Amory Davis defeated U.S. Amateur medalist Jeff Wilson 3 and 1 in the first round of match play Wednesday.
Davis arrived at Chambers Bay early Wednesday morning as part of a 16-for-6 playoff to determine the final entrants into match play. He earned the last spot by making birdie on the second playoff hole.
Davis then went out nearly seven hours later and took a 3 up lead on Wilson after 10 holes. Wilson won back two holes later in the round, including a 70-foot birdie putt on the 13th. But Davis held off the 47-year-old car dealer from California, making par on the par 3 17th to end the match.
''I've always known match play was my gig, because I hit it long and crooked, and I ... don't seem to be scared or nervous, so I can unleash it,'' Davis said. ''If (Wilson) had run into somebody who was playing OK golf today, he would have smoked him. I played pretty good today.''
Earlier in the day, reigning U.S. college champion Scott Langley outlasted 51-year-old Tim Jackson in 19 holes.
After Jackson forced extra holes with a par on the 515-yard par 4 18th hole, the duo was forced to play the daunting first hole yet again. Langley knocked his pitching wedge from 115 yards onto the putting surface after Jackson missed the green from nearly the same spot.
Langley, who won the college NCAA individual title as a junior and was the low amateur at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, then let out a fist pump as his birdie putt dropped to win the match.
''I would rather have won it in less holes and saved energy,'' Langley said. ''... As soon as I saw Tim's name I knew I was going to have to play well to beat him. We had quite the match.''
Langley was one of the bigger names to get through the first day of match play. Defending champion An Byeong-hun of South Korea rolled to a 3 and 2 victory over David Dannelly in his first match, while Pac-10 co-player of the year Eugene Wong needed 19 holes to beat Joe Saladino. Wong rallied to win the final four holes of the match after being 3 down with just three to play. David Chung, winner of the Western Amateur just a few weeks ago, beat Mike McCoy 3 and 2.
In the afternoon, Peter Uihlein and Morgan Hoffmann advanced, along with Patrick Cantlay, who finished tied for second in stroke play.
Others weren't as fortunate. Local favorite and Hogan Award winner Nick Taylor - who played nearby at Washington - lost to Chian Kim 4 and 2. Kevin Tway, the son of Champions Tour player Bob Tway and the 2005 U.S. Junior Amateur champ, was defeated 1-up by Blayne Barber.
