By: by Mark Toma
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State’s Matt Nagy advanced to the second round of match play at the 84th Annual United States Public Links Championship before falling to Eddie Olson, 3 & 2, on Thursday afternoon at the Jimmie Austin/University of Oklahoma Golf Club.
Nagy continued his successful summer by advancing to match play and then moving to the Round of 32 as he defeated Chris Marin on Wednesday morning. However, Nagy’s run came to an end at the 16th hole this afternoon under the sweltering Midwestern skies.
The Owls’ rising-junior never trailed through the first eight holes, as he and Olson were all square five times. The KSU rising-junior won the first hole with a birdie on the par-4 hole, but bogeyed the par-3 second hole.
Nagy, a native of Buena Vista, Ga., won the fourth hole and remained one-up after each player bogeyed the par-five fifth hole. Olson birdied the par-3 sixth hole to tie the match.
The pair remained even through the eighth hole and after Olson went 1-up after a birdie on nine, Nagy came back with a birdie on the 10th hole to go all square for the final time as Olson pulled to 3-up over the next six holes.
Nagy defeated Marin in the first round of match play, 3 & 2 and was 4-under par through 16 holes as he advanced to play. After a par on the first hole, Nagy birdied the par-3 second hole and then eagled the third hole to go two-up on Marin who could never recover.
The score remained the same until the seventh hole when Nagy birdied to go three-up. He would three times move to four-up until Marin made a final rally, winning the 12th and 13th holes. Nagy took the match by making a birdie on the 16th hole for the win.
84th Annual United States Public Links
Jimmie Austin/OU Golf Club | Norman, Okla. | July 13-18, 2009
Round of 32 Match Play | Thursday, July 16, 2009
Olson d. Nagy, 3 & 2
Round of 64 Match Play | Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Nagy d. Marin, 3 & 2
