Top-seeded Morrison Eliminates Ohe in Round of 16

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CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Tommy Morrison was 9 under par for 36 holes Monday and Tuesday while qualifying for the match-play portion of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship -- and claiming medalist honors. As the No. 1 seed, he birdied the first hole of his first match Wednesday morning, against the No 64 seed, Johnnie Clark. Morriison won the second (435 yards, par 4) with a bogey, but lost the third with a bogey and the 174-yard, par-3 fourth with a double. He traded birdies with Clark over the next two holes, tied the next four with pars, and then  took control of the match with three birdies in the next five holes on the way to a 2&1 victory at the Daniel Island Club's Ralston Creek Golf Course.

There was a similar pattern to his Round of 32 match Thursday morning against the No. 32 seed, Chi Chun Chen. Morrison looked vulnerable early on. He was 2 over and 1 down after four holes, and his staus was the same after he bogeyed the par-3 ninth. Chen went 2 up with a birdie at the 476-yard, par-4 10th, but then Morrrison seemed to find a higher gear on the back nine for the second match in a row. The massively long-hitting 6-foot-10-inch University of Texas freshman (he started college early) won the 582-yard, par-5 11th with a birdie, the 217-yard, par-3 12th with a par, matched Chen's birdie at the 458-yard, par-4 12th and went 1 up with a par at the 444-yard, par-4 16th.

Chen birdied the par-5 18th (544 yards), but so did Morrison, and he emerged with a 1-up victory. He was 1 under for the round. 

That put Morrison into the third round of match play (the Round of 16), where he would meet Torger Ohe, the No. 48 seed. Ohe concluded his sophomore year at Edina this spring by shooting a 4-under-par 68 at Bunker Hills in the second round of the Class AAA portion of the Minnesota state high school tournament, and finishing third individually with a 36-hole tab of 140. (In the process, he led Edina to the state AAA team championship.) Jake Birdwell, a Spring Lake Park junior, won Minnesota large-school individual crown with a 136, and Cretin-Derham Hall sophomore Joe Honsa finished second with a 138.

Earlier this week, Ohe shot 74-70--144 in the stroke-play part of the Junior Am, and made it into match play with one stroke to spare. Birdwell shot 77-68--145 and had no strokes to spare. He had to survive a 14-for-7 playoff to get to match play. He was the No. 48 seed but lost his first-round match to No. 7 Billy Davis. Ohe got through his first two matches without a lot of stress. He trailed for only one hole in his Round of 64 match, which he won 4&3 over No. 17 Simon Hovdal, and he never trailed at all Thursday morning as he rolled over No. 16 Carson Kim 5&4.

Against Morrison on Thursday afternoon, however, he got off to a shaky, par--bogey-bogey start and was a quick 2 down. Morrison, who made nine birdies, six bogeys and a double in his first two matches, made no bogeys against Ohe, just 14 pars and two birdies. Ohe made two birdies, as well.The first one came at the par-5 sixth, and Morrison matched it. Ohe's other birdie came at the 10th, whihch cut the deficit he faced to 2 down, but Morrison regained his 3-up advantage when he birdied the par-3 12th. They both parred the next four holes and shook hands on the 16th green.

With his 3&2 victory over Ohe, Morrison reserved a place for himself in the quarterfinals Friday morning, against the No. 8 seed, Will Hartman. That match will start at 6:45 a.m. Hartman ws 2 down after 11 holes in his Round of 16 match against No. 56 Carson Looney, but he won the next three holes with a par, a birdie and a par. That put him 1 up. Looney won the par-3 15th with a birdie, but Hartman won the 16th with a par and closed Looney out 2&1 with a birdie at the 392-yard, par-4 17th.


U.S. Junior Amateur

At Daniel Island Club

Ralston Creek Course (par 72, 7,351 yards)

& Beresford Creek Course (par 71, 7,029 yards

Charleston, S.C.

Match play

(All matches are being played at Ralston Creek Course)

Round of 64

No. 1 Tommy Morrison def. No. 64 Johnnie Clark 2&1

No. 63 David Liechty def. No. 2 Andrew Gregory 3&2

No. 3 Tyler Sanford def. No. 62 Ratchanon Tk Changananuwat 6&4

No. 61 Henry Guan def. No. 4 Ethan Fang 1 up

No. 5 Kelvin Hernandez def. No. 60 James Mcnair 3&1

No. 6 Joshua Bai def. No. 59 Brooks Simmons 5&4

No. 7 Billy Davis def. No. 58 Jake Birdwell 2&1

No. 8 Will Hartman def. No. 57 Stanley Lin 5&4

No. 48 Torger Ohe def. No. 17 Simon Hovdal 4&3


Round of 32

No. 1 Morrison def. No. 32 Chi Chun Chen 1 up

No. 34 Rowan Sullivan def. No. 63 Liechty 3&2

No. 30 Hunter Stetson def. No. 3  Sanford 2&1

No. 36 Chase Kyes def. No. 61 Guan 5&4

No. 28 Pongsapak Laopakdee def. No. 5 Hernandez 1 up

No. 6 Bai def. No. 27 Boston Bracken 21 holes

No. 7 Billy Davis def. No. 39 Carson Brewer 5&3

No. 8 Will Hartman def. No. 40 Jay Leng 4&3

No. 48 Ohe def. No. 16 Carson Kim 5&4


Round of 16

No. 1 Morrison def. No 48 Ohe 3&2

No. 34 Sullivan def. No. 48 Chase Nevins 2 up

No. 51 Zeqian Fang def. No. 30 Statson 3&1

No. 52 Bryan Kim def. No. 36 Kyes 3&2

No. 21 Edan Cui def. No. 28 Laopakdee 21 holes  

No. 6 Bai def. No. 22 Joseph Buttress 2&1

No. 7 Billy Davis def. No. 55 Bryson Hughes 2&1

No. 8 Will Hartman def. No. 56 Carson Looney 2&1
  

Stroke play

1. Tommy Morrison                   66B-69R--135

2. Andrew Gregory                    66R-70B--136

3. Tyler Sanford                         70B-67R--137

T4. Joshua Bai                          66R-72B--138

T4. Kelvin Hernandez               70R-68B--138

T4. Will Hartman                       66B-72R--138

T4. Billy Davis                           69R-69B--138

T4. Ethan Fang                         67B-71R--138

T44. Torger Ohe                      74R-70B--144

T58. Jake Birdwell                  77R-68B--145 (made par on first exta hole and advanced from 14-for-7 playoff)

Missed cut (145)

Andrew Ramos                       79R-74B--153

Andrew Ballou                        78B-81R--159