Lake Nona's Peter Uihlein moved comfortably into the U.S. Amateur's second round of match play. (Copyright USGA/John Mummert)
Lake Nona’s Peter Uihlein took a positive first step in defense of his U.S. Amateur crown, beating Canada’s Eugene Wong in a matchup of college players-of-the-year in the opening round of match play.
Former UCF golfer Blayne Barber, meanwhile, needs a comeback effort on the back nine in his match against Germany’s Stephan Jaeger. Barber trailed 2-down through 10 holes when darkness halted play at Erin Hills GC in Wisconsin.
Uihlein never trailed in his 3-and-1 victory, taking advantage of three early Wong bogeys to grab command. The Oklahoma State golfer led by as much as 4-up late in the match, eventually sealing the outcome with a par at No.17.
“The wind was blowing, the golf course was hard, the pins were brutal and I knew pars were going to be good,” Uihlein told a USGA liaison. “I had an early awful bogey on [No.] 2, but I was pretty solid the rest of the way. He’s a good player, so it was a tough draw.”
Wong, a senior-to-be at Oregon, won the 2010 Jack Nicklaus Award as the nation’s top collegian. Uihlein is the current holder of the Ben Hogan Award.
Barber, now at Auburn, tied for third after the storm-delayed second round of stroke play was completed, three shots behind medalist Gregor Main. But the Lake City native watched an early 1-up lead against Jaeger dissipate when the German made three birdies in a seven-hole span.
That match will resume at 8:15 a.m. EDT. Last year, Barber reached the second round of match play before being eliminated.
No other Florida golfer managed to reach the match-play stage, though Zach Primavera (Lynn Haven) and Nick Brothers (Crystal River) were part of a 20-man playoff for the bracket’s final four spots.