BROOKLINE, Mass. - Gonzaga University sophomore-to-be Sean Walsh had a strong finish to the second day of the U.S. Amateur Championship and now finds himself in a 17-player playoff for the final 15 spots into the 6-day match play rounds. The 2012 West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year posted a 3-over par 73 Tuesday. Coupled with the 71 he shot Monday, Walsh ended the two-days of stroke play with a 4-over par 144 to tie for 50th. Walsh, who carded his 71 at the Charles River Country Club Monday, played at The Country Club - the tournament course and where the match play will be held the rest of the week - Tuesday. He was dealing with small greens at The Country Club, with a rough set 6-plus inches throughout the course. He began Tuesday with the toughest stretch, holes nine through 15. Walsh parred hole nine and 10 but played 12 through 15 3-over. He had an excellent chance for birdie on the par 3, 16^th hole but couldn't covert and a wedge that flew five-yards too far on 17 left him with another bogey. He parred the 18^th hole though to make the turn at 6-over for the tournament. After the turn, Walsh made a great par save on hole one, followed by parring both 2 and 3 and had a 15-footer for birdie that slid by the hole for another par on hole four. Understanding that he needed a 4-over or 5-over par finish overall to have the best chance at advancing, Walsh turned up his play over the final four holes. On hole five, he had a 6 iron in his hand for the 494-yard, par 4 green but at the last minute felt a breeze kick up and switch to a 5 iron and stuck his shot four feet from the pin, resulting in a birdie. The following hole - number 6 - he hit a 3 wood off the tee on the uphill 310-yard, par 4, leaving it 30 yards short of the green in the rough. Trying to fly in just over the bunker so it would release the pin, Walsh caught too much grass and it plugged into the face of the bunker. He regrouped and hit a great shot out to get it into the front green - about 25 feet from the hole - and made the putt for par. The second-to-final hole of the day for Walsh - the 196-yard, par 3 seventh - saw him miss the green right, short siding himself among some mounds, deep rough and the green sloping away from him. Walsh, not deterred, hit an amazing shot to eight feet and made the right to left curling putt to again save par. On his final hole - a 375-yard, par 4 - he hit driver to about 70 yards. Walsh then hit his approach to 10 feet and made the put for another birdie to finish stroke play at plus-four, exactly where he knew he needed to be. Walsh, a Keller, Texas native, earned the right to now participate in the 17-player playoff Wednesday morning starting at 4 a.m. PT (7 a.m. ET). If he advances, he will play an 18-hole match later Wednesday.