Jones defeated despite strong 2nd-round start Thomaston golfer won first 3 holes

SAN FRANCISCO – George Zahringer of New York City came back to defeat Ricky Jones of Thomaston 2 up Thursday in the second round of match play at the U.S. Amateur golf championship.

Jones, a two-time winner of the Maine Amateur when it was held under a similar format, won the first three holes at The Olympic Club’s Lake Course against Zahringer, but the 2002 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion gradually closed the gap.

Zahringer birdied the 14th hole to tie the match for the second time, then parred the next hole to take the lead for good. He chipped in to birdie the last hole and close out Jones.

Despite his disappointment at being eliminated, Jones is ready to try again.

“Most definitely,” he said. “This is something you look forward to every year. The hard part is qualifying.”

Jones qualified at The Ledges in York this year, along with Trevor Murphy of St. Johnsbury, Vt.

“There were only two out of 51 who qualified,” said Jones, who pointed out that they made their presence felt in the 315-player field.

“We both made the round of 32,” said Jones.

Jones parred the first two holes and birdied the third, while Zahringer bogeyed all three.

Zahringer won the fifth and seventh holes to cut Jones’ lead to 1 up, but Jones parred No. 8 to go 2 up again.

Back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11 by Zahringer squared the match.

“He hit [his drive on 10] in the left rough,” said Jones. “He was lucky because it sat up. Seventy-five percent of the time it’s buried, and 25 percent of the time it will sit up.”

Zahringer knocked it on the green and made the putt while Jones wasn’t as fortunate.

“I was 125 [yards] out, straight downwind,” he said. “The wind didn’t make as much difference as I thought. I was 20 feet short [of the cup] and I thought it was perfect.”

On 11, Jones went over the green on his second shot while Zahringer came up short. Jones chipped to 4 feet, but Zahringer chipped in to win the hole.

Jones took the lead again on 13 with a bogey before Zahringer took control on 14.

“That’s where my drive started to leave me for the day,” said Jones, whose tee shot ended up in the left rough.

“It was probably the worst lie you could imagine,” he said with a laugh. “I hit 5-iron and it went, maybe, 15 yards.”

When Zahringer hit his approach shot on the green, Jones conceded the putt and the hole.

On the 157-yard, par-3 15th, the pin was tucked on the left side of the green, Jones said.

“I hit it left of where I wanted and the wind took it way left of the green,” he said. “I had a pretty good lie and tried to hit a flop shot, but it never made it to the green. It landed in the rough and buried again.”

A second flop shot also misfired and Zahringer was ahead for good.

“It’s hard to see the magnitude of a course like this until you’re not swinging that well,” said Jones.

Zahringer was eliminated by U.S. Amateur Public Links champion Colt Knost of Dallas 2 and 1 in Thursday afternoon’s third-round match.

Winners there moved on to the quarterfinal matches today, followed by the semifinals Saturday, and the 36-hole championship Sunday.