- photo by Robert Walker, USGA
Norman, Okla. – Medalist Nick Taylor, 21, of Canada continued his impressive run, advancing to the quarterfinals at the 2009 U.S. Amateur Public Links by winning his third round match, 6 and 5, over Todd Obergoenner, 23, of Cape Girardeau, Mo. at the 7,289-yard, par-71 Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club.
Taylor, who has held the lead for all but two of the 39 holes he has played in his three matches thus far, had beaten Brett Munson of Louisville, Ky., 8 and 6, earlier in the day.
"It’s been a while since my ball striking has been this good," said Taylor, who holed a bunker shot on the 589-yard, par-5 13th hole to close out his match against Obergoenner. "I’ve been hitting a lot of greens, my distance control has been great, and I have been putting pretty good. So it’s been a nice combination."
Meanwhile, Oklahoma State star Rickie Fowler, 20, of Murrieta, Calif., was defeated by Sam Lyons, 1 up, in the third round. Fowler won his second round match, 4 and 3, over Alton Anderson Jr., of Thousand Oaks, Calif.
With the match all square and both players on the 18th green in three shots, Lyons, 20, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., sank a 22-foot birdie putt with Fowler still to play. When Fowler missed his putt just left of the hole, Lyons advanced to the quarterfinals, scheduled to begin on Friday morning.
“I saw the line on that last putt pretty good, and I played a little bit extra break to what I originally thought,” said Lyons. “It had perfect speed and went right into the center. So it’s a big accomplishment to beat one of the top-ranked amateurs in the country.”
The six other players that advanced to the quarterfinals are University of Oklahoma assistant golf coach Phil Bryan of Norman, Okla.; University of Nebraska rising senior Brandon Crick of McCook, Neb.; University of South Carolina sophomore Wesley Bryan of Chapin, S.C.; UNLV junior Eddie Olson of Aptos, Calif.; LSU sophomore Sang Yi of Carrollton, Texas and a native of South Korea; and recent University of Memphis graduate Brad Benjamin of Rockford, Ill.
The U.S. Amateur Public Links, established in 1922 for bona fide public course players, is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
Story written by David Normoyle and Dave Fanucchi, USGA communications. Contact them with questions or comments at dnormoyle@usga.org or dfanucchi@usga.org.
ABOUT THE U.S. Amateur Public Links
The U.S. Amateur Public Links is one of 13
national championships conducted by the
USGA.
It is designed for players who do not have
playing
privileges at a private club. See USGA
website for
details and complete description of
eligibility
requirements.
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