Vanderbilt’s List Falls in U.S. Amateur Title Match to Moore

Vanderbilt’s List Falls in U.S. Amateur Title Match to Moore

8/22/2004

Vanderbilt’s List Falls in U.S. Amateur Title Match to Moore

The impressive run for Luke List in the 104th U.S. Amateur at the Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., came up just short of a championship on Sunday as University of Nevada-Las Vegas senior and tournament top-seed Ryan Moore defeated the Vanderbilt sophomore 2-up in the 36-hole final match.

For more information on Luke List’s run at the 104th U.S. Amateur Championship in Mamaroneck, N.Y., visit www.usamateur.org.

Both U.S. Amateur finalists receive full exemptions into the 2005 U.S. Open and have historically been invited to compete in the next Masters tournament as amateurs. The winner garners an exemption into the 2005 British Open and also receives a 10-year exemption into the U.S. Amateur field so long as he does not become a professional.

The championship match opened an even duel between List and Moore as the duo remained all-square through six holes of play. At seven and eight the Vanderbilt sophomore began to gather some momentum by grabbing a lead he would maintain for 34 holes of the match. List managed pars on both #7 and #8 to gain a 2-up advantage, while Moore struggled with consecutive bogeys. A five at the par-4 ninth hole narrowed List’s lead to only 1-up.

Heading to the back nine, List, a 2004 Third Team Ping All-American, once again took advantage of mistakes by his collegiate counterpart to increase his advantage. First, the Commodore golfer dropped in a birdie on the par-4 11th to improve to 2-up, then posted par as Moore bogeyed the par-5 12th to grant List his largest advantage of the day so far at 3-up.

A birdie by Moore at #14 temporarily cut the gap, however, List immediately answered with a three on the par-4 15th to restore his 3-up lead. A par at the 17th briefly improved List to 4-up, but his bogey at the 18th sent the pair to their second tour of the links with List holding on to a 3-up advantage.

Heading to Sunday’s final 18, List opened birdie/bogey at the 19th and 20th holes, while Moore carded bogey/par as the VU sophomore continued to lead 3-up. Two bogeys at the 24th and 26th holes by List cut his advantage to 2-up as the pair moved to the final turn.

Beginning the last nine holes of the match, momentum now seemed to be swinging towards the top-seeded Moore as List struggled to a six on the day’s 29th hole to cut his lead to 1-up.

After Moore came up well short of the hole with his tee shot on the par-3 13th (31st hole), List punched a high shot into the green pin-high and promptly drained a 10-15 foot birdie putt to restore a 2-up advantage and seemingly stifle any momentum that Moore had gained.

List maintained his 2-up lead until the 33rd and 34th holes (#15 and #16) of the match when Moore carded birdie/par to List’s par/bogey to bring the contest all-square for the first time since the sixth hole.

The UNLV senior eventually grabbed his first lead of the day at the 35th hole (#17) with a birdie and maintained his advantage at the last hole to pick up the U.S. Amateur title. Overall, Moore closed with birdies on three of the final four holes.

List is the first Vanderbilt men’s golfer ever to be chosen to the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-Freshman squad. He also became just the second VU golfer (Brandt Snedeker 2002, 2003 All-American) in program history to achieve All-America status after a 2003-04 campaign in which he posted nine top-10 finishes in 13 events, led the Black and Gold in scoring average at 72.03 and helped the Commodores advance to the NCAA Division I Championships in Hot Springs, Va. List established two new school records during his initial campaign at Vanderbilt. He carded a 9-under par 63 at the 2004 Hyatt/Dorado Beach Intercollegiate to establish new school marks for most shots under par in a single round (nine) and lowest single round score (63).

Match play at the U.S. Amateur is being contested on the 7,266-yard, par-70 layout of the Winged Foot Golf Club’s West Course. Designed by A. W. Tillinghast and opened in 1923, Winged Foot has hosted nine USGA championships, including the U.S. Open in 1929, 1959, 1974 and 1984, the U.S. Women’s Open in 1957 and 1972, the U.S. Senior Open in 1980, the U.S. Amateur in 1940 and the Walker Cup Match in 1949.