Aug. 23, 2001

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara University golfer Sandy Horacek's bid to become the 101st U.S. Amateur Open Champion ended on Thursday morning as Taichiro Kiyoto won the match 2-up over the senior from Los Angeles, Calif.

The Santa Clara captain battled hole for hole early on with Kiyoto, keeping the match all-square after 11 holes. Back-to-back bogeys by Horacek on the 13th and 14th holes gave Kiyoto a lead he would not relinquish. The two golfers halved the 17th hole giving Kiyoto the 2-up win and moving him on to the round of 16 where he will face James Driscoll.

Horacek's finish in the U.S. Amateur this week was the best showing by a Santa Clara golfer in recent memory, qualifying for the match-play portion of the tournament and winning his first match.

The Broncos have had players make the U.S. Amateur Open field in back-to-back years twice over the last four years, with Adam Harrington achieving the feat in 1998 and 1999, while Horacek has qualified for the last two championships. Horacek complete his second consecutive showing at the Amateur Open having doubled his length of stay over last year's appearance.

"I am very proud and happy for Sandy," said Santa Clara head coach John Kennaday. "I am excited to see him so we can chat about the successful experience he had in Atlanta. I'm sure his teammates will also want to hear all about it as well."

Horacek returns to Santa Clara for his fourth and final year of competition, coming off of his best year at the collegiate level last season. Horacek finished second on the team in scoring average, and was the only Bronco to finish first in a tournament. That win came at the LMU/Farmer John Classic where he finished with a winning score of 223. His next best finish came at the West Coast Conference Championships where he finished in sixth place.