Jul 14, 2007 By The 3 min read

Waynesburg’s Robert Rohanna led 2 up through six holes Friday, but Colt Knost rallied to tie the match after the 10th hole and then won the final two holes for a 2 up victory in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Men’s Amateur Public Links Championship hosted by Cantigny Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill. Knost defeated Corey Nagy, 3 and 2, in the semifinals. He will play Cody Paladino in today’s 36-hole match play finals. Paladino advanced to the championship match by virtue of his 1-up win over Derek Fathauer.

After both golfers parred the opening hole, Rohanna birdied No. 2, a 555-yard par-5, for the early lead. The Waynesburg Central graduate doubled his lead on No. 4, a 395-yard par-4, when Knost bogeyed the hole to Rohanna’s par.

Knost shaved one stroke off his deficit with a birdie on No. 7, a 545-yard par-5, and tied the match with a birdie on No. 10, a 406-yard par-4.

The two golfers matched strokes through the next seven six holes until Knost gained his first lead of the match when he birdied No. 17, a 176-yard par-3. Rohanna had a chance to tie the match and send it to extra holes, but Knost rolled in a long birdie putt on the final hole to seal his victory.

Given the match play format, Knost finished with a 4-under 68 while Rohanna carded a 1-under 71. The match with Rohanna was the first time during the week Knost, a third-team All-American at Southern Methodist last year and a candidate for the 2007 Walker Cup, had to play through all 18 holes.

“I just hung in there and played really solid,” said Knost on the USGA website. “It was a great match. He played very well. And I played very well.

“It was good golf all the way.”

Rohanna, who will be a senior this fall at Penn State, is exempt for the 2008 championship by advancing to the quarterfinals.

“I couldn’t capitalize on any of his mistakes,” Rohanna said after the match on the USGA website. “He did the same with mine. We couldn’t get any birdie putts to fall. I just left a lot of shots out there.”

Rohanna, who was first-team All-Big Ten and an Academic All-American last year, advanced to the match play round of 64 by finishing tied for 16th with a two-round total of 2-over 146 (73-73) in stroke play. Knost finished tied for 43rd with a score of 6-over 150 (74-76).

Rohanna opened match play with a 1-up victory over Conor McMahon, of Portsmouth, R.I. He had an easier time with Cameron Knight, of Tampa, Fla., cruising to a 6 and 5 win. Rohanna advanced to the quarterfinals on Thursday with a 2 up win over Christian Raynor, of Atlanta, Ga.

A four-time WPIAL and PIAA finalist, Rohanna’s summer of golfing isn’t about to slow down as he prepares for the U.S. Amateur qualifier at Sinking Valley Country Club in Altoona on July 26. The Olympic Club in San Francisco will host the championship from Aug. 20-26.