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D.J. Trahan Leads Dickerson, 3-Up, After 18 Holes of U.S. Amateur Public Links Match Play

July 15, 2000

Portland, Ore. – Medalist D.J. Trahan, 19, of Inman, S.C. took a 3-up lead over Ben “Bubba” Dickerson, 19, of Hilliard, Fla., into the second 18 holes of the 36-hole match-play final of the 2000 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at the 6,869-yard, par 72 yard Great Blue Course at Heron Lakes. The final 18 holes of match play will begin at 11:30 a.m. PDT.Trahan evened the match on the 6th hole and then won four of the next six holes to gain a 3-up advantage that stretched to 4-up on the 16th hole. He bogeyed the par-5, 17th for a 3-up lead and both players parred the 18th.The U.S. Amateur Public Links is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.The Amateur Public Links champion receives a gold medal, custody of the James D. Standish Jr. Cup, and an invitation to play in the 2001 Masters Tournament. Each finalist is exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Amateur this year at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. Both players birdied the 515-yard, par-5 2nd hole and remained all square after three holes. Dickerson, who qualified for the 1999 U.S. Amateur, took a 1-up lead on the 168-yard, par-3 4th with a conceded 35-foot putt for birdie after Trahan knocked two shots in the water off the tee and drop areas, respectively. Trahan, the rising Clemson sophomore, evened the match by holing an 8-yard chip for birdie on the 202-yard, par-3 6th. He regained his lead on the difficult 466-yard, par 4 dogleg 8th with a 7-putt birdie putt. Trahan then made a par on the 428-yard, par 4 9th, while Dickerson lipped out a par putt for bogey to give the South Carolina golfer a 2-up lead at the turn. The finalists traded wins on No.10 (for Dickerson) and No.11 (for Trahan) with pars to give Trahan a 2-up edge after 11 holes. Another birdie from Trahan on the par-5, 12th gave him a 3-up advantage. The next three holes were halved with par and then Trahan gained a 4-up lead with a short birdie on the 354-yard, par 4 16th. The Amateur Public Links medalist has not won the title since David Berganio in 1993. Ironically, the medalist has won the championship in each of the Amateur Public Links’ visits to Portland in 1979 (Dennis Walsh at West Delta G.C. now Heron Lakes) and 1990 (Michael Combs at Eastmoreland).

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