MILLER’S U.S. JUNIOR AMATEUR RUN ENDS ON THE 18TH HOLE IN FIRST ROUND OF MATCH PLAY

AUGUSTA, Missouri â?? Gilman’s Brad Miller made a run, but a bogey on the 18th hole yesterday at Boone Valley Golf Club produced a heartbreaking loss for the 17-year old Greyhound star, who never trailed in his match with Hyun Seok Lim until the Californian sank a par putt on 486-yard 18th to claim a 1 up victory in the first round of match play in the 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.

After the two golfers parred the first hole, Miller birdied the 405-yard, par three second hole to take a 1-up lead. Lim squared things with a birdie of his own on the third hole, but he doubled bogeyed #4 and bogeyed #6, while Miller maintained par and claimed a two-hole advantage.

From there the two golfers matched each other stroke for stroke and Miller maintained his lead heading into the par 3 12th hole. Lim parred 12 and 13, while Miller surrendered his lead with a bogey and a double bogey. Miller bounce back to win the 14th and 16th holes, each time going 1-up, but he dropped 15 and 17, before faltering at the decisive final hole.

Miller qualified for the United States top amateur event earlier this month at Chevy Chase Club and posted a 148 during two days of stroke play to become one of 64 golfers to advance to single elimination match-play bracket, where he was paired opposite of Lim. Miller actually outscored Lim by three strokes over the 18 holes, but in match play points are earned by winning holes.

Brad Miller

Lim now moves on to the round of 32. There will be two rounds today and tomorrow, which will produce just two survivors to square off in Friday’s final. The championship, over the years, has featured most of the game’s greatest players, although few of the really big names have survived the difficult match-play bracket to claim the title. However, Tiger Woods, the world’s #1 player, won the Amateur three times before turning pro.

Scorecard
1. Par 4/418: 4-4
2. Par 4/405: Miller, 3-5, Miller 1 up
3. Par 3/210, Lim, 3-4, AS
4. Par 4/479, Miller 4-6, Miller 1 up
5. Par 4/436, 4-4, Miller 1 up
6. Par 5/547, Miller 5-6, Miller 2 up
7. Par 4/341, 4-4, Miller 2 up
8. Par 3/145, 3-3, Miller 2 up
9. Par 5/555, 4-4, Miller 2 up
10. Par/361, 4-4, Miller 2 up
11. Par 4/420, 4-4, Miller 2 up
12. Par 3/175, Lim 3-4, Miller 1 up
13. Par 4/474, Lim 4-6, AS
14. Par 5/506, Miller 4-7, Miller 1 up
15. Par 4/312, Lim 4-5, AS
16. Par 3/224, Miller 3-4, Miller 1 up
17. Par 4/486, Lim 4-5, AS
18. Par 4/400, Lim 4-5, Lim 1 up