Bryan's Run Ends in Loss to Top Seed

July 17, 2009

NORMAN, Okla. - OU men's golf assistant Phillip Bryan's magical run at the 84th U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship came to an end Friday afternoon at Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in a 3 and 2 semifinal loss to top-seeded Nick Taylor of Canada.

In his first competitive tournament since September, Bryan missed key opportunities to keep the match close as birdie and par attempts slid by without falling.

"There is a reason he is the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the world," said Bryan. "You can't give a guy like that too many chances and that's exactly what I did today. You know he's not going to be making bogey, so I had to get in with par and hope a few birdie putts dropped. Unfortunately, it just wasn't my day. Give Nick a lot of credit though, because he has played extremely well throughout this entire tournament."

Taylor, currently ranked as the world's top amateur by Britain's Royal & Ancient Golf Club, stumbled early with bogeys at No. 1 and No. 2, but Bryan couldn't take complete advantage, carding a bogey of his own at the opening hole. Bryan did two-putt for par at the second for a 1-up lead, marking the first time Taylor had trailed since losing the opening hole of his first round of match play on Wednesday morning - a span of 56 holes.

Bryan and Taylor would return to all square at No. 4 after the Sooner assistant couldn't save par as his approach found the rough short and left of the raised putting surface. Taylor would lead the rest of the way, playing the final 12 holes of the match without a bogey, while carding birdies at both par-5s.

Official Site of the 84th U.S. Amateur Public Links | Match Play Bracket

Taylor, a senior-to-be at the University of Washington, nearly made eagle at the 621-yard, par-5 fifth hole after reaching the green in two from 280 yards out with a hybrid club from a blind second shot out of the right rough. After the Canada native's second putt was conceded, Bryan had a birdie bid of his own but couldn't convert as the putt slid by on the high side of the hole.

Bryan couldn't take advantage of a Taylor miscue off the tee at the par-3 7th, as Bryan came up short of the green after Taylor had shortsided himself in the left greenside bunker. Bryan chipped to four feet, but wouldn't make the par putt as Taylor got up-and-down to the tucked pin for a 2-up lead.

The deficit remained at two through 10 holes, before Bryan dropped a shot at the par-4 11th after shortsiding himself to the left of the putting surface. Bryan nearly holed his fourth shot after his first chip came up short, rolling back off the putting surface, but a Taylor par pushed his lead to three.

Bryan missed birdie putts inside 25 feet on No. 7, No. 9, No. 10, No. 12 and again at the 13th, as Taylor's bid for birdie from eight feet at the 589-yard, par-5 13th fell into the bottom of the cup for a 4-up lead with five to play.

Taylor pushed the match to dormie after the players halved the par-4 14th, but Bryan wasn't going home quietly in front of a hometown crowd of nearly 100 spectators, as the Mustang, Okla., native struck a 3-wood to four feet at the 281-yard, par-3 15th for his lone birdie of the day.

Bryan couldn't convert a sidehill sloping putt for birdie at the 16th, as Taylor clinched the win with a short par make from above the hole.

The match was Taylor's second longest in his five rounds of match play at this USGA championship. The medalist has yet to play the 18th hole since earning top honors in stroke play with rounds of 66 and 70.

"It was a tougher wind and it didn't change like it did yesterday in the afternoon," said Taylor. "It was tough to make birdies for the most part but I hit a lot of fairways and kind of just walked along and hit greens and made pars. I only think I had four bogeys - three bogeys, four bogeys three birdies. So it was pretty consistent but that's what I need to do tomorrow too."

Taylor will face No. 6 seed Brad Benjamin (Rockford, Ill.) in Saturday's 36-hole final, slated for a 7 a.m. (CDT) start off of the first tee. Benjamin defeated Brandon Crick (McCook, Neb.) 1-up in Friday's other semifinal.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors