USGA

DAVID GOSSETT
WINS U.S. AMATEUR
TITLE BY WIDE MARGIN

1999 U.S. Amateur
Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Golf Club, Pebble Beach, Calif.

Pebble Beach, Calif. - David Gossett, 20, of Germantown, Tenn., won six of the first nine holes Sunday on his way to defeating 17-year-old Sung Yoon Kim of Seoul, South Korea, 9 and 8, in the 36-hole championship final of the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

"It's been a beautiful week here," said Gossett. "I've worked hard, and it has paid off. This was just my time to win and I'm enjoying it." Gossett shot the equivalent of 2-under-par through 28 holes. He closed the match when the two players halved the 28th hole with par 4s. It was the biggest margin of victory since 1980 when Hal Sutton defeated Bob Lewis by same score.

A sophomore at the University of Texas who was the College Freshman of the Year, Gossett was 5-up after the morning round and held his biggest advantage at 9-up after winning the 26th hole with a birdie 3. He lost only four holes during the match to Kim, who was vying to become the youngest ever Amateur champion at 1½ years younger than Tiger Woods, who was 18 when he won in 1994.

With Tom Lehman's regular caddie Andy Martinez on his bag for the week, Gossett won holes 3 and 4 with pars and then had winning birdies on holes 6 through 8 before taking the 9th with another par. He was the equivalent of even-par 71 for his morning round, while Kim struggled to a 9-over-par 80.

Gossett hit 11 of the first 18 greens while Kim didn't hit any of the first nine greens, and only four of the first 18. Kim won three holes (holes 11, 16 and 18) and Gossett two more.

"I'm very happy I was able to hang in there after a rough start this week," said Gossett, who barely made the cut to match play by one stroke after 36 holes of stroke play.

Gossett joins Justin Leonard (1992) as Texas golfers who have won the Amateur in the 1990s.

The U.S. Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted by the United States Golf Association.

Results of Sunday's 36-hole Championship final match at the 1999 U.S. Amateur Championship at the 6,828-yard, par 35-36-71 Pebble Beach Golf Links:

David Gossett, Germantown, Tenn. (151) def. Sung Yoon Kim, Seoul, South Korea (151), 9 and 8.