Aug. 17, 2012
• U.S. Amateur Championship Live Scoring CHERRY HILLS, Colo. - Husky golfers Chris Williams and Cheng-Tsung Pan both lost in the quarterfinals of match play on Friday ending their impressive runs at the U.S. Amateur Championship in Cherry Hills, Colo. The Husky duo had a chance to play each other in Saturday's semifinals at the par-71 Cherry Hills Country Club if they won on Friday, but instead they both were sent home by their opponents. Neither Pan, nor Williams had trailed in any of their previous three matches before Friday. Williams, who is trying to hold on to the No. 1 amateur ranking after this week, dropped a 4 and 2 decision to Steven Fox of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. The senior-to-be All-American from Moscow, Idaho went one hole back on No. 3 when Fox birdied and then dug himself into a deeper deficit when he bogeyed No. 4 to go two back. Fox added to his lead on No. 6 and No. 9 to make the turn up by four. Williams was unable to mount a comeback over the next five holes as Fox matched him shot-for-shot. Williams finally gained a hole back on No. 15 by scoring a birdie when Fox was dormie. But, just a hole later, Williams conceded with a par on 16 giving Fox a spot in Saturday's semifinals. Just behind Williams on the course was his teammate, Pan. The Husky from Taiwan drew a familiar face in Cal's Brandon Hagy. Pan jumped out to an early lead on No. 3 and extended it to two by fourth hole, but from there was shutout the rest of the match. Hagy began his climb back on No. 5 and went on a tear by winning three-straight holes. His lead grew to 3 up when he won both No.'s 10 and 11 and eventually put the match away, 4 and 3, after winning the 15th hole. The winner and the runner-up will both earn exemptions into the 2013 U.S. Open and Masters Championship. The semifinals will be held on Saturday and a 36-hole final match will be played on Sunday. Williams now must wait to see if he can hold onto the No. 1 ranking after this week. An exemption for the 2013 U.S. Open and Open Championships are on the line for the top-ranked player after this week's tournament. |
