UPDATED 1:40 p.m. (July 12, 2012) - In what was one of the most thrilling matches in the Round of 32 at the U.S. Public Links, Alex Edfort of Somerset, N.J., was defeated by Ben Griffin of Chapel Hill, N.C., on the first extra hole. Griffin holed a three-foot birdie putt to advance to the Round of 16. Just a day after Edfort's resilience proved to be too much for No. 1 seed James Erkenbeck, he and Griffin pushed for nine consecutive holes (playing them in 1-under) before the winning putt fell.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATED 3:30 p.m. (July 11, 2012) - Alex Edfort of Somerset, N.J., defeated top seed James Erkenbeck of San Diego, Calif., to move onto the round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Soldier Hollow Golf Course in Midway, Utah. After Edfort's birdie on the 18th hole to square the match, Edfort and Erkenbeck tied the 19th and 20th holes. Despite his birdie on the par-five 21st, Erkenbeck could not top the unrelenting play of Edfort, who made an eagle to end the sudden-death playoff. Despite jumping out to a 1-up lead through four holes, Edfort found himself down for more than half the match before rallying on the back nine with birdies on 15 and 18 to move to all square and give himself a chance to secure his victory.

Edort's play has earned him a spot in the next round against Benjamin Griffin of Chapel Hill, N.C., at 7 a.m. local time (9 a.m. Eastern) tomorrow morning. Considering Edfort's next competitor never lost the lead in his first-round match, Edfort will have to come back tomorrow with the same game that made him victorious in the first round, which consisted of one eagle, six birdies, and only one bogey.

Complete coverage of the match play can be found on the USGA's championship website, and live scoring will be available throughout the day.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATED 9 a.m. (July 11, 2012) - Alex Edfort of Somerset, N.J., came roaring back after his first-round 77 with a stellar 2-under 69 on Tuesday to qualify for match play at the U.S. Amateur Public Links. It's the third consecutive year that Edfort, who's entering his senior year at the University of Pacific and member of the men's golf team, has reached match play at the Public Links. The 2012 Big West Individual Championship winner is the only Met Area player that made the cut (146) after two rounds of stroke play at Soldier Hollow Golf Course in Midway, Utah.

For most of the afternoon, it seemed like Adam Larkin (right) of Bellmore, N.Y., was on his way to making the field of 64 also. But a few missteps down the stretch had him on the outside of the cutline by one shot. He posted a 5-over 76 in the second-round after posting 71 on Monday. 

John Jackopsic of West Hartford, Conn., followed up his 75 with a 72 to also miss the cut by one shot. Sean Elliott of Bayonne, N.J., and Sangsoo Lee of Ridgefield, N.J., both finished with totals of 152 to finish T111. Aaron Klimchuck of White Plains, N.Y., followed up his first-round 79 with a 74 to finish at 153 (T118). Finally, Dylan Crowley of Glen Cove, N.Y., ended his first Public Links with a total of 154 to finish T125.

Complete coverage of the match play can be found on the USGA's championship website, and live scoring will be available throughout the day.

Alex Edfort vs James Erkenbeck, San Diego, Calif., 9 a.m. (Mountain Daylight Time)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATED 9 a.m. (July 10, 2012) - Adam Larkin of North Bellmore, N.Y. led all Met Area amateur golfers competing in the 2012 U.S. Public Links on Monday with an impressive even-par round of 71. Larkin, a member of the golf team at SUNY Farmingdale, had three birdies and three bogeys on the card, which was good enough to put him T18 heading into the second round.

Sean Elliott, who was the medalist at Sectional Qualifying at Eisenhower Red, and John Jackopsic both fired 4-over 75s and find themselves T81. The second round will get underway Tuesday morning and the best 64 36-hole total scores will qualify for match play beginning Wednesday. Alex Edfort, who qualified for match play at the Public Links a year ago, and Sangsoo Lee are T111 after rounds of 77. St. John's University golfer Dylan Crowley and Aaron Klimchuk both finished with 8-over 79s.

Complete coverage including groupings and starting times are available on the championship website, and live scoring will be available throughout the day.

Second-Round Starting Times (Mountain Daylight Time):

Larkin: 2:30 p.m., Tee 1
Elliott: 1:20 p.m., Tee 10
Jackopsic: 1:50 p.m., Tee 1
Edfort: 8:20 a.m., Tee 1
Lee: 2:10 p.m., Tee 10
Crowley: 9 a.m., Tee 1
Klimchuk: 1:10 p.m., Tee 10
 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Original Story

Edfort and Crowley Lead Met Area Contingent at U.S. Public Links

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 6, 2012) – Seven of the Met Area’s finest golfers will tee it up in the 2012 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship starting Monday, July 9 at Soldier Hollow Golf Course in Midway, Utah. This year’s championship may be the first time that the USGA is hosting an event in Utah, but it is not the first time that 20-year-old Alex Edfort of Somerset, N.J. will compete for the title. Edfort, a rising senior at the University of Pacific in Stockton, Calif., will be a major player to watch, as he has turned in a number of impressive performances over the last couple of years.

To reach the U.S. Public Links, Edfort took home medalist honors at the 36-hole sectional qualifying round, shooting 64-69 for a two-round total of 11 under par at Royce Brook Golf Course in Hillsborough, N.J., on June 20. At last year’s U.S. Amateur Public Links in Bandon, Oregon, Edfort reached the Round of 16. He then went on to finish as a semifinialist and stroke play medalist at the 2011 Met Amateur Championship at Piping Rock. This past May, Edfort won the 2012 Individual Big West title and competed in the NCAA Division I Championship.

Also looking to add a USGA trophy to his collection is 19-year-old Dylan Crowley of Glen Cove, N.Y. Crowley had a slow start during U.S. Public Links sectional qualifying at Eisenhower Park Golf Course, shooting a 6-over-par 78 in his first round. However, he roared back with 7 birdies and an eagle during his stellar second-round 64 to bring him to 2-under for the day. After battling through three playoff holes, he finally secured the final qualifying position to earn him a spot in Utah next week. The St. John’s University golfer just competed in the Ike Championship, finishing at T15. He also played with some of his teammates at the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier last month at Canoe Brook. Crowley was the runner-up at the 2011 Met Junior Championship and tied for fourth place two years ago at the Ike.

Other Met Area players in the field at the U.S Public Links include sectional qualifying medalist Sean Elliot of Bayonne, N.J., who finished one shot clear of Adam Larkin of North Bellmore, N.Y., at Eisenhower Park. White Plains, N.Y., native Aaron Klimchuk will join the field after making it through qualifying; he also made the cut to play in the second and third rounds of the Ike last week. This spring, Klimchuk helped to lead the Denison University golf team to a third-place finish at the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship.

Rounding out the Met Area contingent of players heading out to Utah are Sangsoo Lee of Ridgefield, N.J., and John Jackopsic of West Hartford, Conn. These players are all seeking to become the third Met Area golfer to win the U.S. Public Links Championship.

Winning this USGA event would mean more than just adding a championship title to a résumé, as the winner also earns exemptions into the U.S. Amateur as well as a likely invitation to play in the 2013 Masters. Soldier Hollow will pose a tough challenge to these seven skilled players; the course is set up to play as 7,670 yards, making it the longest course in Amateur Public Links History. After two rounds of stroke play, the field of 156 will be cut down to 64 players who will move on to match play.

Complete coverage including groupings and starting times are available on the championship website, and live scoring will begin on Monday as the first groups tee off.

First-Round Starting Times (Mountain Daylight Time):
Klimchuk: 7:40 am, Tee 1
Elliot: 7:50 am, Tee 1
Jackopsic: 8:20 am, Tee 1
Lee: 8:40 am, Tee 1
Larkin: 9:00 am, Tee 1
Edfort: 1:20 pm, Tee 10
Crowley: 2:00 pm, Tee 10