Aug. 20, 2003

OAKMONT, Pa. - At historic Oakmont Country Club, TCU junior J.J. Killeen and 2003 graduate Adam Rubinson advanced to the round of 32 at the 103rd U.S. Amateur with a pair of match-play victories seen live on ESPN. Killeen recorded a 4 and 2 victory, while Rubinson won in a thriller in 19 holes. Killeen had his match conceded on the 16th green, while Rubinson's pressure par putt back on No. 1 gave him a sudden-death triumph.

Killeen led wire-to-wire over Chris Erwin of Franklin, Tenn., in his first-ever U.S. Amateur match. The TCU junior claimed each of the first three holes and never looked back. Killeen posted two birdies and eight pars in his round. His father, Joe, served as his caddie for the match.

With his match all-square, Rubinson stroked a clutch putt on 18, drilling a 15-footer to save par that forced his opponent, Brandon Knaub, to follow suit. Knaub did, but was unable to get up-and-down out of a greenside bunker on No. 1. Knaub's miss from just inside 10 feet gave Rubinson the hard-fought victory. Rubinson led by three holes through nine, but Knaub fought back to even the score on No. 16.

This is the first time in school history that a pair of Horned Frog golfers have reached the match play in the same year, and it is the first time that either golfer has reached this stage of the U.S. Amateur. Previously, the last Frog golfer to reach the final 32 was Andy Doeden in 2001.

"These guys are doing an unbelievable job of representing TCU," Horned Frog head coach Bill Montigel said. "They really have played well, and I am looking forward to seeing what happens tomorrow."

Killeen, a 21-year-old from Lubbock, has enjoyed two impressive seasons with the Horned Frogs, helping the squad to back-to-back conference titles. The 2002 Conference USA Co-Freshman of the Year owns a career scoring average of 73.78 over 24 tournaments. He had one top-10 and three top-20 finishes during his sophomore season after grabbing four top-20s as a freshman. His best finish to date is a tie for sixth at the Prestige at PGA West last November. Killeen, who attended Coronado High School, is a former Texas Class 5A state champion.

Rubinson was a two-time All-American and three-time all-conference performer with the Horned Frogs. The Fort Worth native and Walker Cup team member is currently rated seventh in the Golfweek/Titleist Men's Amateur Rankings. Rubinson, the runner-up at the 2002 NCAA Championships, has enjoyed an outstanding summer competing as an amateur. He tied for 10th at Sunnehanna, was fifth at the Northeast Amateur, won the Rice Planters Amateur and was a semifinalist at the Western Amateur.

Match play continues on Thursday, Aug. 21 and will conclude on Sunday, Aug. 24 with the 36-hole championship match. In Thursday's second round, Killeen, seeded 37th, will face No. 5 Brock Mackenzie of Yakima, Wash., beginning at 7:15 a.m. (CT). Meanwhile, Rubinson, seeded 20th, is pitted against 13th-seeded Stuart Moore of Gainesville, Ga. The pairing has a 7:05 a.m. (CT) tee time. Winners from each of the 16 morning matches will then compete for a spot in the final eight in the afternoon. Thursday's play can be seen on ESPN from 1-4 p.m. (CT).

For more information and live scoring, visit the official website of the U.S. Amateur: www.usamateur.com.