Amateur Finalist Eric Meeks to Delay Pro Debut for an Invitation to Masters

HOT SPRINGS, Va. â€”  Regardless of whether Danny Yates or Eric Meeks wins the 88th U.S. Amateur Golf Championship, both have already landed a considerable prize--an automatic trip to the 1989 Masters.

Meeks, who had planned to turn professional after this tournament, changed his mind when he learned he would get an exemption to the Masters for reaching the final here. The exemption is good only if a player retains his amateur status until after the Masters is held.

“I’m not turning pro,� Meeks, of Walnut, Calif., said Saturday after he won two matches to advance to today’s 36-hole final. “If you’ve got one real shot at Augusta, you’ve got to take it. I can always turn pro. I’ve got my whole life to do that.�

Meeks, 23, who was named a third-team All-American golfer as a senior at Arizona last spring, beat teammate Robert Gamez by a 2-up margin in the morning before scoring a 1-up victory over David Toms of Bossier City, La., in the semifinals.

Yates, 38, was a 5-and-4 winner over fellow Atlanta resident Jack Larkin in a quarterfinal match Saturday morning.

Yates never trailed in his afternoon match against Doug Martin but admitted he tired toward the end of his 1-up victory, which represented the first time any of his five matches had gone the full 18 holes.

“I’m just glad to still be standing,� said Yates, who is playing in his ninth U.S. Amateur. “We were like a couple of old drunks just fighting it out.�