Aug. 14, 2014
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State men's golfer Gunn Yang (Pyeong Chang, South Korea/Torrey Pines HS) emerged triumphant in his opening two matches this week at the U.S. Amateur Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia. The Aztec sophomore defeated Georgia Tech alumnus Seth Reeves (Suwanee, Ga.), 1-up, on Wednesday before surviving a thriller Thursday morning against England's Paul Howard by an identical 1-up score on the Highlands Course.
With his victories, Yang advanced to the round of 16 where he will face Georgia Tech senior Ollie Schniederjans (Powder Springs, Ga.) Thursday afternoon, starting at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT). Schneiderjans, who is the No. 1 ranked amateur player in the world, edged prep senior Sam Burns (Shreveport, La.), 1-up, in 20 holes in his second-round encounter.
Against Reeves on Wednesday, Yang kept his opponent at bay throughout the match, maintaining a 1-up advantage through 16 holes. However, Reeves was unable to draw closer as the players halved the remaining two holes.
Then in the round of 32, Yang found himself in a see-saw affair that was squared on eight occasions, including the par-3 17th, where Howard pulled even after draining a birdie, while Yang made par. However, the Torrey Pines High graduate turned the tables on the par-5, 507-yard No. 18, where he sank the winning birdie putt, while Howard finished with a par.
SDSU's other match-play qualifier, senior Xander Schauffele (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch HS), was unable to move past the opening round on Wednesday, falling to Justin Tereshko (Madison, Ind.), 7 & 6.
Match play continues at the 114th edition of the U.S. Amateur on Thursday, Friday and Saturday before Sunday's finale, which features the remaining two golfers competing over 36 holes. Live results for the tournament are available on the USGA web site, www.usga.org, while the Golf Channel (Fri.) and NBC (Sat.-Sun.) are providing television coverage.
San Diego State, under 12th-year head coach Ryan Donovan, returns eight letterwinners from last year's squad that received a school-record 16th consecutive NCAA regional bid. The Aztecs open their 2014 fall slate next month when they compete in the Southwestern Intercollegiate, Sept. 8-9, in Westlake Village, California.