Medalist Moore, Levin Among 16 To Advance To Third Round

Mamaroneck, N.Y. - Two of the nation's hottest college golfers, medalist Ryan Moore, 21, of Puyallup, Wash., and Spencer Levin, 20, of Elk Grove, Calif., who finished tied for 13^th at this year's U.S. Open, head a group of 16 players who advanced Thursday morning to the third round at the U.S. Amateur at Winged Foot Golf Club.

Chris Nallen during the second round of match play of the 2004 U.S. Amateur Championship at Winged Foot GC in Mamaroneck, N.Y., Thursday, August 19, 2004. (Copyright USGA/John Mummert)

Moore, who plays at Nevada-Las Vegas and won the U.S. Amateur Public Links title for the second time earlier this year, defeated Greg Peterson of Rochester, Minn., 6 and 4. The 2003 USA Walker Cupper, who also won the 2004 Western Amateur, faces Australia's Aron Price, the winner of this year's Rice Planters and the Players Amateur, in the third round.

"I wore out the middle of the fairways and the greens and I was able capitalize and make a few more putts that I didn't make (Wednesday)," said Moore, who won medalist honors in stroke play, qualified for the 2002 Open and made the cut at the 2003 Masters. He made six birdies in 13 holes.

Levin took his first lead on the 10^th hole and held on to it for a 2-and-1 win over Frank Vana Jr, of Worcester, Mass. Levin faces 1999 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Danny Green, 47, the oldest remaining competitor, who defeated James Allenby of Canada, 4 and 3.

"I won and that's all that matters," said Levin, a junior at New Mexico who also won the Northern California and California State Amateurs earlier this summer. "We didn't tie many holes and we each had some bad holes."

Hale Irwin, who won the 1974 U.S. Open at Winged Foot's West Course, calls it the toughest course he's ever played. Andy Svoboda, 24, of Stamford, Conn., calls it home. He's a four-time club champion and is enjoying his most successful U.S. Amateur in his fourth appearance.

"Anything now is a bonus because this is the farthest I've gone," said Svoboda, who beat Robert Keller of Temecula, Calif., 6 and 5. "There's a little added pressure but also it's the opportunity of a lifetime to play in front of my fellow members and friends at Winged Foot."

Chris Nallen of Hackettstown, N.J., who played on the 2003 USA Walker Cup squad, beat NCAA freshman of the year Anthony Kim of Norman, Okla., 3 and 2.

"My putter was hot early," said Nallen. "You keep going with it. The front nine I put myself in some good spots so that I could be aggressive with my putts."

Among other advancers were two-time Public Links finalist Dayton Rose of Midwest City, Okla.; Vanderbilt sophomore Luke List of Ringgold, Ga., who beat two-time Walker Cupper Trip Kuehne; 1996 Amateur Public Links winner Tim Hogarth of Northridge, Calif.; and Big 10 Conference Player of the Year Jeff Overton of Evansville, Ind.

The quarterfinals are set for Friday, the semifinals for Saturday and the 36-hole final on Sunday. Winners in this afternoon's third round are exempt from having to qualify for the 2005 U.S. Amateur.

The 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 Pete Kowalski, Manager of USGA Media Relations. He can be reached at pkowalski@usga.org.

Mamaroneck, N.Y. - Results of Thursday's second 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:

Upper Bracket

Ryan Moore, Puyallup, Wash. (139) def. Gary Peterson, Rochester, Minn. (148), 6 and 4
Aron Price, Australia (149) def. Kevin Kisner, Aiken, S.C. (146), 2 and 1
Tim Hogarth, Northridge, Calif. (144) def. Terrence Miskell, New Braunfels, Texas (148), 1 up
Jason Hartwick, Sacramento, Calif. (144) def. Jeff Hood, Atascadero, Calif. (148), 4 and 3
Nicholas Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla. (148) def. Bronson La'Cassie, Australia (141), 3 and 2.
Jeff Overton, Evansville, Ind. (146) def. John Keller, Bayside, N.Y. (149), 5 and 4.
Andy Svoboda, Stamford, Conn. (143) def. Robert Keller, Temecula, Calif. (147), 6 and 5
Tyler Docking, Overland Park, Kan. (146) def. Madalitso Muthiya, Zambia (149), 20 holes

Lower Bracket

Nick Cook, Shelton, Conn. (140) def. Jordan Nasser, Anaheim Hills, Calif. (148), 1 up
Dayton Rose, Midwest City, Okla. (146) def. Brian Gillespie, Wayne, Pa. (149), 19 holes
Chad Poling, Delaware, Ohio (143) def. J.J. Jakovac, Napa, Calif. (147), 7 and 6
Chris Nallen, Hackettstown, N.J. (144) def. Anthony Kim, Norman, Okla. (147), 3 and 2
Danny Green, Jackson, Tenn. (148) def. James Allenby, Canada (150), 4 and 3
Spencer Levin, Elk Grove, Calif. (145) def. Frank Vana Jr., Worcester, Mass. (149), 2 and 1
Luke List, Ringgold, Ga. (143) def. Trip Kuehne, Dallas, Texas. (147), 2 and 1
John Holmes, Campbellsville, Ky. (144) def. Tom Glissmeyer, Colorado Springs, Colo. (149), 2 and 1

Third Round Pairings

1:15 p.m. - Moore vs. Price
1:25 p.m. - Hogarth vs. Hartwick
1:35 p.m. - Thompson vs. Overton
1:45 p.m. - Svoboda vs. Docking
1:55 p.m. - Cook vs. Rose
2:05 p.m. - Poling vs. Nallen
2:15 p.m. - Green vs. Levin
2:25 p.m. - List vs. Holmes