Kim, Main reach Western Amateur semis
John Hahn might have started something last year at Conway Farms.
Secure a top-16 berth in the Western Amateur by surviving a playoff and then storm to the championship? Hahn pulled off the feat in Lake Forest last summer, and Friday at Skokie Country Club, Gregor Main and Chan Kim put themselves in position to follow the heroics of Hahn, who missed this year's cut by 1 stroke.
"It is pretty weird," Kim said after earning a Final Four berth by beating second-seeded Tom Hoge 3 and 2 and then No. 7 seed Cam Burke 2 and 1. "That actually crossed my mind a couple of times out there. I knew John made it through in a playoff (last year) and ended up winning. I was like, it would be pretty cool if I could do that as well."
Both Kim, who played at Arizona State and is turning pro next month, and Main, a UCLA junior, reached the top 16 by prevailing in a six-man playoff following Thursday's final round of stroke play in Glencoe.
The 108th edition of the tournament concludes today, with 16th-seed Main playing 12th-seed Kieran Pratt of Australia at 8 a.m., followed by 15th-seed Kim against 14th-seed David Chung at 8:15 a.m. The final will start at approximately 12:30 p.m.
"Last night at dinner we were looking at basically the top 16 for I don't know many years in the past," Chung said. "It's just amazing how many of the top 16 have gone on to win majors and multiple PGA Tour victories, and have become really successful. Once you get in the top 16, you got a good group of guys and anybody can take anybody down."
Chung's 1 up win over No. 6 seed and USC freshman Jeffrey Kang concluded Friday's play. Chung secured his second win of the day after bombing a 330-yard drive on No. 18. His long putter complemented his long drives, as the Stanford junior one-putted Nos. 13, 14, 15 and 17.
Counting conceded putts, he shot a 4-under 67.
"It was a very long day and I'm exhausted," said Chung, who started by outlasting No. 3 seed and Arizona State senior Scott Pinckney in 21 holes. "But I'm excited because I just played probably one of the best rounds I've played all summer."
Main ousted medalist and top seed Cheng Tsung-Pan 2 and 1 in the morning, before eliminating Texas Christian's Travis Woolf 3 and 2.
Main trailed the No. 8 seed by one after bogeying the par-5 11. But on the par-3 12th, Main hit his 225-yard tee shot within 3 inches.
"That was the turning point, after not playing the par 5 well," Main said. "It gave me momentum."
After Woolf bogeyed Nos. 15 and 16, Main had his semifinal berth.
Kim wasn't sure he'd even make Thursday's cut. But birdies on the final 4 holes of his first match helped put him in the position he is in today.
"(Friday) the first 18 was kind of a struggle," Kim said. "Ball-striking was off. Putting was off. But my short game was great. Somehow I managed to get up and down. It was the same thing with the second round."