Medalist, Merkulov Move Into Third Round

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Bedminster, N.J. – The U.S. Junior Amateur field has been reduced to the round of 16.

At Trump National Golf Club Thursday, medalist Jordan Spieth survived an extra-hole match against 16-year-old Jack Perry of Santa Barbara, Calif., winning 1 up on the 7,100-yard, par-71 Old Course.

On the 19th hole, the 15-year-old Spieth of Dallas, Texas, sank a 3-foot par putt and breathed a sigh of relief. He was down two holes with seven to play.

“I feel bad for him,” said last year’s semifinalist of Perry. “To play the last hole as well as he did and lose, that’s tough.”

Perry hit a slicing 4-iron out of mulch on his second shot. He stuck his next offering to 6 feet before the putt edged the left portion of the hole. Spieth squared the match on No. 16 when he was able to get up and down from the back fringe. Unfortunately, Perry couldn’t do the same from a right greenside bunker.

The two didn’t come out playing their best golf. Spieth had three bogeys and a double bogey on 11 through his first 11 holes and Perry played to the equivalent of three over par after nine.

“I took the best player to the brink,” said Perry. “I’m not too upset.”

In another close match, Yaroslav Merkulov, 17, of Penfield, N.Y., took down Damon Postal, 17, of Blythew, S.C., 1 up. The Penfield High School senior was born in Russia, took up the game at age 5 but underwent open heart surgery at 11 to correct a congenital defect.

It’s Merkulov’s second U.S. Junior Amateur, but the first time he qualified for match play. His confidence and ability have grown over the last two years, as he has won the 2008 New York State Junior Amateur and the 2009 New York State Amateur, the latter last week. “I’ve been having a pretty good summer, and came here very confident about my game,” he said.

With the match all square through No. 16, Merkulov hit a sand wedge to tap-in range on No. 17 to go 1 up. Clinging to his lead, Merkulov nearly holed his chip shot for birdie on the par-5 18th. When Postal’s birdie attempt missed wide right from 15 feet, Markulov advanced.

“I can handle the nerves much better now than  I was able to two years ago,” said Merkulov. “On that last shot, I felt really comfortable chipping it in that situation [from just off the green, but from a tight lie], and it was exactly what I hoped for. You just don’t want to leave yourself any length of a putt, to have to make it for the win.”

Failing to move on was 16-year-old Anton Arboleta of La Cañada, Calif., who was the runner-up for medalist honors.  Arboleta lost to a fellow Californian, San Diego’s Jay Hwang, 16, 2 and 1.

Down one hole through 16, Arboleta decided to go for the green on the par-4 17th. The hole was only playing 286 yards after the tee markers were moved up.

 “I hit a great drive, but just pulled it left a tad, and it ended up in the rough left of the green,” said Arboleta. “And I drew a horrible lie. It was sitting way down, and when I chopped at it, it came out hot, and squirted over the green and into the water.”

Arboleta knew his chances were slim at that point because Hwang was sitting 12 feet from the hole, facing a birdie putt. Hwang converted the putt.

“I’m pretty disappointed with the way I played today, and obviously the result,” said Arboleta, whose stroke-play score was 140. “I just made too many mistakes with the driver today, and wasn’t able to scramble, as well.”

Thirteen others advanced to the third round, which began amid showers at 1 p.m. EDT. The final match of the day is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

The U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior are both being held at Trump National between the Old and New Courses. On Friday, the New Course takes over as the primary layout for both, all the way through Saturday’s 36-hole final.

Ken Klavon is the USGA’s editor of New Media. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.