Osberg reaches match play, trails in first match at U.S. Mid-Am

   Llanerch Country Club's Jeff Osberg had hoped to improve on his performance at the recent U.S. Amateur when he teed it up this week at the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship in Texas.
   And Osberg certainly achieved that goal. Osberg easily reached match play at the U.S. Mid-Amateur with rounds of 72 at The Houstonian G.&C.C. and 73 at Shadow Hawk G.C. for a 1-over 145 total that left him in a tie for 20th in qualifying that wasn't completed until Monday after rain delays over the weekend.
   Osberg had failed to make match play at the U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills in Wisconsin.
    Osberg trails Matthew Smith of Lubbock, Texas, 2-down, through 11 holes of their first-round match, which was suspended by darkness Monday.
    Nathan Smith, the Pittsburgh resident who has become the nation's premier mid-amateur player, claimed a 3 and 2 triumph over Scott Weeks of Savannah, Ga. in his first-round match. It was the 13th straight match win at the U.S. Mid-Am for Smith, who is bidding for a third straight title and his fourth overall. A third straight Mid-Am title would make Smith the first player to win a male USGA event three straight times since Tiger Woods won three straight U.S. Amateur crowns.
    Smith's first Mid-Am title came in 2003, but his career really seemed to take off when Buddy Marucci named him to the 2009 U.S. team that retained the Walker Cup at Merion G.C.'s East Course. Smith then went on to win the 2009 U.S. Mid-Am and repeated the feat a year ago. He was again named to the U.S. side for this year's Walker Cup Match, although Great Britain-Ireland claimed the Cup this time.

Sheftic helps U.S. take PGA Cup

   Mark Sheftic, the head of instruction at Merion G.C., helped a U.S. team of PGA club professionals retain the Llandudno International Trophy that goes to the winner of the PGA Cup.
   Sheftic edged John Wells of Yorkshire, England, 1-up, in his singles match Sunday at CordeValle in San Martin, Calif. as the U.S. finished off a 171/2-81/2 triumph over a team from Great Britain and Ireland to improve its advantage to 17-5-3 in the showcase international event for PGA club pros.
   Sheftic helped the U.S. get off to a strong start in Friday's two team sessions. Sheftic teamed with David Hutshell of Baltimore for a 3 and 2 victory over Simon Edwards and David Shacklady in a morning four-ball match and a 6 and 5 victory over John Kennedy and David Mortimer in an afternoon foursome match.
   The 6-2 advantage the U.S. claimed after Day One was the kind of start it needed.
   Shacklady and Edwards avenged their Day One loss to Sheftic and Hutshell with a 2 and 1 victory in a four-ball match Saturday morning. John Wells and Gary Brown then handed Sheftic and Hutshell a 2-up setback in a foursome match Saturday aftrernoon.