Enumclaw golfer Tyler Salsbury gets up early, goes low
Few golfers like to hear the alarm clock go off at 5 a.m.
But when a thunderstorm delayed first-day action at the 111th Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur Championship, Enumclaw’s Tyler Salsbury was one of a handful of golfers still on Wine Valley Golf Club at dusk Monday when play was suspended.
The recent Enumclaw High graduate resumed his round at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday – and finally made a birdie.
And when he was signing his scorecard for a 1-over-par 73, tournament officials told him he needed to rush to the first tee to start his second round immediately.
The good play carried over as Salsbury birdied three of the first four holes on his way to a 71, and he easily became one of 64 advancing to match play today at even-par 144 in Walla Walla.
Co-medalists at 8-under 136 were Tanner Higham, a junior-to-be at Utah State from Shelley, Idaho, who shot rounds of 67 and 69, and Carl Johnson from Bainbridge Island, who shot a 9-under 63 in the second round.
In match play today, Salsbury will face Rak Cho (75-72) of Eugene, Ore., at 11:06 a.m.
“I love match play,” Salsbury said. “I don’t go … super low or super high. I am good at extending matches and keeping them close. And I like them when they get tight.”
Olympia’s Jarred Bossio (70-77), the 2011 Tacoma City Amateur champion, will face Gig Harbor’s Chris Tedesco (71-73) at 10:02 a.m.
Covington’s Kent Hagen (76-69) will face Damian Telles (68-78), from The Dalles, Ore., at 11:22 a.m.
Kento Ogimi of Olympia (74-71) will play Kyle Hurt (75-71), Bainbridge Island, at 9:46 a.m.
Port Orchard’s Bjorn Bjorke (149) missed out on the low 64 for match play.
PACKER (74) KNOCKED OUT OF PUBLINX
About 27 holes into his first United States Golf Association national championship, Bonney Lake’s Sean Packer began to feel like himself again.
Unfortunately, it came long after he had any realistic chance of making the cut at the 87th U.S. Amateur Public Links at Soldier Hollow Golf Course in Midway, Utah.
Birdies at No. 3 and No. 4 – his 30th and 31st holes of stroke play – fueled a 1-under 35 on his final nine. Packer finished his second round at 3-over 74.
His two-round total of 12-over 154 put him in a tie for 127th. The top 64 advanced to match play starting today.
His birdies, both on 15-foot putts, came at the 568-yard, par-5 third and the 400-yard, par-4 fourth hole – his only birdies of the tournament.
“First putts made in Utah,” he said.
University of Washington golfers Cheng-Tsung Pan (138) and Chris Williams (140), and Huskies assistant Alex Williams (145) all advanced to match play.
