Pratt through to Western Amateur Semis
BY Anthony Powter | US Mens Amateur Tour | 2010 Western Amateur Championship | Quarter-Finals | 06 Aug 2010
Kieran Pratt has made the semi-finals of the prestigious Western Amateur in Chicago following solid wins over Sweden’s, Henrik Norlander, 3&1 in the morning top-16 match and then in the afternoon accounted for Yaroslav Merkulov, 3&2 in afternoon quarter-final.
Pratt will meet Gregor Main in tomorrow’s semi-final in what is shaping to be a close contest. Main, 21, from California won the 2009 Southern Amateur and was the only amateur to make the cut in the 2009 PGA Tour’s Buick Invitational.
Main defeated the number 1 seed and co-medalist, Cheng-Tsung Pan, of Taiwan, 2&1, in their morning match before taking down TCU’s Travis Woolf, 3&2, in the afternoon.
In his morning match, Pratt was down three early to Norlander, a member of the NCAA champion Augusta State team. Pratt then holed a majestic 7-iron from 168 yards on the eighth hole, birdied the par 3 ninth to Norlander’s par, birdied both par 5’s on the back nine to move to a 3&1 win over the No 5 seed. Pratt then dispatched Duke incoming freshman, Yaroslav Merkulov, in a perfect display of clutch putting.
“That certainly saved me out there today,” said Pratt, 22, regarding his putting.
“I wasn’t rolling the ball that well during the stroke round, but in the match-play matches I got the pace better and that’s certainly got me over the line this afternoon.”
Pratt is yet to miss a cut in main events that he’s entered this season here in the US. Today’s display also has done his Eisenhower chance not harm either.
“Overall this has been a great tournament for me against a very strong field. I had not real expectations coming here, so it’s pleasing to be where I am. Tomorrow I’ll just go out an play to my own game plan and see what happens.”
In the other half of the draw, David Chung won his morning match on the 21st over Arizona State senior and 3rd seeded Scott Pinckney, and 1-up over incoming USC freshman Jeffrey Kang in the afternoon.
Chung will meet Chan Kim in the other semi-final after Kim disposed of Tom Hodge, 3&2, and Cam Burke 2&1.
