Gahman Qualifies for Match Play at USGA Publinks

Travis Gahman’s run of stellar play over the last two years continues, this time at the USGA Publinks at Bryan Park Golf and Conference Center in Greensboro, NC. This morning he survived a thirteen-for-six playoff with a birdie on the first playoff hole, #10 to qualify for match play. Gahman was one of four players to make birdie on the first playoff hole and advance to match play.

The 10th hole is a 390 yard, par-4 with a fairway that runs out and most players were taking iron or hybrid off the tee. Gahman was in the last group to tee-off in the playoff and with his dad doubling as his caddie, was debating how to play the hole. “When I pulled driver and 3-wood from the bag I got a lot of looks. I pulled the cover off the driver and flipped it with the 3-wood to my dad. I know people thought I was crazy but I wanted to get it as close to the green as I could.” While most players were left with a 8-iron, 9-iron or wedge, “I had 90 yards, drew a good lie in the rough and stuck it to three feet. I made the putt and I get to play Reed at 12:36.” Patrick Reed is the three seed by virtue of his rounds of 68 and 66 in qualifying.

Play was halted yesterday at 6:18 PM, due to dangerous weather conditions, shortly after Gahman holed out on the 36th hole. “I hit a great iron shot on the last that nearly went in and ended up ten feet. I lipped out the putt. I hit it solid all day but had no luck.”

In his second USGA event, (he qualified for last year’s US Amateur at Southern Hills GC in Tulsa OK) Gahman’s solid play in this championship started quickly with birdies on five of his first six holes on Monday and he was the early leader. That was short lived, though, as he made two quick bogies on seven and eight and a double bogey on ten. A back nine 41 left him at +2 in the first round and squarely on the bubble for match play.

Gahman is the two-time defending PPGA Player of the Year. Gahman teamed with Luke Peters in 2008 to capture the Philadelphia Better-Ball Championship by a whopping twelve shots, teamed with Paul Cornely to finish second in the same event in 2009, won the Publinks Championship in 2009 by defeating Mike Brown in a playoff and was runner-up in the 2009 Philadelphia Open Amateur losing out to Mike Owsik by one shot.

Gahman will have his work cut out for him but if he can make seven birdies like he did on day one of qualifying he will be a tough test for anyone he plays.

The match play portion of the championship can be followed on-line in real time at USGA or USGA APL Match Play Scoring.

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