Duck-Duck major hits snag.

Byline: Adam Jude The Register-Guard

CRESWELL - About 10 feet from the hole on the 10th green, Nick Sherwood looked poised to knock in a birdie putt and earn a trip to the U.S. Open.

He did indeed secure his first berth to the major championship. It just took him a couple more dramatic holes to do it.

In a Civil War sudden death, the Oregon State junior knocked in a three-foot par putt on the third hole of a playoff Tuesday morning to edge Oregon senior Daniel Miernicki and claim the second berth to the U.S. Open out of the sectional qualifier at Emerald Valley Golf Club.

"I'm pretty excited to play in my first major," said Sherwood, a West Albany High School graduate.

"Dan's one of my good buddies, and it's tough to see him (lose), but it was fun to be on top. I've obviously been a Beaver my whole life, so it's even more rewarding to go to a major and knock off a Duck."

Sherwood will join Oregon golf coach Casey Martin as the two representatives from the Emerald Valley sectional. Miernicki is an alternate for the major championship next week at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Martin won the 36-hole sectional with a 4-under 138 on Monday, earning him a return trip to The Olympic, where he competed in the 1998 U.S. Open.

Sherwood and Miernicki tied for second at 3-under par after 36 holes, necessitating the sudden-death playoff Tuesday.

After a drive into the right rough on the first playoff hole, the par-4 10th, Sherwood executed his second shot to perfection, with the ball settling about 10 feet from the hole. Miernicki made par, giving Sherwood a birdie putt for the win.

He missed it narrowly to the right.

"I had a good opportunity and just missed it," Sherwood said. "Fortunately, I was able to make three straight pars, and unfortunately Dan messed up and I was able to capitalize."

Sherwood's shot off the tee on the par-3 11th hole came up just short on the green, on the fringe, but some 60 feet uphill to the hole. Miernicki, meanwhile, landed his tee shot in the right rough, on top of a steep bunker, about a foot away from falling into the sand.

Sherwood's first putt was 12 feet short. That opened the door slightly for Miernicki, despite a stance that left him on his tip-toe. Balancing on the edge of the mini cliff, he took two dozen quick practice strokes before chipping through the rough and settling his ball less than two feet out.

"The shot wasn't that hard," Miernicki said. "It's just that I had a really awkward stance. I figured I could get in on the green, and when Nick's putt came up short, I felt like I could get it inside of his. It was a good shot, came up 18 inches short. But Nick made a great putt there, too."

Sherwood had to have his 12-foot par putt to play on - and he nailed it.

"The putt on the second hole was huge," Sherwood said. "I knew it was crunch time, and I had to make it."

Off the 12th tee, Miernicki drove through the fairway as it doglegged left, leaving him in the right rough and perilously under a tree. Sherwood drove to the middle of the fairway and then, with a 4-iron from 187 yards out, his approach landed neatly on the middle of the green, 20 feet from the hole.

It took Miernicki three more shots to get to the green, and by then it was all but over, wrapping up an eventful and pressure-packed week for the UO all-American, who helped the Ducks reach the NCAA tournament semifinals on Saturday in Los Angeles.

All told, Miernicki played 129 holes in eight days.

"The last week has been pretty stressful," he said. "I haven't had a lot of stress-free shots, and today was no different. I haven't made a U.S. Open yet. I've come close a few times. Hopefully I can make it next year."

Sherwood's wait is over. He made sure of that with the three-footer for par on No. 12 that was, no doubt, just slightly more tense that the typical tap-in.

"I was a little nervous over that one," Sherwood said, grinning. "But I took a couple deep breaths, calmed myself and it went in the middle."

And right through to the U.S. Open.