Haas, Stadler win at U.S. Amateur

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Second-generation golfers Kevin Stadler and Bill Haas advanced to the second round Wednesday at the U.S. Amateur Championship.

Haas, son of PGA Tour veteran Jay Haas, earned medalist honors at the Oakland Hills Country Club and played in the last of Wednesday's 32 first-round matches. He went to the 18th hole all square with Lee Williamson, but captured the final hole to set up a second-round match with John Merrick.

Merrick defeated Lee Curry of Canada, 3 & 2.

Stadler, son of former Masters champion Craig Stadler, advanced with a 4 & 3 decision over Chris Davis.

Among the other winners were D.J. Trahan of Inman, S.C. and John Klauk of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. They both won the last two holes of their matches .

Trahan, a senior at Clemson and the reigning collegiate Player of the Year, won the 16th and 17th holes with pars in defeating Mark Gauley of Raleigh, N.C., 2 and 1. Klauk, who won the Western Amateur two weeks ago, birdied holes Nos. 15 and 16 to close out Brendon Todd of Cary, N.C., 4 and 2.

Both winners were 1-over-par in their matches.

"Pars are going to do you a lot of good out here," said Trahan, who played on the 2001 U.S. Walker Cup team and won the 2000 U.S. Amateur Public Links title.

Also advancing was 43-year-old Jerry Courville, who qualified for the match play portion of the tournament for the ninth consecutive year. Courville was 1-down going to the 17th tee, but won both the par-3 17th and par-4 18th to pull out the match.

Courville won the 1995 U.S. Mid-Amateur and has played on two Walker Cup teams.

The semifinalists qualify for next year's Masters and the winner will earn an exemption into next year's U.S. Open.