• Whitekiller wins Sahalee Players Championship
By RON BALICKI
Senior WriterPINEHURST, N.C. – After carrying his own bag for 36 holes of stroke play and three matches in two days – two of which went extra holes – with temperatures near 90 degrees, Kevin O’Connell was worn out.
The North Carolina sophomore decided it was time for someone else to tout his bag in Friday’s quarterfinals.
He dipped into the caddie pool at Pinehurst and came up with one of the best in Willie McRae, who is in his 66th year at Pinehurst and is a member of both the World Caddie Hall of Fame and the Pinehurst Caddie Hall of Fame.
“He was fantastic; a tremendous help all day,” O’Connell said after defeating Golfweek’s third-ranked amateur, Kyle Stanley, in 21 holes.
“It’s been a long, hot week and I’m not sure if I could have made it carrying my bag another day,” O’Connell said. “It was nice to have a caddie today and especially someone like Willie who knows so much about this golf course. He really helped me on the greens.”
O’Connell will face fifth-ranked Jamie Lovemark in Saturday’s semifinals. Lovemark defeated Ferdinand Aunzo, 3 and 2.
The other semifinal match will be an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown between Florida State senior Matt Savage and Duke junior Adam Long.
Savage rolled past Andrew Giuliani, 6 and 4. Long, the No. 64 seed in the match-play bracket, downed incoming Oklahoma State freshman Morgan Hoffmann, 2 and 1.
O’Connell won Nos. 5 and 6 with pars to go 2 up, but Stanley won Nos. 7 and 9 to square the match. After O’Connell won No. 12 to go 1 up, Stanley won Nos. 13 and 15 with birdies. O’Connell squared the match with a par on 17.
At 18, O’Connell missed the green to the right and Stanley was just short. O’Connell chipped to 3 feet and Stanley left his chip 10 feet short. Both made the par putts to force overtime.
Both birdied the 19th hole and parred the 20th. At the 21st hole (the par-4 third), Stanley left his 40-foot birdie putt 3 feet short. O’Connell drained his 8-footer for birdie to win the match.
“It was a great match,” O’Connell said. “I think my game got stronger as the day went on, but that had to happen when you’re playing someone as good as Kyle Stanley. I played well and most importantly, I managed my game well.”
Lovemark was 2 down after three holes, but got his game kicked into gear before the turn. He won No. 7 with a birdie and No. 9 with a par to square the match. He took his first lead with a par at No. 12 and then won Nos. 15 and 16 to close the match.
“It was not the start I wanted, and being 2 down after six, I was feeling a little pressure,” said Lovemark, the 2007 NCAA champion who next week will be playing in the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic on a sponsor exemption. “Basically, I putted poorly all day, but I hit a lot of good iron shots that gave me opportunities to make a few birdies. It wasn’t anything outstanding, but it was enough to keep me going.”
After Giuliani won the opening hole with a par, Savage took control of the match. He won No. 2 with a par and Nos. 3, 5 and 7 with birdies to stand 3 up at the turn. He won Nos. 10 and 13 with birdies and closed out the match by winning the 14th with a par.
“I really had it going today,” Savage said. “I hit my driver so much better and my iron play was solid. After the three-putt bogey at the first hole, I didn’t make any mistakes. It was pretty much a stress-free day and you have to like that.”
Early on it appeared Long was also in for one of those stress-free days as he was 5 up after eight holes. But there would be no quit in Hoffmann, who the previous day won a 27-hole match against Bud Cauley.
Hoffmann won Nos. 9, 11, 12 and 13 to cut the lead to 1 up. But Long nearly made eagle on the par-5 16th and won the hole to get back to 2 up. The match ended when both made par at 17.
“I really started off well and it was pretty exciting for me for a while,” Long said. “But Morgan is a great player and I knew he’d come back, and he did. It really got pretty intense on the back nine. Right now I’m just relieved. It’s a great feeling knowing I’m coming back tomorrow in the semifinals.”
• • •
Ron Balicki is a
Golfweek senior writer. To reach him e-mail
rbalicki@golfweek.com.
Results from the quarterfinals at the North & South
Amateur, played July 4 at Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort’s par-71, 7,346-yard
No. 2 Course:
| QUARTERFINALS |
|
| Adam Long def. Morgan Hoffmann |
2 and 1 |
| Matt Savage def. Andrew Giuliani |
6 and 4 |
| Jamie Lovemark def. Ferdinand Aunzo |
3 and 2 |
| Kevin O’Connell def. Kyle Stanley |
21 holes |
|
|
| THIRD ROUND |
|
| Adam Long def. Scott Langley |
6 and 5 |
| Morgan Hoffman def. David McAndrew |
2 and 1 |
| Andrew Giuliani def. Patrick Rada |
1 up |
| Matt Savage def. Lucas Lee |
21 holes |
| Jamie Lovemark def. Zack Byrd |
2 and 1 |
| Ferdinand Aunzo def. Seth Brandon |
2 up |
| Kevin O’Connell def. Cameron Tringale |
20 holes |
| Kyle Stanley def. Jonathan Hodge |
1 up |
|
|
| SECOND ROUND |
|
| Adam Long def. Steve Ziegler |
3 and 2 |
| Scott Langley def. George Bryan |
1 up |
| Morgan Hoffmann def. Bud Cauley |
27 holes |
| David McAndrew def. Dustin Groves |
2 and 1 |
| Lucas Lee def. Cheng Tsung Pan |
21 holes |
| Matt Savaged def. Alex Martin |
4 and 3 |
| Patrick Rada def. Jacob Burger |
2 up |
| Andrew Giuliani def. Bo DeHuff |
2 and 1 |
| Jamie Lovemark def. Carter Newman |
6 and 5 |
| Zack Byrd def. Jimmy Lytle |
3 and 2 |
| Seth Brandon def. Travis Woolf |
3 and 2 |
| Ferdinand Aunzo def. Bill Rankin |
2 and 1 |
| Cameron Tringale def. Paul Simson |
4 and 2 |
| Kevin O’Connell def. Rory Hie |
4 and 3 |
| Jonathan Hodge def. Nathan Stamey |
1 up |
| Kyle Stanley def. Clark Kaasen |
6 and 5 |
|
|
| FIRST ROUND |
|
| Adam Long def. Phillip Mollica |
20 holes |
| Steve Ziegler def. Connor McHenry |
3 and 2 |
| Scott Langley def. Scott Langley |
4 and 3 |
| George Bryan def. George Bryan |
2 up |
| Bud Cauley def. Henry Zaytoun III |
5 and 4 |
| Morgan Hoffmann def. Scott Harvey |
4 and 3 |
| David McAndrew def. Jonathan Bowden |
3 and 2 |
| Dustin Groves def. Kyle Coconis |
2 up |
| Pan Cheng-Tsung def. Drew Younts |
5 and 4 |
| Lucas Lee def. Kenny Kim |
2 and 1 |
| Alex Martin def. A.J. Oleksak |
5 and 4 |
| Matt Savage def. Hunter Howell |
2 and 1 |
| Patrick Rada def. James Sacheck |
2 and 1 |
| Jacob Burger def. David May |
20 holes |
| Bo DeHuff def. Kyle Ellis |
1 up |
| Andrew Giuliani def. Blake Trimble |
4 and 2 |
| Jamie Lovemark def. James Gill |
7 and 5 |
| Carter Newman def. Wes Roach |
4 and 3 |
| Zack Byrd def. Gregor Main |
2 and 1 |
| Jimmy Lytle def. Zack Siefert |
4 and 3 |
| Travis Woolf def. David Byrne |
5 and 4 |
| Seth Brandon def. Cody Paladino |
1 up |
| Bill Rankin def. Kelly Miller |
1 up |
| Ferdinand Aunzo def. Dave Bunker |
2 and 1 |
| Cameron Tringale def. Robert Reisen |
1 up |
| Eric Onesi def. Paul Simson |
7 and 6 |
| Rory Hie def. Tom Glissmeyer |
2 up |
| Jonathan Hodge def. Kevin O’Connell |
19 holes |
| Kelly Kraft def. Chad Day |
6 and 4 |
| Nathan Stamey def. Kevin Foley |
2 and 1 |
| Kyle Stanley def. Wesley Bryan |
4 and 2 |
| Cliff Benson def. Clark Klaasen |
2 and 1 |
Posted: 7/4/2008
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