July 16, 2008

AURORA, Colo. - Former San Diego State golfer Aaron Goldberg (Encinitas, Calif.) was upset by Brady Johnson (Mill Bay, British Columbia/Brigham Young), 5 and 4, on Wednesday during the opening round of match play at the 83rd annual U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship in Aurora, Colo. Goldberg suffered the unexpected defeat less than a day after claiming medalist honors in qualifying stroke play, which earned him the tournament's No. 1 seed in the 64-player bracket.

Johnson, who emerged from a 10-way playoff for the final match play spot, quickly gained the upper hand with a birdie 3 on the second hole and never looked back. Goldberg was forced to play catch-up the rest of the way, but could not dent the scoreboard. Instead, the Aztec alumnus fell further behind after carding bogeys on holes 6, 10, and 12, while his opponent made pars. With a four-hole cushion, Johnson sank a birdie putt on the par-4 14th to seal the match.

The U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship concludes on Saturday at the 7,551-yard, par-71 Murphy Creek Golf Course, with the winner receiving an invitation to the 2009 Masters in Augusta, Ga. The tournament is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

For complete results, please visit www.usapl.org.