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Midway • At first glance, the competitors in Saturday's 36-hole final of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Soldier Hollow Golf Course have quite a bit in common.
Both are in their early 20s, both are from Florida, and both played for, or are playing for, a strong college golf program in the Sunshine State.
But while the confident T.J. Vogel, a senior at the University of Florida, was a highly touted recruit out of high school who originally played for USC, fellow finalist Kevin Aylwin ended up at the University of North Florida because the Osprey were about the only program that wanted him.
"I was actually pretty fortunate to go to UNF," Aylwin said. "It worked out pretty great for me there. It was a blessing."
The match begins at 7 a.m. Vogel is the typical, long-hitting college star who can overwhelm a course with prodigious length. Aylwin, rail thin, is more of a tactician.
The two know each other after playing in the same college tournaments this past year.
"He definitely hits it farther than me," Aylwin said.
At stake, besides a trophy, is a likely invitation to play in the Masters next spring.
"Nope, not at all," said the 21-year-old Vogel, who grew up just north of Miami, when asked if the Masters is on his mind. " I am just going to go out and play my game tomorrow. I am not thinking about anything but trying to win this tournament. The benefits, we will think about that after."
Aylwin, a 23-year-old from New Smyrna Beach, which is just south of Daytona Beach, acknowledged it is tough not to think about one of the probable benefits of winning it all.
"Every time it comes into my head, I try to block it out," he said. "I mean, people keep saying it, and I try to block it out. I need to get one more [good] round in. I will think about it after that."
Both golfers will have their fathers on their bags — and Vogel promises he enters the sixth day of this grueling competition with a fresh pair of NBA logo socks. The Miami Heat fan says he loves basketball almost as much as golf.
The Gator has to be considered the favorite, although Aylwin figures he was about six under par on Friday when he dispatched Paul McConnell of Garland, Texas, 3 and 2 in the morning and Minnesota's Kyle Beversdorf 2 and 1 in the afternoon.
Aylwin rolled in a 30-footer for birdie on the 17th hole to close out Beversdorf in one semifinal, just a few minutes after Vogel eliminated 2011 runner-up Derek Ernst of Clovis, Calif., 4 and 3 with a tap-in birdie on the 15th hole.
"I did what I wanted to accomplish, and that was to get to the finals and give myself a chance," Vogel said, after edging 18-year-old Alberto Sanchez 1 up in the morning. "The first [match], I made a lot of pars. The second [match], I really played well. I hit a lot of greens, made a lot of close shots. I have myself a lot of chances for birdies."
Twitter: @drewjay —
Friday's highlights
R Kevin Aylwin and T.J. Vogel, both from Florida, will play a 36-hole match Saturday for the championship, and a berth in the Masters that likely comes with it.
• Aylwin and Vogel each won a pair of matches Friday at Soldier Hollow Golf Course to advance to Saturday's final.