Peter Uihlein, the top-ranked amateur player in the world, defeated David Chung 4 and 2 on Sunday to win the 110th U.S. Amateur championship.
Uihlein was leading by two following the first 18 holes in the morning, then held on during the afternoon 18 holes as Chung once again tried to make a charge on the back nine. Seeing a four-hole lead cut to two, Uihlein made a 20-foot birdie putt to win the 14th and nearly ended the match at No. 15, leaving his putt on the lip.
Uihlein finally managed to finish off Chung on the 34th hole when Chung's tee shot on the drivable par-4 16th hole went into the deep, fescue grass. Chung second shot went flying over the back of the green and Chung conceded when his third shot out of the deep grass came up short.
Ranked No. 1 in the world by the Royal & Ancient, Uihlein has been considered one of the top young players in the world for many years, but had yet to capture a major championship until now. Along with the victory, the Oklahoma State junior earned a trip to the U.S. Open and British Open and an invitation to the Masters.
Not a bad present for his 21st birthday.
Chung dominated the back nine at Chambers Bay all week and rallied from 3 down at the turn to beat defending champion Byeong-Hun An in the semifinals.
But Uihlein finally got the best of the Stanford star after dropping his previous two stroke play matches to Chung, including at this year's NCAA championships.
Chung was 3 down after the first nine holes on Sunday morning, but cut the deficit to just one after nearly making a hole-in-one on the par 3 17th. Chung rolled through the back nine of his first 18 shooting 5 under, yet was only able to make up one hole with Uihlein matching nearly every charge.
Uihlein took any momentum Chung gained from his near ace by chipping in for eagle from just off the green on the 18th.
In the afternoon, Uihlein's lead grew to four holes after winning the eighth, even with Chung making par when he holed his fifth shot from 120 yards. Chung won the 10th and 11th to cut the lead in half, but got no closer.
