OAKMONT, PA (93.7 The Fan) – Twice before he failed to reach match play at the US Amateur, after turning 23 on Tuesday, Greensburg's Mark Goetz not only made it to match play, but did so as the medalist on Wednesday.
Goetz shot an 8-under, 132 in rounds at Oakmont Country Club and The Longue Vue Club. The graduate of The Kiski School made one bogey over his first two rounds.
The West Virginia University graduate had to wait until an hour before teeing off to find out his opponent. Sweden's David Nyfjall won a 12-way playoff for the final spot and the chance to face Goetz.
After dueling pars on one, Goetz kept honors and pulled an iron left into the fescue. Nyfjall pulled out driver going for the green and went further left. Goetz hit his second into the front greenside bunker. Njfjall never found his drive and had to play his provisional in the same bunker as Goetz. Neither got up and down, Goetz went 1-up. Both parred three and in the near darkness, playing through as the siren suspended play, Goetz bogeyed four to drop the match back to even.
One match completed as 33rd seed Ricky Castillo beat fellow Californian and 32nd seed Donald Kay 5 and 4. All other matches will be finished tomorrow starting at 7:30a with fifteen of the round of 64 matches never starting.
Rain played havoc on scheduling again with a three hour, fifty-five minute delay Wednesday after a four-hour delay on Tuesday. In a rarity for the USGA, they decided to use split tees for the round of 32 matches later on Thursday along with the round of 16 on Friday.
Goetz was the only local golfer to qualify for the match play field. Wexford's Jimmy Meyers and Venetia's Jake Sollon missed by one shot.
