James Lepp Upset in Round 2

Thursday, August 25, 2005



ARDMORE, Pa. -- South Carolina-Aiken junior Dane Burkhart made two long birdie putts Thursday to upset top-seeded James Lepp and advance to the third round of the U.S. Amateur.

Burkhart, the NCAA Division II champion, birdied the 11th hole at Merion Golf Club with an 80-foot putt and hit a 30-footer on the 14th to take the lead. Lepp, a junior at Washington, was the Division I champion.

"This course is getting so difficult," Burkhart said. "It's hard to get it close. If you're going to make any birdies, you're looking at 20-, 30- or 40-foot putts. Luckily I made a couple of those today."

Lepp had to rally to win Wednesday's first-round match against Kyle Reifers on the 19th hole, but couldn't overcome Burkhart's consistent play and long putts Thursday.

"I played my worst round of the week," Lepp said. "I just struggled early. That was a problem. A couple of missed putts at the end, missed greens where I shouldn't be missing the green -- it just cost me in the end."

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