Monday early

Defending Champion Brian Harman Sets Pace At U.S. Junior Amateur

San Francisco, Calif. — Defending champion Brian Harman, 17, of Savannah, Ga., gave notice Monday that his win at the 2003 U.S. Junior Amateur a year ago was no fluke. He finished with a 3-under-par 67 at The Olympic Club to lead early finishers after the first round of stroke play at the 2004 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.

"It was tough to give that trophy back, said Harman, who became only the third lefty to win a USGA title. "That's mine. I want it back."

Harman beat local favorite Jordan Cox, 16, of Redwood City, Calif., in the 2003 final, 5 and 4. He also reached the quarterfinals of the 2002 Junior Amateur, at age 15.

"This course has a lot of right-to-left tee shots that set up well for me," said Harman, the 2003 American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Player of the Year and Georgia High School champion. "I made some bombs out there on the back side - a 30-footer on 13 and a 20-footer on hole 12. Now I can just chill out tomorrow and have a good time."

Following 36 holes of stroke play over the 6,790-yard, par 70 layout that has been host to four U.S. Opens, the top 64 scorers in this age 17-and-under Championship will advance to match play beginning on Wednesday. Play runs through Saturday's 18-hole final match.

One stroke behind Harman is Matt Savage, 17, of Louisville, Ky., who turned his opening day fortunes around from a year ago when he shot 83. His 2-under 68 was a 15-stroke improvement and left him more confident than ever.

"I've made things a lot easier for tomorrow," said Savage, remembering his first round score from a year ago. "I just hope I don't go the other way. I feel like I belong here."

None of the other players who have finished are under par. Marshall Pickett, 17, of Wilmington, N.C., was 3 under par after 8 holes but slipped to finish at 72. Fourteen-year-old David Chang of Fayetteville, N.C., who stands 5-foot 5 inches and weighs just 105 pounds, also finished with a 72.

Play was delayed for three hours due to heavy morning fog, leaving a large portion of the 156-player field likely to fail to complete their first rounds on Monday. Two of those not likely to finish are Cox, a junior member at The Olympic Club, and Tom Glissmeyer, 17, of Colorado Springs, Colo., who qualified for the 2003 U.S. Open.

The Junior Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Story written by Craig Smith, director of media relations for the USGA. E-mail him with comments or questions at csmith@usga.org.


	Defending Champion Brian Harman Sets Pace At U.S. Junior Amateur San Francisco, Calif. — Defending champion Brian Harman, 17, of Savannah, Ga., gave notice Monday that his win at the 2003 U.S. Junior Amateur a year ago was no fluke. He finished with a 3-under-par 67 at The Olympic Club to lead early finishers after the first round of stroke play at the 2004 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. "It was tough to give that trophy back, said Harman, who became only the third lefty to win a USGA title. "That's mine. I want it back." Harman beat local favorite Jordan Cox, 16, of Redwood City, Calif., in the 2003 final, 5 and 4. He also reached the quarterfinals of the 2002 Junior Amateur, at age 15. "This course has a lot of right-to-left tee shots that set up well for me," said Harman, the 2003 American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Player of the Year and Georgia High School champion. "I made some bombs out there on the back side - a 30-footer on 13 and a 20-footer on hole 12. Now I can just chill out tomorrow and have a good time." Following 36 holes of stroke play over the 6,790-yard, par 70 layout that has been host to four U.S. Opens, the top 64 scorers in this age 17-and-under Championship will advance to match play beginning on Wednesday. Play runs through Saturday's 18-hole final match. One stroke behind Harman is Matt Savage, 17, of Louisville, Ky., who turned his opening day fortunes around from a year ago when he shot 83. His 2-under 68 was a 15-stroke improvement and left him more confident than ever. "I've made things a lot easier for tomorrow," said Savage, remembering his first round score from a year ago. "I just hope I don't go the other way. I feel like I belong here." None of the other players who have finished are under par. Marshall Pickett, 17, of Wilmington, N.C., was 3 under par after 8 holes but slipped to finish at 72. Fourteen-year-old David Chang of Fayetteville, N.C., who stands 5-foot 5 inches and weighs just 105 pounds, also finished with a 72. Play was delayed for three hours due to heavy morning fog, leaving a large portion of the 156-player field likely to fail to complete their first rounds on Monday. Two of those not likely to finish are Cox, a junior member at The Olympic Club, and Tom Glissmeyer, 17, of Colorado Springs, Colo., who qualified for the 2003 U.S. Open. The Junior Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs. Story written by Craig Smith, director of media relations for the USGA. E-mail him with comments or questions at csmith@usga.org.