UM golfer Nick Carlson makes ‘SportsCenter’ Top 10

Bloomfield Township – Before Michigan's Nick Carlson teed off for his U.S. Amateur match Wednesday morning, he already was feeling pretty darn good about himself.

After all, it's not often you wake up as a college sophomore-to-be, munch on some breakfast -- and, oh yeah, see yourself on ESPN.

Carlson made Tuesday's Top 10 on "SportsCenter" for his Tiger Woods-like hole-out chip on the No. 13 at Oakland Hills' North Course during Day 2 of stroke play.

"I used to watch top ten plays everyday before getting on the bus for school... never thought I'd be on it," Carlson (@CarlsonNickJ) tweeted around 7 a.m. Wednesday, a little over two hours before his Round of 64 match on Oakland Hills' South Course.

Carlson's chip checked in at No. 9 on "SportsCenter."

The chip-in Tuesday was extra huge, as it gave Carlson, 19, some wiggle room that he'd turn out needing. He struggled down the stretch Tuesday, finishing at 1 over through the two rounds of stroke play to make the match-play cut by a single stroke.

On the par-3 13th hole Tuesday, Carlson pushed his tee shot into the right behind a green-side bunker. Hoping to just chip it up with 10 feet or so and escape with a par, he flopped it well left of the hole and watched it curve and curve and curve, until it fell into the hole.

He raised both arms, pumped his fist and let out a big yell.

The shot was caught on camera by UM's Patrick McLaughlin, who sent the cut into ESPN for Top-10 consideration.

Carlson, of Hamilton in West Michigan, was the only local player to make the cut to match play.

On Wednesday morning, he beat Oregon's Zach Foushee, 2-and-1, to advance to Wednesday's Round of 32, where he'll play England's Scott Gregory, ranked No. 4 in the world. That match is scheduled for 8:10 Thursday morning.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

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