Walker-Cupper Kim, USGA Champion Eaton Reach Quarterfinals At U.S. Amateur

Ardmore, Pa. – Anthony Kim, 20, of LaQuinta, Calif., who played on the winning USA Walker Cup team earlier this month, sank a 12-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole Thursday afternoon to seal a come-from-behind win in his third-round match against Jay Choi, 21, of Cerritos, Calif., at the U.S. Amateur at historic Merion Golf Club. Kim and 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Austin Eaton III, 36, of North Sutton, N.H., were two of the eight who advanced to the quarterfinals on Friday.

	Canadian J.C. Deacon points to the hole after sinking his putt on the 10th green. (John Mummert/USGA)

Kim had an easy time beating Webb Simpson, 20, of Raleigh, N.C., in the second round, 4 and 2, but struggled to get by Choi in the afternoon. He needed one-putt pars on the final three holes of regulation just to stay square with Choi before closing the match with a birdie at the 19^th hole.

"He hit it better than me all day," said Kim of his opponent. "If anyone who didn’t know golf was watching that match, they wouldn’t believe that I actually won. I guess I’m living on the edge, but there are glimpses of better ball-striking out there. So I’m excited about tomorrow."

Eaton defeated Great Britain and Ireland Walker-Cupper Rhys Davies of Wales in his third round match, 1 up, after beating 18-year-old Korean-born Seung-Su Han in his second-round match, 3 and 1.

"I don’t know how I fit in," said Eaton, who is in the house construction business with his father. "This is uncharted territory for me. Normally, I’m used to playing against guys with jobs."

Three Canadians are among the five international golfers still alive. The Canadians are J.C. Deacon, 22; Mark Leon, 23; and Ryan Yip, 20. Dawie van der Walt, 22, of South Africa, and Edoardo Molinari, 24, of Italy, were also double winners. Dillon Dougherty, 22, of Evanston, Ill., a senior at Northwestern who once caddied for Tiger Woods when he played at Stanford, also advanced.

"We are starting to come out and show ourselves at these national tournaments," said Yip, a member of the newly-created Canadian National Team. "We’re going to have a lot more great Canadian amateurs soon. I can see it happening."

Play continues through the 36-hole final scheduled for Sunday on NBC, with the winner earning exemptions into next year’s U.S. Open, British Open and Masters Tournament, if he remains an amateur.

The Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs. The Amateur is the Association’s oldest championship, first played in 1895.

Results

Ardmore, Pa. – Results of Thursday’s second and third rounds of match play at the U.S. Amateur at the par 35-35—70, 6,846-yard Merion Golf Club:

Second Round Results

Upper Bracket
Dane Burkhart, Aiken, S.C. (144) def. James Lepp, Canada (135), 2 and 1.
Dillon Dougherty, Woodland, Calif. (143) def. Gary Wolstenholme, England (143), 4 and 2.
Ryan Yip, Canada (146) def. Brett Stegmaier, Hamden, Conn. (145), 2 up.
Brian Harman, Savannah, Ga. (146) def. David Denham, Tifton, Ga. (144), 6 and 5.
Mark Leon, Canada (144) def. Billy Hurley, Leesburg, Va., (146), 1 up.
Kevin Chappell, Fresno, Calif. (146) def. David Lutterus, Australia (143), 4 and 2.
George Zahringer, New York, N.Y. (145) def. Oliver Fisher, England (146), 5 and 4.
J.C. Deacon, Canada (146) def. Nathan Smith, Brookville, Pa. (143), 3 and 2.

Lower Bracket
Korey Mahoney, East Lansing, Mich. (139) def. Brad Tilley, Chappaqua, N.Y. (144), 2 up.
Dawie Van Der Walt, South Africa (143) def. Nicholas Thompson, Coral Springs, Fla. (143), 1 up.
Matthew Swan, Montgomery, Ala. (146) def. Michael Sim, Australia (145), 19 holes.
Edoardo Molinari, Italy (146) def. Matthew Every, Daytona Beach, Fla. (145), 19 holes.
Jay Choi, Korea (140) def. Ryan Blaum, Coral Gables, Fla. (144), 4 and 3.
Anthony Kim, LaQuinta, Calif. (146) def. Webb Simpson, Raleigh, N.C. (143), 4 and 2.
Austin Eaton III, North Sutton, N.H. (141) def. Seung-Su Han, Las Vegas, Nev. (144), 3 and 1.
Rhys Davies, Wales (145) def. Arnond Vongvanij, Bradenton, Fla. (146), 4 and 2.

Third Round Results

Upper Bracket
1:15 p.m. –Dougherty def. Burkhart, 2 and 1.
1:25 p.m. – Yip def. Harman, 1 up.
1:35 p.m. – Leon def. Chappell, 1 up.
1:45 p.m. – Deacon def. Zahringer, 1 up.

Lower Bracket
1:55 p.m. – van der Walt def. Mahoney, 5 and 4.
2:05 p.m. – Molinari def. Swan, 3 and 2.
2:15 p.m. – Kim def. Choi, 19 holes.
2:25 p.m. – Eaton vs. Davies

Pairings

Ardmore, Pa. – Pairings for Friday’s quarterfinal round of match play at the U.S. Amateur at the par 35-35—70, 6,846-yard Merion Golf Club (Times are EDT):

12:15 p.m. – Dillon Dougherty, Woodland, Calif. (143) vs. Ryan Yip, Canada (146)
12:30 p.m. – Mark Leon, Canada (144) vs. J.C. Deacon, Canada (146)
12:45 p.m. – Dawie van der Walt, South Africa (143) vs. Edoardo Molinari, Italy (146)
1:00 p.m. – Anthony Kim, LaQuinta, Calif. (146) vs. Austin Eaton III, North Sutton, N.H. (141)