Indiana University Athletics
Overton Falls in Semifinals at U.S. Amateur
8/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Mamaroneck, N.Y. - Jeff Overton's incredible run came to an end at the 104th U.S. Amateur Championships on Saturday. After winning his first four matches to advance to the semifinals, Indiana's top golfer lost to the defending NCAA champion and UNLV senior Ryan Moore, 2 and 1, at Winged Foot Golf Club.
Overton struck the first blow in the match, recording a par at the par-4 second hole following a Moore bogey to take a 1-up advantage. The second team All-American extended his lead to 2 up with another par and a Moore bogey at No. 4.
Moore, the medalist winner in the stroke play portion of the Championships, came back with a birdie on the par-5 fifth hole to trim Overton's margin to 1 up. The duo birdied the par-4 sixth and collected pars at the par-3 seventh before Moore netted a par at the par-4 eighth to square the match.
Overton regained a 1 up lead following a Moore bogey at the ninth, but the senior bogeyed the par-3 10th, relinquishing his lead.
The players garnered pars at the next two holes before Moore took his first lead of the match at the par-3 13th with his third birdie of the day. Overton bogeyed the 14th to fall 2 down, where the margin stood until the 17th and final hole, when Moore matched Overton's par to close out the match.
Overton closed out the day at 3-over-par on the host course for the 2006 U.S. Open, while Moore completed his round at 1-over-par.
Despite the loss, Overton completed an amazing run at the Championships. The Evansville, Ind., native finished tied for 17th in the two rounds of stroke play at the event to advance to match play. He rolled through his first two matches, downing Jonathan Pauli, 6 and 5, and John Keller, 5 and 4, in the first two rounds.
Up next, Overton defeated Georgia Tech senior Nicholas Thompson, 3 and 2, and in his most impressive performance, knocked off four-time Winged Foot Club champion Andy Svoboda, 2 up.
The Big Ten Player of the Year's next stop is back with his IU teammates. Overton and the Hoosiers open their fall campaign at the Michigan-Radrick Farms Intercollegiate in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 11-12.
