Tech Golfers Advance at U.S. Amateur
August 26, 2009 | Men's Golf
Aug. 26, 2009
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech's Matt Smith (Canberra, Australia) went 1 up on the second hole and never looked back en route to an opening match play round win over Andrew Funk (Scottsdale, Ariz.) at the 109th U.S. Amateur Championship at Southern Hills Golf Club in Tulsa, Okla. Red Raider Chris Ward (McKinney, Texas) also advanced to the second round.
Smith won the match 4 & 3 and took the lead following a Funk bogey on the par-4 second. Smith made the turn 4 up, but yielded the next two holes as Funk birdied No. 10 and Smith bogeyed No. 11, respectively. The Texas Tech junior won holes 13 and 14, before tying No. 15 and ending the match. Smith faces former University of Tulsa golfer Nico Geyger (Chile) at 8:20 a.m. Thursday in the round of 32.
Ward entered the final hole against Georgia's Brian Harman (Savannah, Ga.) 1 up, but a difficult lie forced Ward's second shot over the green and he finished with a bogey, while Harman two-putted for par. The Red Raider senior found the fairway and was on in two on the playoff hole, while Harman struggled, missing the fairway and green on his first two shots. Ward took a two-putt par and Harman couldn't get up and down to save the match. Ward will face either Clemson's Ben Martin (Greenwood, S.C.) or Florida's Tyson Alexander (Gainesville, Fla.), both still on the course. Ward's match Thursday begins at 8:10 a.m.
The duo represents the most Red Raider golfers to play in a single U.S. Amateur, and the first since Brooks Kelly in 2002. A win for each Thursday morning will set up an all-Red Raider match in the quarterfinals at 1:35 p.m. Thursday.
The Golf Channel will provide coverage of the event Wednesday from 3-5 p.m. and Thursday and Friday from noon-2 p.m. NBC picks up coverage on the weekend from 3-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
For live updates during the event, log-on to www.usamateur.org.
Players Mentioned
