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Cox, Harman To Meet In U.S. Junior Amateur Final
Chevy
Chase, Md.
– Jordan Cox, 15, of Redwood City, Calif., and Brian Harman, 16,
of Savannah, Ga., both won in semifinal action Friday at the 2003
U.S. Junior Amateur at the 6,586-yard, par-70 Columbia Country Club
and will meet in Saturday’s championship final.
Cox never trailed in his afternoon match against James Sacheck, 17, of Zionsville, Ind., en route to a 4-and-3 victory. Cox's consistent short game yielded 12 pars, one birdie, and two bogeys. He won the match on the par-4, 424-yard 15th when he two-putted for par to halve the hole.
The win kept alive Cox’s hopes of becoming the youngest-ever U.S. Junior Amateur champion. At 15 years, three months, and 22 days, Cox would be younger than Tiger Woods was when he captured the 1991 championship at 15 years, six months, and 28 days.
His goals were simple at the beginning of the championship, but Cox is not surprised to have reached the final.
“First I wanted to get to match play,” said Cox. “From there I knew I had a really good shot at getting to the finals or the semifinals and maybe having a chance to win. Anybody really has a shot at winning in match play and I think I’m pretty strong in match play.”
Cox’s opponent was impressed by his steady play.
“He was just hitting the ball better than me,” said Sacheck. “He deserved to win.”
In the afternoon’s other semifinal, Harman advanced with a 3-and-2 victory over Patton Kizzire, 17, of Tuscaloosa, Ala. The match went back and forth before Harman took the lead for good with a par on the par-3, 175-yard 8th hole. Already holding a two-hole lead, he sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3, 160-yard 16th hole to win the match.
“I was just trying to get it close – I was just trying to lag it up there,” said Harman. “Halfway there, I said ‘uh oh, that one looks kind of good.’ Right when it got to three feet, I just put my arms up in the air because I knew it was just money.”
Harman, a two-time Georgia State Junior champion, hopes to become just the third left-hander to capture a USGA title. Ralph Howe (1988 U.S. Amateur Public Links) and Phil Mickelson (1990 U.S. Amateur) are the only ones to do so in the 108-year history of the USGA.
Earlier in the day, Sacheck eliminated medalist Sung Hoon Kang, 16, of Korea, 4 and 3, in the quarterfinals. Sacheck never trailed against Kang, taking the lead early when Kang bogeyed the par-4, 459-yard 2nd hole. Sacheck built a four-hole lead after he birdied and Kang made bogey at the par-4, 325-yard 7th hole. Twice, Kang would cut the deficit to three, but Sacheck was able to answer.
“He was hitting the ball so well after the round yesterday,” said his coach, Young Lim, who serves as Kang’s translator and caddie. “He was really confident and wanted to go attack the course.”
But Kang struggled from the tee all day, and through his first 10 holes hit just two fairways. He ended the round with six bogeys and a double bogey, and just two birdies.
“The luck wasn’t on our side today,” said Lim.
In other semifinal action, Cox ousted Michael Randle, 17, of Austin, Texas (146), 4 and 2; Harman eliminated James Lee, 16, of Indio, Calif., 2 and 1; and Kizzire needed 18 holes to knock out Webb Simpson, 17, of Raleigh, N.C., 1 up.
The
18-hole championship final is scheduled for 9
a.m. on Saturday, July 26.
Chevy Chase, Md. – Results from the quarterfinal round of match play at the 2003 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at the par-70, 6,586-yard Columbia Country Club.
Round of 8 Upper Bracket James Sacheck, Zionsville, Ind. (144) def. Sung Hoon Kang, Korea (137), 4 and 3 Jordan Cox, Redwood City, Calif. (144) def. Michael Randle, Austin, Texas (146), 4 and 2
Lower Bracket Patton Kizzire, Tuscaloosa, Ala. (138) def. Webb Simpson, Raleigh, N.C. (146), 1 up Brian Harman, Savannah, Ga. (139) def. James Lee, Indio, Calif. (150), 2 and 1
Round of 4 Upper Bracket Cox def. Sacheck, 4 and 3
Lower Bracket Harman def. Kizzire, 3 and 2
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