University of Tennessee Athletics
Paisley Falls in British Amateur Semis
June 18, 2010 | Men's Golf
June 18, 2010
Former Tennessee golfer Chris Paisley won easily but then lost narrowly in Friday's action at the British Amateur.
Paisley, 24, scored the quarterfinal round's most convincing win with a 5 and 4 triumph in the morning against Italy's Andrea Pavan. That victory moved Paisley into the semifinals against rising Arizona State senior James Byrne, who is playing this week on home soil at the famed Muirfield links in Scotland.
The semifinal match was fiercely contested and followed by well over 200 spectators, according to the Royal and Ancient's official Web site account.
Paisley, who had a successful turn last summer for Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup, took an early lead after Byrne, 21, failed to make par at the 213-yard, par-three fourth.
But that would be the greatest advantage Paisley would enjoy. Byrne made it back to level terms with a 20-foot birdie putt at the eighth, and then developed a two-hole lead courtesy of wins at the 10th and 13th holes. Four consecutive halves in par followed, the last of those ensuring Byrne's second 2 and 1 victory of the day.
"I am disappointed to be beaten," said Paisley, who completed his four-year UT career in 2009. "But I don't mind as much when it's by a player as good as James. He played some quality shots today and deserved to win."
Paisley finished just two match-play victories shy of earning exemptions to the upcoming 150th Anniversary Open Championship 2011 Masters.
Last year, current UT golfer Darren Renwick also advanced to the British Amateur semifinal round before losing to Italian 16-year-old sensation Matteo Manassero.
Players Mentioned
