Main Earns Medalist Honors in U.S. Amateur


Gregor Main of Danville, Calif., took medalist honors after 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying in the U.S. Amateur. Main finished at 10-under 132 on the host course, Erin Hills, and its partner course, Blue Mound Golf and Country Club, in Wisconsin.

Main posted a 5-under 65 at the par-70, 6,622-yard Blue Mound in the first round and followed that up with a 67 at the 7,760-yard, par-72 Erin Hills on Wednesday.

In his two stroke-play rounds, Main made one eagle, nine birdies and a bogey. "The goal is get into match play, which it is for everyone in the field," Main said. "In match play anything can happen. The 64th seed can win. It's nice to get the medalist spot. I am trying to make that Walker Cup Team, so I am trying to play my best every chance I get."

Because of a three-hour, 40-minute weather delay Tuesday morning that caused a suspension of play due to darkness later that evening, the second rounds were completed Wednesday morning. The low 64 qualifiers for match play began that portion of the championship at 3:00 p.m. (CDT) Wednesday.

In solo second two strokes back of Main is Blake Biddle of St. Charles, Ill. The 19-year-old carded two 67s. Tied for third at 7-under 135 are Beau Hossler (69 and 66) of Mission Viejo, Calif., Blayne Barber (68, 67) of Lake City, Fla., Russell Henley (66, 69) of Macon, Ga., and Ben Geyer (69, 66) of Arbuckle, Calif.

Patrick Rodgers of Avon, Ind., had rounds of 66 and 70 and is at 6-under 136, while right behind at 137 are defending U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein (68, 69) of Orlando, Fla., Scott Langley (74, 63) of St. Louis, Mo., Sunil Jung (72, 65) of South Korea and Jordan Spieth (68, 69) of Dallas. Spieth won the 2009 and 2011 U.S. Junior Amateur.

The 63 by Langley, the 2010 NCAA champion from the University of Illinois, was the low round of the stroke-play qualifying.

All but one of the seven current USA Walker Cup players advanced to match play including: Chris Williams, 20, of Moscow, Idaho, at 139, Harris English, 22, of Thomasville, Ga., and Patrick Cantlay, 19, of Los Alamitos, Calif., at 140.

The other USA Walker Cup player, Nathan Smith, 33, of Pittsburgh, Pa., was eliminated in a 20-for-4 playoff for the final match-play berths. Twenty players finished on the cut line of even-par 142, but only four moved on to match play after the playoff.

Great Britain and Ireland's Walker Cup Team had three of four players advance: Tom Lewis, 20, and Jack Senior, 23, of England and Michael Stewart, 21, of Scotland. England's Stiggy Hodgson, 20, did not make the final 64.

Also advancing is Corbin Mills of Easley, S.C., the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links champion.

For complete scoring, visit http://www.usga.org/ChampEventScore.aspx?id=17179869326&year=2011&type=stroke.