32 Move On

The match-play portion of the 110th U.S. Amateur began Wednesday; 64 players seeking to stick around sunny Puget Sound for more golf, ideally all the way through Sunday and the championship final.

They faced a friendlier and softer Chambers Bay course in University Place, Wash., thanks to some watering of these fescue-festooned links on Puget Sound.

The change was welcome.

Just ask the players.

In the opening round of stroke play Monday at the par-71 course, the longest ever in USGA history at 7,742 yards, the average score was 79.872.

As is their wont, the USGA responded to manipulating the golf course, noting in the course set-up for Wednesday: "The putting greens were rather heavily watered (Tuesday) evening in an attempt to slightly soften them relative to the firmness of we had for stroke play."

That was a significant change from the previous two days, as Cybergolf's Tony Dear duly noted in his Tuesday night report: "What Can Brown Do for You?" (http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/what_can_brown_do_for_you): "Chambers Bay looks all but dead, a dehydrated blanket of brown that shares many of the same characteristics as concrete. So brown is it in fact, you can barely distinguish between tee, fairway and green (or rather putting surface)."

The cut line was set at plus-6 after 36 holes of medal play, and because only 64 players can advance to the match-play portion of the tournament, 16 players teed off early Wednesday morning for the six available spots.

When all was said and done Wednesday evening on a sun-baked Chambers Bay, the following contestants moved on to the round of 32. Click here http://www.usga.org/ChampEventScore.aspx?id=17179869326&year=2010&type=match1 for all the results.

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