U.S. Mid-Am: Two former champs advance

BANDON, Ore. (Oct. 2, 2007)-- Two past champions, Nathan Smith of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Kevin Marsh of Las Vegas, Nev., highlight the 16 early winners Tuesday in the second round of match play at the 2007 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Smith, who won the 2003 Mid-Amateur, defeated Packard Dewitt of Germantown, Tenn., 1-up. Smith held a 3-up lead through 12 holes but Dewitt won three straight holes to square the match. Dewitt double bogeyed the par-4 17th for the difference in the match. "I knew I had my work cut out for me after getting the 64th seed,” Smith said. Marsh, the 2005 champion, defeated Nathan Tyler of Tucson, Ariz., 4 & 3. "Just because I’ve won this thing doesn’t mean people are going to lie down,” Marsh said. “They don’t care. They want to win their match as bad as I do.” Also advancing to the third round, which is being played Tuesday afternoon, were 1996 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion Tim Hogarth of Northridge, Calif., and three-time USA Walker Cup team member Trip Kuehne of Irving, Texas. Prominent among those who were eliminated are Danny Green of Jackson, Tenn., the 1999 champion, who lost to Dan Whitaker of Cle Elum, Wash., in 19 holes, and Buddy Marucci, two-time USA Walker Cup player, who was defeated by Michael Pearson of Alpharetta, Ga., 3 & 2. Jordan Byrd of Clemson, S.C. defeated Brandon Kearney of Bend, the only remaining player from Oregon, in the second round, 3 & 2. The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of match play will be conducted Wednesday and the 36-hole championship final is set for Thursday. The match play portion of the championship is being played on the par-72, 6,966-yard Bandon Dunes Course.