Defending State Am champ stays alive

EDEN — This was supposed to be the year of the teenager at the Utah State Am, but by the end of the first day of match play, just one teen remained alive in the chase for the state's biggest amateur golf prize.

Joining 18-year-old Michael McRae in the quarterfinals are "old"guys such as 20-year-old Clay Ogden, 22-year-old Zach Johnson, 23-year-old Nic VanVuuren, 25-year-old Clark Rustand and 27-year-old Dan Horner.

OK, maybe they're not that old, although 46-year-old Jeff Powars might qualify and 31-year-old former finalist Jon Morgan, represents the thirty-something set.

The more experienced golfers prevailed on a day of close matches at the scenic Wolf Creek Resort Golf Course when every second-round match but one, made it to the 18th hole and three matches went extra holes.

The match of the day featured defending champion Rustand against 15-year-od phenom Tony Finau. The two went back and forth all day with neither player ever gaining more than a one-hole advantage before Rustand won on the 19th hole.

The referee for the match Sherm Hatfield, who has officiated State Am matches for a couple of decades, called it "probably the best match I've ever been involved with."

Rustand and Finau finished the front nine even before Rustand went back on top with a birdie at the par-5 11th. But Finau evened the match with a two-putt from six feet at the par-3 13th.

Then at 15, Finau took the lead with an eagle putt from five feet, only to see Rustand win 16 with a par, putting his 60-footer within a foot.

At the par-4 17th, Finau hit a marvelous wedge shot from the left rough to within five feet and sank the birdie putt to go 1 up heading intothe final hole.

Finau hit a wild tee shot at No. 18 almost over to the No. 10 fairway and Rustand's drive up the middle left him 84 yards away.

"Before I hit it, I said 'I'm still the State Am champ and I'm goingto put up a fight,' " Rustand said.

His three-quarter sand wedge checked up perfectly, landing two feet away. When Finau's long birdie try missed, Rustand sank his short birdieand it was off to extra holes.

After Rustand put another drive down the middle, Finau's wildness off the tee caught up with him. All day he had started most of his drive soff to the right with a draw to bring the balls back into play. However his drive at No. 1, the first playoff hole, started straight and hooked clea rup into the pond adjacent to No. 9.