Aug. 16, 2014
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State men's golfer Gunn Yang (Pyeong Chang, South Korea/Torrey Pines HS) added another stirring victory to his week-long odyssey at the U.S. Amateur on Saturday by dispatching Frederick Wedel (The Woodlands, Texas), 1-up, in 19 holes at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia.
The Aztec sophomore logged his fifth straight win in match play and will now battle Kent State alumnus Corey Conners (Listowell, Ontario, Canada) in the 36-hole championship final on Sunday, beginning at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT on the 7,428-yard Highlands Course. Conners registered a 1-up triumph over Virginia All-American Denny McCarthy (Rockville, Md.) in the other semifinal clash on Saturday.
"I couldn't be more proud of Gunn and his accomplishments," said SDSU men's golf head coach Ryan Donovan. "His hard work and perseverance are paying off tremendously this week, and our team is thrilled he is representing San Diego State in the finals of the premier event in amateur golf."
Yang got off to a fast start on Saturday against Wedel, capturing three of the first four holes, highlighted by birdies on the par-4, 443-yard No. 1 and the par-3, 176-yard No. 3, to build a 2-up advantage. However, Wedel caught fire at this juncture, winning three of the ensuing four holes to grab a 1-up lead. The Pepperdine junior made two birdies during that stretch before the two golfers halved Nos. 9-11.
It was Yang's turn to regain the upper hand after the Torrey Pines High alumnus sank back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th, while Wedel carded consecutive bogeys. However, Wedel leveled the match with a birdie of his own on No. 15 and soon made par on the 16th. On the other hand, Yang went bogey-par during that span before draining an important par putt at the par-3 No. 17, while his adversary missed the same attempt from short range.
With a 1-up lead, Yang was unable to secure the match in regulation after hitting his fairway bunker shot on the 18th into a water hazard. Wedel found himself in the same trap, but managed to land his ball to within 10 feet of the pin, which turned into a conceded eagle after Yang misfired on his par putt.
After both players drove the fairway off the No. 1 tee on the first extra hole, Wedel's second shot landed on the fringe, while Yang's attempt crept to within three feet of the pin. Moments later, Wedel two-putted for par, but Yang calmly sank a birdie to keep his title hopes alive.
By reaching the championship round, finalists Yang and Conners have each earned an exemption into the 2015 U.S. Open - provided they remain amateurs - and a probable invitation to next year's Masters tournament. The champion also receives an exemption into the 2015 British Open Championship.
All quarterfinalists earn an exemption into the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship in Olympia Fields, Illinois.
This year marks the 114th edition of the U.S. Amateur, making it the oldest golf championship in the nation, one day older than the U.S. Open. Other than an eight-year stretch from 1965-1972, when it was contested at stroke play, the Amateur has been a match-play championship.
Live scoring of Sunday's final from the U.S. Amateur will be available on the tournament's website at www.usga.org, while NBC will provide television coverage, starting at 4 p.m. ET/ 1p.m. PT.
San Diego State will open its 2014 fall schedule next month when it participates in the Southwestern Intercollegiate, Sept. 8-9, in Westlake Village, California.