Dillon Dougherty Holds 3-Up Lead After 18 Holes Of U.S. Amateur Final

Edoardo Molinari watches his second shot on the 14th hole. (John Mummert/USGA)

Ardmore, Pa. – Dillon Dougherty, 22, of Woodland, Calif., won three consecutive holes in the middle of the morning’s first round and holds a 3-up advantage over Edorado Molinari, 24, of Italy, heading into the last 18 holes of the championship final match of the U.S. Amateur Sunday afternoon at historic Merion Golf Club.

Dougherty, who’s father, Dan, is his caddie, never trailed. The two golfers traded a couple holes early before Dougherty, a senior at Northwestern University, won holes 9, 10 and 11 with a birdie and two pars for a 3-up lead. Molinari, who will graduate with an engineering degree from Politecnico do Torino next month, righted the ship to take the next hole. But Dougherty increased his lead again with a winning par on the 17^th.

"I don’t want to play any different this afternoon," said Dougherty. "Considering the early rain and the nerves of being in the final, I think I hit a lot of quality shots."

With the general concessions for match play, Dougherty made three birdies and six bogeys for his first 18 holes. Molinari made two birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey.

Molinari, who won the 2001 Italian Amateur and the 2003 Turkish Amateur, had planned to turn professional this fall and attempt to join the European Tour, where his younger brother, Francesco, already plays, but his success in the Amateur has altered his plans.

Championship Facts

U.S. Amateur Championship

PAR AND YARDAGE – Merion Golf Club will play at 6,846 yards and par 34-36—70. The Philadelphia Country Club course, which will be used for the first two days of stroke play, will play at 6,967 yards and par 35-35– 70.

MERION GOLF CLUB – Hugh Wilson designed the championship course at Merion Golf Club (East Course), which opened in 1912. William Flynn and Howard Toomey designed Philadelphia Country Club (Spring/Mill Course), which opened in 1927. Interesting, Wilson and Flynn were good friends, with Flynn being the first superintendent at Merion.

TICKETS AVAILABLE – Tickets can be purchased by calling the U.S. Amateur office at (484) 708-1050. Daily tickets are $15 and $60 for a weekly pass. More extensive ticket options are also available. Children 17 and under are admitted free if accompanied by a paying adult.

COURSE SET-UP – Merion Golf Club will be set for green speeds of approximately 11-feet 6 inches on the Stimpmeter. The primary rough will be grown to 4 inches, with a strip of intermediate rough cut to 1½ inches in height. Bent grass covers both the fairways and greens.

NO PAST CHAMPIONS – No past Amateur champion entered the 2005 championship. Each of the winners over the past 10 years, who would have been exempt, has turned professional, forfeiting their eligibility for the championship.

TELEVISION COVERAGE – The U.S. Amateur will have 10 hours of live national coverage on The Golf Channel and NBC over the last five days of the championship.

The Golf Channel

First Round Matches – Wed. (Aug. 24), 3-5 p.m. (EDT)
Third Round Matches – Thurs. (Aug. 25), 4-6 p.m. (EDT)
Quarterfinal Matches – Fri. (Aug. 26), 3-5 p.m. (EDT)

NBC

Semifinal Matches – Sat. (Aug. 27), 4-6 p.m. (EDT)
Championship Match – Sun. (Aug. 28), 4-6 p.m. (EDT)


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