96th California State Amateur Championship
June 18 – 23 Monterey Peninsula CC
View a photo gallery
Match Play Scorecards – Quarterfinals
Match Play Scorecards – Thursday
Match Play Bracket
Wednesday’s Match Play Coverage
First and Second Round Coverage
California State Amateur website
June 21, 2007
 Joe Greiner has made 17 birdies over the course of his first two match play rounds. |
PEBBLE BEACH – Gregor Main was under the impression he was playing Joe Greiner in the second round of the California State Amateur at Monterey Peninsula CC Thursday. Turns out, he was really competing against a birdie machine.
Greiner, a 20-year-old student at the College of Canyons in Valencia, vaporized Main 7 and 6, going 7-under-par via eight birdies before the match mercifully ended on the 12th hole. Main played very well in shooting even par on the front nine, yet still found himself unbelievably down seven holes when his opponent turned in a front-nine score of 28. With six holes unfinished at the match’s conclusion, Vijay Singh’s course-record 64 was firmly in Greiner’s site. “I’m putting pretty well,” the first-time state amateur competitor said in a classic understatement. “These greens are perfect. I ‘m having a great time right now.” The Saugus resident’s blazing-hot day followed a nine-birdie performance in the first round of match play, making him the hottest player in the field.
Tim Honeycutt continued his impressive State Amateur, taking out Jeff Wilson 4 and 2 and ensuring his inbox will soon overflow with recruiting e-mails. The high school senior at Union Mine will face Greiner in the quarterfinals. Despite struggling with the driver, the 17-year-old was preternaturally calm in the face of competing against one of the NCGA’s most experienced players: “I wasn’t too worried. I came back yesterday so I felt confident.” Honeycutt never trailed in the match, eagling the first hole to set the tone. Four more birdies helped build a four-up lead.
 Eddie Olson won his match 4 and 3 over Cody Slover. |
Two other Northern Californians, both with championship pedigree, earned their way to Friday. Eddie Olson of Aptos upended Cody Slover of Visalia 4 and 3 to set up a match against Sihwan Kim. “I felt great over the ball today,” the 2005 NCGA Amateur champion and member of the UNLV golf team said. ” If you hit the ball well, and putt pretty well like I was able to do today, then the game is a lot easier.” A confident Olson, propelled by five birdies on his round, will be a tough match for any player due to his ball striking and course knowledge (Olson was a junior member at MPCC).
 Casey Boyns, 51, is the oldest competitor to make the quarterfinals. |
Casey Boyns, perhaps the sentimental favorite at age 51, almost needed extra holes for the second day ion a row to advance. But a stiffed gap wedge into the 18th hole and subsequent birdie booked a return to the quarterfinals. The two-time champion’s last trip this deep in the State Amateur resulted in one of the finest matches in recent years – a semifinal loss to eventual champion Spencer Levin in 2004. Missed cuts the last two years had the Pebble Beach caddie questioning his participation. ” I’m getting older so I thought I might be done with this event,” he said. “I thought about not entering, but I’m glad I did.” Boyns, bidding to become just the third golfer in the history of the nearly century-old event to win three or more titles(he won in 1989 and 1993), will face 18-year-old Josh Anderson of Murrieta in the next round. Anderson defeated Gerry Simoni 2 and 1.
Blue skies and calm conditions allowed for ample birdie opportunities. The fireworks will continue tomorrow with two rounds of match play scheduled for Friday at the 6,886-yard Shore Course (the quarterfinals and semifinals), with the scheduled 36-hole finale set for Saturday morning.