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Smith Takes 8-Up Lead On Spitz After Morning 18 Of U.S. Mid-Amateur Final
Kiawah Island, S.C. – Co-medalist and 2003 champion Nathan Smith, 31, of Pittsburgh, Pa., holds an 8-up lead on Tim Spitz, 33, of Rochester, N.Y., after Friday morning’s 18 holes of the scheduled 36-hole championship match of the 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur at the 6,964-yard, par-72 Cassisque at The Kiawah Island Club.
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| Tim Spitz has a major deficit to overcome in the afternoon 18 of the scheduled 36-hole final for the 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur championship. (John Mummert/USGA) |
Smith, a member of the victorious 2009 USA Walker Cup and USGA Men’s State Team squads last month, won five of the first eight holes and shot the stroke-play equivalent of 3-under-par 69 (with match play concessions) by making three birdies against no bogeys.
“There is a fine line with those pins out there. He hit a lot of good shots that weren’t rewarded,” Smith said of Spitz. “I know he’s going to bring it this afternoon. No lead is safe. He hit some really good shots that (missed by) one foot here and one foot there. I just need to keep it going.”
Smith is vying to become the first medalist to win since Trip Kuehne in 2007 and be the fifth multiple winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur.
As for his mindset going into the afternoon, Smith added: "I’m just going to keep playing, keep attacking and just be smart.”
Because of the heavy rains on Monday, the schedule of the Mid-Amateur was revised to move the first and second rounds of match play to Tuesday, the third and quarterfinal rounds to Wednesday, the semifinals to Thursday and the final to Friday. This has been the first time the schedule was altered by weather since the 1997 championship at Dallas Athletic Club.
Story written by Pete Kowalski, manager of championship media relations for the USGA.
| Championship Facts |
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U.S. Mid-Amateur ARCHITECTS The Kiawah Island Clubs Cassique was designed by Tom Watson and opened in 2000. The River Course was designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 1995. COURSE SETUP There are two setups at Cassique Pulpit and Nip Tuck. During stroke play, the Pulpit setup will be used with holes 4, 5 and 6 playing at 370, 148 and 525 yards, respectively. With the beginning of the second round of match play, the Nip Tuck setup will be used and holes 4, 5 and 6 will play at 360, 155 and 565 yards, respectively. The Pulpit and Nip Tuck setups may rotate during the quarterfinal, semifinal and final rounds. The USGA Course Rating® and USGA Slope Rating® for the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at The Kiawah Island Clubs Cassique are 75.2 and 146 for the Pulpit setup and 74.5 and 145 for the Nip Tuck setup. The USGA Course Rating® and USGA Slope Rating® for The River Course are 74.7 and 147. The grass heights in the various areas of the course for the championship should be as follows: Cassique The River Course USGA AND SOUTH CAROLINA The 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur will be the 14th USGA championship conducted in the state of South Carolina. The last USGA championships in the state were the 2005 Mens and Womens State Team Championships, held concurrently at Berkeley Hall in Bluffton. It is the first USGA championship for The Kiawah Island Club. The U.S. Mid-Amateur is making its second appearance in the state; the 1991 U.S. Mid-Amateur was held at Long Cove Club in Hilton Head Island. CHAMPIONSHIP WEB SITE Visit www.usmidam.org or www.usga.org for the latest news and scores during the championship. ADMISSION Admission is free. Tickets are not needed for this USGA championship, and spectators are encouraged to attend.
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