GREENSBORO, NC -- After surviving a seven-plus hour weather delay, University of Michigan men's golf junior Lion Kim (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary Prep) used a 6-and-5 championship match-play win over David McDaniel today (Saturday, July 17) to win the 85th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Bryan Park's Champions Course.By winning the USAPL, Kim likely earned an invitation to compete next April in The Masters at Augusta (Ga.) National Golf Club. Kim will also receive a gold medal, custody of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship Trophy for one year, a three-year exemption through local qualifying for the U.S. Open and a two-year full exemption into the U.S. Amateur (2010 and 2011).
After battling over the last five days to get into the match play championship, Kim got off to a slow start in the championship match, survived the seven-hour rain delay and caught fire on the back nine to pull away and go on to win the 2010 title.
After dropping the opening hole to McDaniel, Kim squared the match on the second hole and took the lead on the fourth hole with a birdie. Kim and McDaniel parred the remaining holes on the front nine and made the turn with Kim leading, 1-up. Winning the 10th hole, Kim went up two before the storms dropped nearly 1.5 inches of rain on the course over the next seven hours.
Returning to the course at 4:51 p.m., Kim extended his lead by winning the first two holes and never looked back. Returning to the front side for the second 18, Kim won the first two holes to push his lead the 6-up through 20 holes. Another win on the sixth hole pushed Kim's lead to 7-up with 12 holes to play.
The two exchanged pars over the next six out of seven holes as Kim held on for the 6-and-5 win and the USAPL title.
The U.S. Amateur Public Links, established in 1922 for bona fide public-course players, is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.
85th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship
Bryan Park's Champions Course (Greensboro, N.C.)
July 12-17, 2010
RESULTS
• Tied for 21st in stroke play, 143 (73-70) to earn the No. 21 seed for match play [ Stroke Play ]
• First Round, defeated No. 44 Ross Canavan, 6-and-5 [ Match ]
• Second Round, defeated No. 12 Joon Heui Lee, 1-up [ Match ]
• Third Round, defeated No. 37 Chase Wright, 2-and-1 [ Match ]
• Quarterfinal, defeated No. 20 Chris Williams, 1-up [ Match ]
• Semifinal, defeated No. 25 Kevin Phelan, 1-up [ Match / Article ]
• Championship, defeated No. 39 David McDaniel, 6-and-5 [ Match ]
Pre-Championship Match Recaps
• Stroke Play and First Round: Using rounds of 73 and 70 for a 143 total, Kim tied for 21st with two other players in stroke play and advanced to match play as the No. 21 seed. In his opening round, Kim squared off against Ross Canavan, a senior at Skidmore College. Getting off to an early lead, building a 4-up lead through five holes, Kim never looked back for the 6-and-5 victory.
• Second Round: Kim battled former Western New Mexico golfer Joon Heui Lee in the second round. Kim fell down two through the first three holes before winning two of the next three to square the match. Kim took his first lead of the match, birdieing the par-five 11th hole, but Lee answered with a birdie on the par-three 14th to keep it even. Kim then birdied the par-five 15th to regain the lead and extended it to 2-up by winning the 16th. Despite Lee taking the 17th hole, Kim held on for the 1-up victory.
• Third Round: Familiar faces played in the third round as Kim took on Indiana's Chase Wright for a chance to advance to the round of 16. After getting off to a quick 2-up lead through two holes, Kim saw the lead slip away as Wright squared the match, winning the fifth and sixth holes. The Big Ten foes battle was all square with three holes remaining. With a birdie on the par-four 16th, Kim struck first down the stretch to take a 1-up lead. A second birdie for Kim combined with a Wright bogey on the 17th closed out the match for Kim, 2-and-1, and putting him into the quarterfinal.
• Quarterfinal: The quarterfinal saw Kim face Chris Williams, a sophomore from Washington. Kim got off to another fast start, going 3-up through four holes. Kim maintained his lead throughout the middles stretch of holes and was 3-up through 13 holes, before Williams won three of the next four holes to square the match. Kim responded, parring the 17th hole, while Williams missed his putt and bogeyed, giving Kim the 1-up lead. Both players closed with pars on the 18th and Kim hung on to advance to the semifinal with a 1-up victory.
• Semifinal: In the semifinal against Kevin Phelan, a sophomore at North Florida, Kim struck first, winning the second hole as he carried a 1-up lead through six holes. A Phelan birdie on the seventh hole squared the match and he used that momentum to win the next two holes and build a 2-up lead through 12. However, Kim started a comeback to even the match, winning the 13th on a par and the 15th with an eagle. A par on the 16th from Kim and bogey by Phelan gave Kim the lead back with two holes remaining. Despite Phelan hitting tight approach shots at Nos. 17 and 18, Kim rolled in putts from 20 and 10 feet, respectively, to keep the lead and win the match, 1-up, and advance to the championship match against David McDaniel. By playing his way into the finals, Kim received an exemption to the 2010 U.S. Amateur Championship, being held August 23-29 at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash., which is also hosting the 2015 U.S. Open.
