Argentine Carlos Goya fires 134 to win APL Qualifier by four shots
Argentine teenager Carlos Estanislao Goya fired a final-round 67 to lead all qualifiers at the USGA Amateur Public Links qualifier Tuesday at Clinton Hill in Swansea, Ill.
Goya, 19, posted a 36-hole total of 134 to win by four shots. Mark Gardiner of Mascoutah, Ill. (70-68-138) and Chris Eddy of Belleville (68-70-138) also qualified for the national championship, to be played July 9-14 at Cantigny Golf Club outside Chicago.
Goya, who will next head to Great Britain before returning to Chicago for the APL, said he elected to qualify in the St. Louis area because of the two-day format rather than 36 holes in a day.
“I’m traveling to Europe for the British Amateur so the timing was good and the two-day format appealed to me,” Goya said.
With a handful of junior events as his only prior experience playing in the United States, Goya said the opportunity to play in the Amateur Public Links is worth the extensive amount of travel. “It is one of the top tournaments in the world for an amateur,” he said. 
Former international winners of the APL include South African standouts Trevor Immelman and Tim Clark. “If I could get the opportunity to win this, it would be very special.”
Eddy, a 24-year-old school teacher at O’Fallon, Ill., qualified on his home course of about 15 years. The former Belleville East standout will be making his second appearance at the APL after advancing three years ago. “It’s an awesome tournament with an awesome field,” he said.
Gardiner, 43, from Cardinal Creek Golf Course at Scott Air Force Base, last advanced to the national tournament in 2003. Gardiner eagled the par-5 sixth hole and added birdies at Nos. 9 and 17 in a final-round of 68. “I have been hitting it terribly for about a month,” Gardiner said. “I was too anxious and pressing, but I played nine holes the other day and then hit balls on the range and found something. I find a nice easy tempo. I don’t know, something just clicked.”
Gardiner hit 16 of 18 greens to clinch the final qualifying berth.
Dave Ryan of Springfield (70-70-140) and Chris Brant of Edwardsville (71-71-142) earned first and second alternates. Quincy’s Zach Guthrie (72-72-144) and Kyle Lickenbrock of Freeburg, Ill., (69-75-144) tied for sixth.
Chicagoan John Finnin, the medalist at last year’s APL Qualifying here in St. Louis, finished 14th at 149.