Johnson sinks Chung in semis

LONGMEADOW -- It struck Bradley Johnson about five minutes after he sunk his final putt. Sitting on a bench overlooking the 18th green at Longmeadow Country Club, Johnson perked up when reminded that those who make the final match at the US Junior Amateur Championship qualify for the US Amateur.

''Yeah," Johnson said, a smile expanding on his countenance. ''I get to miss the entire third week of school."

Johnson earned the respite from his junior year at Spain Park High School in Birmingham, Ala., yesterday by defeating last year's runner-up David Chung, 1-up. He'll play Kevin Tway, who beat Arnond Vongvanij, 1-up, in the other semifinal, for the championship today. The match, which tees off at 8 a.m., will be the first title decided in 36 holes in the Junior Amateur's history.

''Ten, 15, 20 years from now, you'll look back on this as one of the greatest experiences of your life," Johnson said. ''Of course, I'm excited to get here. I'm still kind of in shock, I guess."

That might have been partly from the way his opponent finished. Chung, whom Johnson credited as having, ''one of the prettiest putting strokes in golf," missed birdie putts of 8 and 5 feet on Nos. 16 and 17 that would have squared the match.

''I don't think I've putted this bad in a while," said Chung, 15, who would have become the youngest player to win the event. ''That was the difference."

Johnson made the putts he needed to. Money from 10 feet, Johnson rolled in his biggest putt on No. 14, a 15-footer for birdie that put him ahead for good, giving the 16-year-old his greatest golfing achievement since he nearly qualified for this year's US Open.

While Johnson, the third seed, ensured his side of the draw held form, Tway, the son of PGA pro Bob Tway, continued his march to the final as the 33d seed.

''It doesn't really matter what seed you are," said Tway, who turns 17 today. ''All that matters is how you play in match play. My dad just told me if you have a good attitude, good things will happen."

In a quarterfinal match, Tway was 3 down against Tim McKenney with four holes to play, then won Nos. 15, 16, and 18 to force extra holes. Tway won on the 21st hole, the par-3 16th, when he drilled his tee shot to 3 feet.

He won his semifinal in similar fashion over Vongvanij, who led or was tied during the match until the final stroke. Tway knotted the match on the 16th, when he stuck his tee shot to 10 inches, so close he thought he made an ace. It was good enough to win the hole, and dueling pars on No. 17 sent the match to the 18th.

Tway and Vongvanij played the final hole nearly identical, hitting the fairway, then sticking approaches on opposite sides of the hole about 6 feet from the cup. The players crouched, putters perpendicular to the ground while reading the lines, facing each other as if engaged in a staring contest.

Vongvanij blinked first. His putt lipped out, then Tway sank his to advance to the final.

''He earned it," Vongvanij said. ''I beat the course. I played really well. He just outplayed me. There's a difference between you losing the hole, and him winning the hole."

As Tway continued his precise play, his father, as he's done all week, watched from a distance, constantly scurrying one shot ahead of his son. He said he does it to track shots, making sure his son or his opponent doesn't lose a ball. But it also helps him handle his butterflies.

''I don't think I've ever been so nervous during a tournament," Bob Tway said. ''I could hardly breathe."

And how does he think his son is handling the tension?

''Well, see for yourself on the leaderboard," he said. ''Pretty remarkable."