July 15, 2009

NORMAN, Okla. – South Carolina’s Wesley Bryan won his first-round match at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship on Wednesday morning, defeating recent North Carolina graduate Robert Riesen in a tight contest, 1 up.

Riesen took an early lead as Bryan bogeyed the first hole, but Bryan would square the match with a par at the fourth against Riesen’s bogey. The match stayed all square until the eighth when Riesen would record another bogey to put Bryan 1 up, but Riesen birdied the ninth to square the match at the turn. Bryan then took control with birdie at the 10th to go 1 up, then made par against Riesen’s bogey at the 12th to go 2 up. Bryan bogeyed the 13th to give Riesen one hole back, but then made par at the 15th to go back up by two with three to play. With Bryan dormie going to the 17th, Riesen made birdie to stay alive, but both players made par at the last to give Bryan the victory.

The rising sophomore from Chapin, S.C., will face Washington State signee Hank Frame in his second-round match, which is set for a 7:27 a.m. CDT tee time on Thursday at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club. Frame defeated Michael Brown of Cheltenham, Pa., in his first-round match, 4 and 3. Full coverage is available through usapl.org.