Michigan’s Lion king: Kim claims 6 & 5 victory over McDaniel at rainy US Amateur Public Links

Kim defeats McDaniel 6 and 5 to win Public Links

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Lion Kim defeated David McDaniel 6 and 5 on Saturday night to win the 36-hole final at the rain-delayed U.S. Amateur Public Links.

The 21-year-old soon-to-be senior at Michigan came out of a 7-hour weather delay and won two straight holes, gradually built up his lead and claimed both a trophy and a traditional invitation into the field at next year’s Masters.

He clinched the victory in virtual darkness at the Bryan Park course. He sank an 8-foot putt for par on the par-4 No. 13 — roughly 30 minutes after sundown — to seal the victory. He says the only thing he saw was the hole.

Kim marked his win by pumping his fist — but his celebration was visible only when photographers popped their flashbulbs around the green.

The putt capped a marathon 14-hour day for the players. Kim led 2 up through 12 holes when play was halted at 9:43 a.m., when a line of thunderstorms began making its way through central North Carolina.

When things resumed on the soggy course at 4:51 p.m., Kim had a bogey on the 13th while McDaniel double-bogeyed the hole. Kim then made a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 14 to take a 2-hole lead.

Pars on the first two holes of the second trip around the course helped Kim take a 6-up lead on McDaniel. The lead grew to seven strokes on No. 6 after McDaniel sent his second shot into the water hazard and bogeyed the hole.

McDaniel — a 25-year-old from Tucson, Ariz., who notably eschews golf spikes in favor of sneakers — took his only lead on the first hole of the day. Kim then evened the match on No. 2.

McDaniel didn’t win another hole until the next-to-last one — but it was enough to prolong the match. He sank a 6-inch par putt on the par-3 12th after Kim holed out for bogey.

With darkness descending on the course, an official from the USGA approached both players at the tee box on No. 13 and told them that if either wanted to stop, he would halt the match and resume it at that point Sunday morning.

Play on, they both said — and it worked out for Kim.