Davis Wins Playoff Spot to Advance to Match Play at U.S. Amateur

Story Links

University Place, WA – Virginia golfer Amory Davis needed to do a little extra work Wednesday morning, but the UVa senior advanced into the 64-player field of match play at the 2010 U.S. Amateur Championship taking place at Chambers Bay Golf Club in University Place, Wash.

Cavalier coach Bowen Sargent and UVa senior Henry Smart did not advance out of stroke play. Smart was 75th overall at 150, missing the playoff by a single stroke. Sargent was 18th in the 312-player field at 156.

Following Tuesday’s second round of stroke play, Davis was tied for 59th at 149. He and 15 other golfers returned to the course Wednesday morning for a playoff for one of six spots into the match play field. Five players made birdie on the first playoff hole leaving Davis and five other competitors to battle for the last spot into match play. Davis knocked in a 12-foot birdie putt on Chambers Bay’s 11th hole to advance.

“That is by far the hardest hole out here,” Sargent said. “So to see Amory knock down a birdie putt there was exciting. He’s pretty fired up to qualify for the match play and looking forward to the challenge of facing the overall No. 1 seed in his first match.”

Davis will compete against 47-year-old Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, Calif. in the opening round of match play at 2:10 p.m. PT. Wilson won the stroke play medal by shooting 7-under 136, including a 10-under 62 on the opening day at The Home Course. Wilson was the medalist at the 2000 U.S. Amateur and the 2000, 2001 and 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur. He was also the low amateur at the 2000 U.S. Open.

The second and third rounds of match play are scheduled for Thursday, followed by the quarterfinal round on Friday, the semifinal round on Saturday and the 36-hole final on Sunday.

Live scoring is online at the USGA website.