University of Minnesota senior Andrew Paulson (White Bear Lake, Minn.) shot a one-under-par 70 July 14 in day one of the U.S. Amateur Public Links tournament at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora, Colo. He followed that up by shooting a one-over-par 72 on day two to join 63 other golfers in the match play portion of the tournament, which started play this morning.

Rounds two and three of match play will be played Thursday, July 17 while the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds will take place on Friday, July 18. A 36-hole final will be played on Saturday, July 19, with the winner receiving an invitation to play at the 2009 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Geo.     

Paulson defeated Chan Kim of Chandler, Az. three and two in the opening round of match play. The match was all-square after the front nine and again as the players approached the 13th tee box. Paulson proceeded to win holes 13-15 and matched Kim’s par on 16 to put the match away. He will face Peter Malnati of Dandridge, Tenn. in round two. The tee-time is scheduled for 8:27 a.m. Central.

Paulson appeared in six tournaments during his junior season at Minnesota and finished with a stroke average of 76.0, the fourth-lowest on the team. His best tournament of the season came in the Gopher Invitational, where he finished in a tie for seventh after carding a 3-over 219. He also placed seventh at the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge with a 4-over 220.

The Amateur Public Links Championship is one of 13 championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.