Moore Wants More

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Mamaroneck, N.Y. - Has there ever been an amateur as hot as Ryan Moore?

Coming into the U.S. Amateur this week, the Nevada-Las Vegas senior has been playing as well as anyone can play. Tearing it up probably would be more apropos.

The unpretentious 21-year-old who positioned himself to be medalist would have every reason to walk around with an ego as big as the moon. But he doesn't. And he certainly won't allow himself to get caught up in the accolades.

To say the least, this year has been remarkable. It started with a victory at the National Invitational Tournament and, along the way, Moore has been at the helm of a momentous snowball that has collided with success.

Consider the achievements: he followed the NIT victory with wins at the Mountain West Conference Championship (with a record 10-under score); the NCAA Individual Championship that earned him the Arnold Palmer Award; the U.S. Amateur Public Links; the Sahalee Players Championship; and the Western Amateur.

At the APL, he trailed briefly in just one of the six matches (105 holes). That was in his 2-and-1 victory over Andrew Price in the first round.

To illustrate how sizzling Moore's game has been, the Puyallup, Wash., native has accumulated 39 of 41 under-par rounds in competition since last October. He nearly went 38 of 41 Tuesday when he bogeyed his first three holes out of the chute. He just told himself to shoot par thereafter. Of course, he did, finishing even-par 70.

The dry-witted Moore found humor in it.

"I bogeyed the first three holes today," he said. "That was awesome."

The prevailing wisdom is that with winning, the golfing sleepyheads are awakened. No longer can Moore fly under the proverbial radar. It's just the opposite. He's the blip that no one can seem to catch.

It also means Moore has to be a mark for anyone who plays him. Think about it. What better way to pad a golfing resume by boasting you took down Moore at the Amateur?

However, he wouldn't allow himself to be sucked into the whole bulls-eye-on-his-back theory.

"If they are [gunning for me], that's great," he said. "Um, I don't know, I don't what to say other than it's great."

It should be noted that no player in the history of golf has won the APL and Amateur in the same year. Billy Mayfair came the closest, winning the APL in 1986 before following up with the Amateur title the next year.

It's not like Moore hasn't visited this place before, trying to win both in the same year. Two years ago, coming off his first APL title, Moore had a chance to take Mayfair's name out of the equation altogether. But he couldn't pull it off, promptly losing to Dustin Bray in the Amateur quarterfinals after being told of the obscure fact.

He played coy Tuesday, just off the West Course's ninth green, saying, "I don't think anyone has done that [won] in the same year."

He didn't exactly volunteer to put the cart before the horse, so to speak, but winning both has crossed his mind. If he should, he'd be the first player to win the Amateur and Western Amateur in the same year since Bubba Dickerson in 2001.

"It would be amazing," said Moore. "This is the one everyone wants."

Yet he knows six grueling matches have to be endured before holding the U.S. Amateur Championship Cup.

That said, he had little use for being medalist if his score should hold up.

"My goal in any form of stroke play is to go out and shoot even par," he said. "Being the medalist is a bonus.

"The tournament starts tomorrow."