Moore And List Advance To U.S. Amateur Final

Mamaroneck, N.Y. - Ryan Moore, 21, of Puyallup, Wash., the NCAA Division I champion who has won all four golf events he has entered since late May, and Luke List, 19, of Ringgold, Ga., won semifinal matches Saturday and Saturday to the championship match of the U.S. Amateur at Winged Foot Golf Club.

"I'm just excited," Moore said about making his fourth USGA final by defeating Jeff Overton of Evansville, Ind., 2 and 1. "I'm just glad to give myself a chance to win. My goal this year was to always be in contention. Right here, that's what I did this week. I gave myself that chance. Now, I've just got to take care of it (Sunday)."

Chris Nallen celebrates sinking a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to square his semifinal match with Luke List and send the match to extra holes. List won the match with a birdie of his own on the 19th hole. (John Mummert/USGA)

Moore's semifinal victory came just before play was suspended at 1:31 p.m. because of rain and lightning. In the other match on Winged Foot's 7,266-yard West Course, which resumed after a delay of three hours and 22 minutes, List staved off a late challenge by Chris Nallen, 22, of Hackettstown, N.J., the runner-up at the NCAAs, to win in 19 holes. The match resumed on the 16^th hole with List holding a 2-up lead.

The scheduled 36-hole final begins at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

In addition to winning the NCAA title, Moore has wins at the Sahalee Players, the U.S. Amateur Public Links and the Western Amateur. He has won six of the last eight golf events in which he has competed. He also qualified for the 2002 U.S. Open and made the cut at the 2003 Masters Tournament.

The 2003 USA Walker Cup squad member is vying to become the first stroke play medalist to win the Amateur since Tiger Woods in 1996. Moore's match play record in all USGA championships combined (7) is now 26-4.

In addition, Moore is attempting to join Bob Jones and Chick Evans (U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open), Jay Sigel (U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur) and Pearl Sinn (U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links and U.S. Women's Amateur), who won two USGA championships in the same year.

Overton, the 2004 Big 10 Conference Player of the Year, held a 2-up lead through four holes, after Moore registered two bogeys. Moore squared the match with wins on the 5^th and 8^th holes but Overton won No. 9 after another Moore bogey.

"He was on fire," Overton said of Moore. "If you can putt your ball like that on these greens, you deserve to win. I wasn't able to knock down as many putts as he was and that's what it came down to."

The two-time Amateur Public Links champion took the lead for good with a birdie from 22 feet on the par-3 13^th and extended it to 2-up with a win on the 14^th when Overton's up-and-down attempt from greenside rough produced a bogey.

List, a 2003 U.S. Open qualifier, eagled the par-4 4^th from 150 yards with a pitching wedge to take a 1-up lead, which he held until the 18^th hole.

"I expected to come in here and do well but I guess I didn't expect to come this far," said List. "Now that I have, it feels great. Why not see if we can go all the way."

Before the weather delay, List, a sophomore at Vanderbilt, birdied the 15^th hole to take a 2-up lead. Upon resumption of play, Nallen, a 2003 USA Walker Cupper, won holes 16 and then, 18 with a 40-foot birdie putt to send the match to extra holes. On the 19^th hole (Winged Foot West's 17^th), List, a 2003 Amateur Public Links semifinalist, ripped an 8-iron to three feet. Nallen could not hole a 20-foot chip and List converted his birdie to advance.

Finalists receive an exemption from qualifying from the 2005 U.S. Open and a traditional invitation to the next Masters Tournament, if they remain amateurs. The champion also receives an invitation to the next British Open Championship as well as a gold medal and custody of a Havemeyer Trophy replica for the ensuing year.

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

Mamaroneck, N.Y. - Results from Saturday's semifinal round of match play at the U.S. Amateur Championship, at the 7,266-yard, par 35-35--70, West Course at Winged Foot Golf Club:

#1 Ryan Moore, Puyallup, Wash. (139) def. #20 Jeff Overton, Evansville, Ind. (146), 2 and 1

#6 Luke List, Ringgold, Ga. (143) def. #10 Chris Nallen, Hackettstown, N.J. (144), 19 holes

Mamaroneck, N.Y. - Pairing for Sunday's final round of match play (36 holes) at the U.S. Amateur Championship, at the 7,266-yard, par 35-35--70, West Course at Winged Foot Golf Club (Times are EDT):

8:30 a.m. - #1 Ryan Moore, Puyallup, Wash. (139) vs. Luke List, Ringgold, Ga. (143)