Mankulish Takes U.S. Amateur Favorite to Extra Holes
8/19/1999 8:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Aug. 19, 1999
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - Maryland golfer Gary Mankulish played three extra holes against U.S. Amateur favorite Bryce Molder, before falling to the two-time All-American and ACC rival in 21 holes, Thursday, in third round action at the U.S. Amateur golf championships at Pebble Beach, Calif.
Mankulish, a Terrapin senior from Laurel, held a three-hole lead against the Georgia Tech star after 14 holes, but Molder knotted the match on the 18th. Molder advanced to the third round of match-play, on Friday. Throughout the tournament, youth temporarily triumphed over experience in Thursday's second round of match play of the U.S. Amateur Championship, with two 17-year-olds and 11 college students reaching the round of 16.
Only two players older than 23 were among the golfers teeing off in the third round, which began Thursday afternoon while some matches from the morning round were still being completed.
The group reaching the third round had an international flavor as well, featuring Canada's David Hearn, South African Michael Kirk and 17-year-old Sung Yoon Kim of South Korea.
Kim was not the youngest player to survive the second round. He is a month older than James Oh of Lakewood, Calif., who already is competing in his third U.S. Amateur.
The youngest player to win the U.S. Amateur was Tiger Woods, who captured the first of his three consecutive titles in 1994 at 18.
Molder, a Georgia Tech junior who shot a career-best round of 60 recently with President Clinton in Arkansas, rallied to top Mankulish. Molder, 20, birdied the 18th hole to even the match and then won with a 3-foot birdie putt on the third extra hole.
The veterans of the field were Bob Kearney, 43, of Houston and Richard Smith, 41, of Dresden, Tenn. Kearney won his second-round match against John Pate, older brother of PGA player Steve Pate.
Gary Vanier, 48, who was trying to become the oldest Amateur champion, three-putted the 18th hole to lose his match to Robert Oppenheim, 19, a sophomore at Rollins (Fla.) College.
"Team McCumber" failed to reach the third round. Josh McCumber, the nephew of PGA player Mark McCumber, lost six of the first seven holes and was ousted 4 and 2 by SMU sophomore Nicholas Loar, who chipped in on the 16th to end the match.
McCumber's caddy throughout the championship was his wife, Tracey. McCumber proposed on a golf course last November, and they were married 3 1/2 months ago.
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U.S. Amateur Championship -- Second-round match play
Second-round match play results Aug. 19 at the 1999 U.S. Amateur Championship played at the 6,828-yard, par 35-36-71 Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links:
UPPER BRACKET
Michael Kirk, Johannesburg, South Africa (149), def. Jason Martin, Lenoir, N.C., (152), 5 and 4.
James Driscoll, Brookline, MA (148), def. Scott Lander, Kingman, AZ (150), 1 up.
David Gossett, Germantown, TN (151), def. Robert Gerwin II, Cincinnati, OH (150), 5 and 4.
Richard Smith, Dresdon, TN (150), def. Rich Morris, El Dorado, KS (151), 4 and 2.
Ben Curtis, Kent, OH (145), def. John Merrick, Long Beach, CA. (149), 2 and 1.
Justin Bolli, Roswell, GA (151), def. Paul Simson, Raleigh, N.C. (150), 19 holes.
Andrew Sanders, Merritt Island, FL (145), def. Sean Pacetti, St. Augustine, FL (149), 20 holes.
NIcholas Loar, Rockwall, TX (148), def. Josh McCumber, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (151), 4 and 2.
LOWER BRACKET
David Hearn, Holstein, Canada (152), def. Scott Weatherly, Fort Payne, AL (149), 7 and 6.
Sung Yoon Kim, Seoul, South Korea (151), def. Christopher Brock, Marshfield, WI (150), 1 up.
James Oh, Lakewood, CA (146), def. Terry O'Loughlin, White Bear Lake, MN (149), 6 and 5.
Bryce Molder, Conway, AK (151), def. Gary Mankulish, Laurel, MD (150), 21 holes.
Bob Kearney, Houston, TX (149), def. John Pate, Santa Barbara, CA (152), 4 and 3.
Hunter Haas, Norman, OK (148), def. Rob Long, Clarksville, TN (150), 1 up.
Charlie Woerner, Los Altaos, CA (152), def. Olivier David, LaChapelle Sur Erde, France (150), 3 and 1.
Robert Oppenheim, Andover, MA (148), def. Gary Vanier, Pleasant HIll, CA (151), 1 up.
