U.S. Amateur Public Links: Tulsa golfer leads the way
BREMERTON — A finance major from the University of Tulsa put together some good numbers on the Olympic Course at Gold Mountain on Monday.
Mitch Cohlmia, 21, shot a 5-under-par 67 to lead after the first day of stroke-play qualifying at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
In addition to having the lowest score on the course, the 5-foot-7 Cohlmia may be leading the tournament in realism.
He admitted he probably doesn't have the length off the tee to play golf for a living.
"I don't have any intention of making golf my job," he said, adding that it would take some sensational finishes to change his mind.
At this point, Cohlmia's trophy case has plenty of room. The last win of significance for the former Oklahoma high-school champion was in the 2002 Oklahoma Amateur. This is his first appearance in a United States Golf Association championship, and he said he had failed to qualify "eight or nine times" for various tournaments.
Today is the final day of stroke play in the tournament, and the field of 156 will be trimmed to 64 players for match play that begins Wednesday.
One stroke back at 68 are J.C. Horne, 18, of Daytona Beach, Fla., and Ben Fox of Studio City, Calif.
Horne had an early tee time Monday and was unprepared for temperatures in the 50s, playing in shorts and a golf shirt.
"I may try to find some pants for tomorrow," the recently graduated high-school senior said.
Tied at 3-under 69 are Justin Metzger of Knoxville, Tenn., and last year's runner-up, Martin Ureta of Chile.
Ureta, who will be a senior at North Carolina, lost 1-up to Clay Ogden of Brigham Young University last year.
"I would love to play him in the first round absolutely," said Ureta, who prepared for this tournament by playing in last week's Sahalee Players Championship.
Ogden finished at 1-over 73 Monday after making the turn at 3 over.
Among local golfers, Yelm's John Cassidy, who just finished his senior season at Nevada, had the best round with a 2-under 70.
Former Washington Husky Derek Berg of Duvall shot 74, as did Tim Feenstra of Lynden and Andrew Yun, a 15-year-old from Tacoma who is the youngest player in the field.
Ryan Keeney, former Inglemoor High School standout who played at UNLV, shot 77. Joseph Prince, the reigning NAIA champion from Bellevue, shot 80.
There were two holes-in-one, both on the 202-yard eighth hole. They were made by Roy Holdeman of El Paso and Jonathan Pauli of St. Johns, Mich.
"I was between a 4-iron and 5-iron, and I decided to be aggressive because I was 5-over," Pauli said of his first ace. "I think I made the right choice."
Pauli finished at 75 and Holdeman at 76.
Notes
• The most exciting hole on the Olympic Course is the 324-yard No. 18, which is a drivable, risk-reward par-4 for big hitters. The green is guarded by a pond and five bunkers, and only about one in four golfers was going for the green Monday.
• Tadd Fujikawa, 15, of Hawaii shot 75. This year he became the youngest golfer ever to qualify for the U.S. Open.
Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com
U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship
At Bremerton
(Played at the 7,061 yard, par 72
Gold Mountain Golf Club)
FIRST ROUND
| Mitch Cohlmia, Tulsa, Okla. | 34-33 — 67 |
| Ben Fox, Studio City, Calif. | 36-32 — 68 |
| J.C. Horne, Daytona Beach, Fla. | 36-32 — 68 |
| Justin Metzger, Knoxville, Tenn. | 35-34 — 69 |
| Martin Ureta, Chile | 34-35 — 69 |
| Derek Fathauer, Jensen Beach, Fla. | 35-35 — 70 |
| John Cassidy, Yelm | 36-34 — 70 |
| Lindsay Renolds, Canada | 34-36 — 70 |
| Scotty Jones, East Palestine, Ohio | 33-37 — 70 |
| Tyler Trout, Leawood, Kan. | 36-34 — 70 |
| Adam Wynia, Sioux Falls, S.D. | 36-35 — 71 |
| Anthony Kim, Traverse City, Mich. | 35-36 — 71 |
| Jesse Schutte, Florence, Ore. | 33-38 — 71 |
| Nicholas Van Vuuren, South Africa | 36-35 — 71 |
| Raymond Sheedy, Keymar, Md. | 34-37 — 71 |
| Sihwan Kim, Buena Park, Calif. | 34-37 — 71 |
| Zachary Sebert, Columbus, Ohio | 36-35 — 71 |
| Billy Horschel, Grant, Fla. | 35-37 — 72 |
| Casey Watabu, Kapaa, Hawaii | 38-34 — 72 |
| Cory Segall, La Jolla, Calif. | 37-35 — 72 |
| Daniel Im, Fullerton, Calif. | 37-35 — 72 |
| David Johnson, Melbourne, Fla. | 35-37 — 72 |
| Derrick Whiting, Alexandria, Minn. | 35-37 — 72 |
| Josh Wilks, Tucson, Ariz. | 36-36 — 72 |
| Sean Maekawa, Paauilo, Hawaii | 37-35 — 72 |
| Tze Huang Choo, Singapore | 36-36 — 72 |
| William Mitchell, Roswell, Ga. | 36-36 — 72 |
| Brent Paladino, Kensington, Conn. | 36-37 — 73 |
| Brian Carroll, Crystal Lake, Ill. | 37-36 — 73 |
| Clay Ogden, West Point, Utah | 39-34 — 73 |
| Henry Liaw, Rowland Hts., Calif. | 37-36 — 73 |
| Jeff Daniels, Harrisburg, Pa. | 35-38 — 73 |
| Keegan Bradley, Jackson, Wyo. | 37-36 — 73 |
| Kyle Ritchie, Corning, Iowa | 40-33 — 73 |
| Lucas Lee, Brazil | 38-35 — 73 |
| Raymond Wooten, Clemson, S.C. | 37-36 — 73 |
| Terrence Miskell, Texas | 36-37 — 73 |
| Zack Byrd, Calabash, N.C. | 36-37 — 73 |
| Andrew Yun, Tacoma | 39-35 — 74 |
| Brad Hastings, Easton, Md. | 36-38 — 74 |
| Brandon Pike, Huntington, Ind. | 36-38 — 74 |
| Brodie Flanders, Canada | 38-36 — 74 |
| Charles Soule, Longmont, Colo. | 39-35 — 74 |
| David Palm, Jacksonville, Fla. | 40-34 — 74 |
| Derek Berg, Duvall | 39-35 — 74 |
| Derek Busby, Ruston, La. | 36-38 — 74 |
| Hernan Borja, Kingwood, Texas | 37-37 — 74 |
| Kevin Foley, Somerville, N.J. | 37-37 — 74 |
| Kevin Larsen, Santa Barbara, Calif. | 37-37 — 74 |
| Matt Brantingham, Richmond, Va. | 37-37 — 74 |
| Nick Kwaterski, Wis. | 36-38 — 74 |
| Nick Travers, Boise, Idaho | 37-37 — 74 |
| Robert Reed, Claremont, N.H. | 39-35 — 74 |
| Rory Hie, Los Angeles | 38-36 — 74 |
| Tim Feenstra, Lynden | 38-36 — 74 |
| Brad Marek, Arlington Heights, Ill. | 38-37 — 75 |
| Bryan Haase, Interlochen, Mich. | 40-35 — 75 |
| James Hockman, Norfolk, Va. | 38-37 — 75 |
| James Vargas, Miami | 39-36 — 75 |
| Jerre Maynor Jr., Nashville, Tenn. | 37-38 — 75 |
| John Streibich, Cincinnati | 37-38 — 75 |
| Jonathan Pauli, St. Johns, Mich. | 37-38 — 75 |
| Kane Hanson, Detroit Lakes, Minn. | 39-36 — 75 |
| Mark Sommerfeld, Canada | 40-35 — 75 |
| Matt Savage, Louisville, Ky. | 37-38 — 75 |
| Matt Spicer, Keller, Texas | 39-36 — 75 |
| Michael Barbosa, Fla. | 36-39 — 75 |
| Tadd Fujikawa, Honolulu | 37-38 — 75 |
| Tarik Can, Augusta, Ga. | 38-37 — 75 |
| Adam Rainaud, Mass. | 39-37 — 76 |
| Andy Mack, Itasca, Ill. | 37-39 — 76 |
| Brian Davidson, Baldwin, Ga. | 37-39 — 76 |
| Chad Cooper, Lafayette, Ind. | 41-35 — 76 |
| Cole Moreland, Austin, Texas | 38-38 — 76 |
| Jay Lindell, Lakewood, N.Y. | 37-39 — 76 |
| Kevin Wentworth, Arnold, Calif. | 39-37 — 76 |
| Michael Koreski, W.Va. | 37-39 — 76 |
| Nick Geyer, Malibu, Calif. | 40-36 — 76 |
| Phillip Bryan, Mustang, Okla. | 38-38 — 76 |
| Roy Holdeman, El Paso, Texas | 37-39 — 76 |
| Travis Meyer, River Falls, Wis. | 40-36 — 76 |
| Zeke Reyna, Weslaco, Texas | 37-39 — 76 |
| Conor O'Brien, Weatogue, Conn. | 40-37 — 77 |
| D.J. Lewin, Hollywood, Fla. | 40-37 — 77 |
| Dayton Rose, Oklahoma City | 37-40 — 77 |
| Dennis Kwon, Rockville, Md. | 39-38 — 77 |
| Herbie Aikens, Pembroke, Mass. | 39-38 — 77 |
| Jeff Berkshire, Phoenix | 40-37 — 77 |
| Jesse Massie, Louisville, Ky. | 42-35 — 77 |
| Matt Harmon, Grand Rapids, Mich. | 39-38 — 77 |
| Nicklaus Newcomb, Benton, Ky. | 35-42 — 77 |
| Raul Cortes, Mexico | 37-40 — 77 |
| Rodney Hamblin Jr., Minn. | 39-38 — 77 |
| Ryan Keeney, Redmond | 40-37 — 77 |
| Seth Hirschhorn, Willingboro, N.J. | 38-39 — 77 |
| Tye Alexander, Los Angeles | 35-42 — 77 |
| Tyler Neal, Tucson, Ariz. | 35-42 — 77 |
| Andy Choi, Orlando, Fla. | 41-37 — 78 |
| Chip Knuckey, Springfield, Ohio | 37-41 — 78 |
| Daniel Arvanitis, Manchester, N.H. | 39-39 — 78 |
| Daniel Manselle, O'Fallon, Mo. | 42-36 — 78 |
| Derek Tolan, Colo. | 35-43 — 78 |
| Garrett Medeiros, Rumford, R.I. | 39-39 — 78 |
| Greg Buckway, West Jordan, Utah | 39-39 — 78 |
| Jonathan Lenz, San Antonio | 39-39 — 78 |
| Mark Harrell, Hazlehurst, Ga. | 38-40 — 78 |
| Mark Wentz, Milwaukee | 40-38 — 78 |
| Michael King, Livonia, Mich. | 41-37 — 78 |
| Ricky Montanez, Helendale, Calif. | 38-40 — 78 |
| Andrew Sledge, Houma, La. | 36-43 — 79 |
| Anthony Martire, Absecon, N.J. | 40-39 — 79 |
| Bobby Fox, Chester, Conn. | 40-39 — 79 |
| Eric Daniel, Dorchester, Mass. | 40-39 — 79 |
| Federico Cabrera, Argentina | 39-40 — 79 |
| Jack Newman, Des Moines, Iowa | 41-38 — 79 |
| Jay Poletiek, Portland, Ore. | 37-42 — 79 |
| John Finnin, Crete, Ill. | 39-40 — 79 |
| Matt Miller, Bloomington, Ill. | 41-38 — 79 |
| Micah Burke, Los Angeles | 42-37 — 79 |
| Nicholas Park, Ithaca, N.Y. | 40-39 — 79 |
| Scott Turner, Palm City, Fla. | 40-39 — 79 |
| Vance Welch, Cross Creek, Md. | 37-42 — 79 |
| Billy Thompson, Great Falls, Mont. | 41-39 — 80 |
| Jacob Scott, Strongsville, Ohio | 39-41 — 80 |
| Joseph Prince, Chula Vista, Calif. | 40-40 — 80 |
| Kevin Shimomura, Lahaina, Hawaii | 40-40 — 80 |
| Matthew Berzovich, Fla. | 40-40 — 80 |
| Steve White, Jackson, Wyo. | 38-42 — 80 |
| Adam Frey, Cypress, Calif. | 40-41 — 81 |
| Bradley Leeper, Chapel Hill, N.C. | 40-41 — 81 |
| Chan Kim, Honolulu | 42-39 — 81 |
| Jeffrey Franks, Colo. | 39-42 — 81 |
| Matt Briggs, San Antonio | 41-40 — 81 |
| Nathan Stamey, Canton, N.C. | 41-40 — 81 |
| Ron Mangold, Pocahontas, Ark. | 40-41 — 81 |
| Danny Brown, Buffalo Grove, Ill. | 43-39 — 82 |
| Devin Schreiner, Durango, Colo. | 42-40 — 82 |
| Lee Sakugawa, Wailuku, Hawaii | 42-40 — 82 |
| Michael Bielawski, West Allis, Wis. | 41-41 — 82 |
| Nathan Wine, Ft. Wayne, Ind. | 39-43 — 82 |
| Paul Atchison, Augusta, Ga. | 41-41 — 82 |
| Robb Bierbaum, N.M. | 37-45 — 82 |
| Sumeet Arora, Woodridge, Ill. | 41-41 — 82 |
| Brandon Kaiser, Anchorage, Alaska | 42-41 — 83 |
| David Dankmyer, Gibsonia, Pa. | 44-39 — 83 |
| Nicholas Sheedy, Burlington, Iowa | 41-42 — 83 |
| Brad Dearsman, Clyde, Ohio | 39-45 — 84 |
| Keegan Fennessy, Minot, Maine | 41-43 — 84 |
| Scott Hess, Santa Rosa, Calif. | 43-41 — 84 |
| Peter Krsnich, Wichita, Kan. | 41-44 — 85 |
| Rick Burwig, Portland, Ore. | 40-46 — 86 |
| Rocky Manning, Greensboro, N.C. | 41-45 — 86 |
| Kevin Horan, Marina Del Rey, Calif. | 48-39 — 87 |
| Brian Bergstol, Mount Bethel, Pa. | 41-48 — 89 |
| Kurt Valley, Bay City, Mich. | 48-45 — 93 |
| Ben Smock, San Antonio | DQ |