AURORA — There was a stirring in the clubhouse. Who is this 20-year-old?
“I’m just Brady Johnson,” he said Wednesday after his stunning upset of medalist Aaron Goldberg in the first round of match play at the 83rd U.S. Amateur Public Links at Murphy Creek Golf Course.
“I go to BYU. I live in Victoria, British Columbia, in the summer,” said Johnson, a rising junior at BYU. “And I play a lot of golf.”
Goldberg, who became only the third medalist to be beaten in first-round match play since 2000, could only admire such simplicity, after falling 5 and 4 to Johnson. The previous two were Mark Harrell (2007) and Isaac Jimison (2002).
“He plays solid golf,” Goldberg said. “He hits greens and makes putts. He looks pretty good to me.”
In other matches, Pat Grady, a 22-year-old senior-to-be at the University of Colorado from Broomfield, defeated Brandon Berry of Lagrange, Ky., 2 and 1.
Grady’s younger brother, Jim, was knocked out. Colorado State junior-to-be Riley Arp, 20, defeated Jim Grady 3 and 2.
Second-seeded Rickie Fowler of Murrieta, Calif., had a relatively easy time beating Michael Knott of Buffalo, 4 and 2. Third-seeded Zachary Zaremba of Pueblo lost to Zach Sebert of Grove City, Ohio, 1 up.
The youngest player to advance was 18-year-old Patrick Lundy, a high school senior from Little River, S.C. Lundy beat Les Teuteberg of Watsonville, Calif., 6 and 5.
Today’s second round begins at 7 a.m.
