PINEHURST, N.C. – In a field stacked with some of the top amateur golfers in the world, Carson-Newman men's golfer Tom Forster finds himself in a solid tie for 18th heading into the start of match play on Wednesday at the U.S. Amateur at the world-famous Pinehurst Resort and Country Club.
The field was scheduled to be cut from 312 to 64 by the end of Tuesday with those top 64 qualifying for the match play portion of the tournament, but darkness suspended play at 8 p.m., forcing the second round to be concluded on Wednesday. Forster's two-over stance in the field places him three shots ahead of the large tie for 67th.
One round of match play action tomorrow following the remainder of the second round will move the field to 32 for Thursday when the rounds of 32 and 16 will take place. Quarterfinal matches will happen on Friday before the semifinals and championship roll around on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The rising-senior went two-over through the opening rounds of stroke play, holding a 142 through 36 holes. Monday's round came with a 73 on Course No. 2. He was one-over through the front nine thanks to a trio of birdies cleaning up a pair of bogeys and a double-bogey on the par-4 fourth. He was level for seven-of-nine holes but two more bogeys moved him to three-over heading into the clubhouse.
Tuesday's outing on the No. 4 Course brought the turnaround Forster needed. He sat at two-under heading into the turn with a pair of birdies. Early in the back nine, he carded back-to-back bogeys but a birdie on the par-5 17th kept him in the red with a one-under round of 69.
The match play pairings will be determined following Wednesday morning's conclusion of stroke play, which will begin at 7:20 a.m. EDT, and a playoff for match play spots, if necessary. Television coverage of the first three days of match play can be found on FS1 from 4-7 p.m. EDT. For all of the latest updates on Forster's time at the U.S. Amateur, be sure to keep tabs on @CNathletics via Twitter and follow the live scoring page provided by the USGA.
