian Brodell, Hortonville, Wis., 40-38--78e
Matt Davidson, West Windsor, N.J., 39-39--78w
Jon Veneziano, Mt. Dora, Fla., 42-36--78e
Juvic Pagunsan, Philippines, 39-39--78e
Matt Every, Daytona Beach, Fla., 39-39--78w
Austin Schauer, Spring, Tex., 37-41--78w
George Pirie, Warwick, R.I., 37-41--78e
Greg Peterson, Rochester, Minn., 40-38--78w
Peter Tomasulo, Long Beach, Calif., 36-42--78w
Joel Johnson, Portland, Ore., 39-39--78e
Nicholas Leyton, Aptos, Calif., 40-38--78e
Ryan McClintock, Monmouth, Ill., 40-38--78w
John O'Donnell, Los Angeles, Calif., 42-37--79e
Nicholas Baker, Madison, N.C., 39-40--79e
Brian Carroll, Crystal Lake, Ill., 38-41--79e
George Zahringer, New York, N.Y., 39-40--79e
Martin Ureta, Chile, 40-39--79w
Jonathan Lenz, San Antonio, Tex., 39-40--79e
Daniel Woltman, Beaver Dam, Wis., 42-37--79w
Daniel Macdonald, Manhasset, N.Y., 40-39--79w
Jamy Farrah, Potomac, Md., 38-41--79e
Phil Luong, New Zealand, 42-37--79w
Jake Thompson, Greenville, S.C., 39-40--79e
Darren Lundgren, St. Louis, Mo., 37-42--79e
Benoit Gordon, Canada, 40-39--79e
Brent Blaum, Coral Gables, Fla., 41-38--79e
Michael Young, Jacksonville, Fla., 42-37--79e
Kemp Richardson, Laguna Niguel, Calif., 40-39--79e
Jeff Nichols, Mesa, Ariz., 41-38--79w
Brian Anderson, Rochester, Ill., 39-40--79w
Andy Cooper, The Woodlands, Tex., 40-39--79e
Tim Acquaviva, Andover, Mass., 42-37--79w
Chris Heintz, Brea, Calif., 39-40--79w
Justin Elliott, Demopolis, Ala., 39-40--79e
Jay Choi, Cerritos, Calif., 38-41--79e
Michael McDermott, Havertown, Pa., 41-38--79e
Mu Hu, China, 39-41--80e
Kyle Williamson, Midland, Mich., 40-40--80w
Scott Vermeer, Boise, Idaho, 39-41--80e
Ryan Posey, Dallas, Tex., 40-40--80e
Kyle Reifers, Dublin, Ohio, 38-42--80e
Mike McCoy, West Des Moines, Iowa, 38-42--80w
Jimmy Cunningham, Walkersville, Md., 41-39--80e
David Fern, Pullman, Wash., 41-39--80w
Eddie Kenny, Lake Worth, Fla., 39-41--80w
Zess Willis, Montgomery, Ala., 41-39--80w
Martin Catalioto, Hilton Head Island, S.C., 43-37--80w
Mike Rider, Manhattan, Mont., 41-39--80w
Jason D'Amore, Manhattan Beach, Calif., 40-40--80e
Ryan Hill, Longview, Tex., 42-38--80w
Ross Beal, Uniontown, Ohio, 40-40--80w
James Hockman, North Myrtle Beach, S.C., 38-42--80e
Sam Osborne, England, 39-41--80w
Brian Williams, Skaneateles, N.Y., 38-42--80w
Michael Welch, Quincy, Mass., 40-40--80w
Adam Howell, Rocky Mount, N.C., 40-40--80w
Bob Royak, Alpharetta, Ga., 40-40--80w
Brandon Lawson, Elburn, Ill., 38-42--80e
Patrick Fillian, Neptune, N.J., 38-42--80w
Ted Smith, Westlake, Ohio, 39-41--80e
Drew Scott, Henderson, Nev., 41-39--80w
Lee Kolquist, Geneva, Ill., 41-39--80w
Jonathan Taruc, Las Vegas, Nev., 40-40--80w
Brett Swedberg, Alexandria, Minn., 39-41--80e
Tim Lynch, Lake Forest, Ill., 39-41--80e
Todd Shagin, Ridgewood, N.J., 43-38--81e
Dustin Pimm, Draper, Utah, 41-40--81e
Michael Jensen, Los Altos, Calif., 42-39--81e
Brad Tilley, Chappaqua, N.Y., 41-40--81e
Gus Sylvan, Columbia, S.C., 40-41--81e
Joe Stansberry, Bloomington, Minn., 44-37--81e
John Matune, Hermitage, Pa., 38-43--81w
Brian Mahoney, Palm Desert, Calif., 42-39--81w
Justin Smith, Franklin, Pa., 42-39--81w
Ryan Panichpakdee, Long Beach, Calif., 43-38--81e
Brian Stuard, Jackson, Mich., 43-38--81w
Andrew Dresser, Carrollton, Tex., 40-41--81w
Tyler Hall, Wayne, N.J., 42-39--81w
Charlie Holland, Dallas, Tex., 44-37--81e
Takeshi Fuchigami, Tampa, Fla., 40-41--81w
Sandy Pierce, Houston, Tex., 36-45--81w
Frederick Waddell, Wilmette, Ill., 40-41--81w
Jason Hodges, St. Simons Island, Ga., 38-43--81w
Spencer Provow, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 40-41--81w
Marc Rhoades, McCall, Idaho, 39-42--81w
Spencer Dennis, Arroyo Grande, Calif., 42-39--81w
Rick Reinsberg, Lafayette, Calif., 42-39--81w
Mike Greer, Vadnais Heights, Minn., 41-40--81w
Mike Goodes, Reidsville, N.C., 41-40--81w
Zac Reynolds, Edmond, Okla., 42-40--82w
Travis Davis, Lincoln, Nebr., 41-41--82w
Chris Epperson, Savannah, Ga., 40-42--82w
Chris Lange, Bryn Mawr, Pa., 42-40--82w
Manny Dasilva, Middletown, Conn., 40-42--82w
B. K. Suhr, Windermere, Fla., 43-39--82w
Mark Fernando, San Diego, Calif., 41-41--82e
Jamie Frazier, Glasgow, Ky., 40-42--82w
Billy Auger, East Providence, R.I., 40-42--82e
Will Shambley, Cary, N.C., 40-42--82e
Bill Roach Jr., Knoxville, Tenn., 42-40--82w
Tevis Upton, Douglasville, Ga., 39-43--82w
Frank Abbott, Napa, Calif., 41-41--82e
Barry Fabyan, Charlotte, N.C., 43-39--82w
Abbie Valentine, Bayville, N.Y., 46-37--83e
Brandon Christianson, Valencia, Calif., 42-41--83w
Ty Cline, Wichita, Kans., 42-41--83w
John Crowley, Greenwich, Conn., 39-44--83w
Brett Wilson, Dover, N.H., 39-44--83w
Jimmy Lytle, Ocean Ridge, Fla., 42-41--83w
Alan Burnett, Charlotte, N.C., 41-42--83e
Matthew Maskel, Morris, Ill., 40-43--83e
Justin Scott, Monroeville, Pa., 43-40--83w
Weston Bingham, Victoria, Tex., 40-43--83e
Bill Nelson, Lakeland, Fla., 46-37--83w
Byan Shumate, Kennett, Mo., 42-41--83w
Matt Kleinrock, Lincoln Park, N.J., 44-40--84w
Jeff Berkshire, Litchfield Park, Ariz., 42-42--84w
Drew Pigg, Plano, Tex., 42-42--84w
Dan Smith, Ogden, Utah, 41-43--84e
Brad Uptgraft, Valencia, Calif., 44-40--84w
Tim Pemberton, Charlottesville, Va., 43-41--84w
Mike Haynes, Gallipolis, Ohio, 43-41--84e
Allan Small, Florham Park, N.J., 41-43--84w
Gary Blados, Shelter Island, N.Y., 41-43--84e
Greg Lopez, San Clemente, Calif., 37-47--84w
Jay Csipkes, McKinney, Tex., 44-40--84e
Eric Hastings, Spokane, Wash., 40-44--84e
Phil Telliard, Riverside, Calif., 42-42--84w
Eric Fiskum, Salem, Ore., 43-41--84w
Dan Kleckner, Houston, Tex., 45-39--84e
Shawn Stefani, Baytown, Tex., 40-45--85e
John Blackwell, Wilmington, N.C., 43-42--85e
Seath Lauer, Bradenton, Fla., 44-41--85w
Benjamin Hartman, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., 43-42--85w
Adam Betz, St. Louis, Mo., 41-44--85e
Eric Spencer, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., 41-44--85w
Brian Craver, Hurst, Tex., 42-43--85w
Ryan Hoskins, Scottsdale, Ariz., 43-43--86w
Travis Bertoni, Paso Robles, Calif., 43-43--86e
Ricky Jones, Thomaston, Maine, 41-45--86e
Elso Caponi, Orlando, Fla., 44-42--86e
Judd Easterling, Dixon, Mo., 44-42--86w
Mike Booker, The Woodlands, Tex., 43-44--87w
Marc Noel, Abbeville, La., 44-43--87w
Ron Harvey, Jr., Canada, DQ
