On to Match Play

Trios of medalists and local standouts advance to Match Play in U.S. Amateur

By Jon Rizzi

The second—and final—day of stroke-play qualifying at this year’s U.S. Amateur brought rising temperatures and numerous players climbing the leaderboard at both Cherry Hills Country Club and companion course Colorado Golf Club.

In the end, three players tied for medalist honors. Three players with Colorado connections advanced to the Round of 64 match play championship portion. And the third day of stroke play—in the form of an elimination playoff to determine which tied players advance to complete the 64-player field—was unnecessary.

The Medalists

On Monday, Sampson “Sam” Zheng’s 6-under 66 at Colorado Golf Club propelled him to the top of the leaderboard. The University of California senior star followed that up at Cherry Hills with a tidy three-birdie, two-bogey, 1-under 70, bringing his two-day total to 7-under par.

Sixteen-year-old Blades Brown of Nashville, Tenn., took an entirely different route to his 7-under medalist score. Brown signed for a 1-over 72 at Cherry Hills on Monday. But at Colorado Golf Club, with his scorecard a salad of circled and squared numbers, Brown tied the competitive course record—set by University of Denver’s Peter Mikalsen in the 2016 Paintbrush Classic—with an 8-under 64. He made eight birdies, two eagles, four bogeys and four pars, eclipsing Bobby Jones to become the youngest medalist in U.S. Amateur history.

Going into the tough par-4 18^th at Cherry Hills, China’s Andi Xu found himself tied with Zheng and Brown at 7-under, but University of San Diego star also found his approach shot in the deep fringe just behind the green. As Xu chipped and two-putted his way out of the dead heat, Jackson Buchanan was playing his way into it at Colorado Golf Club. The University of Illinois player closed his round on hole 9 with a third consecutive birdie, putting him at 7-under and into a share of the lead for the first time in 36 holes.

Colorado Proud

Continuing his self-described “solid play,” Colorado State’s Connor Jones carded a 1-under 70, bringing his two-day total to 4-under, tied for eighth place. When asked whether he was disappointed in not being medalist in the stroke play, the Westminster native shrugged. He said he’d done a “little research” and discovered the U.S. Amateur medalist usually doesn’t win the match play. (The last to do it? Ryan Moore at Winged Foot in 2004. The last at Cherry Hills? Phil Mickelson in 1990.)

As the no. 9 seed in Wednesday’s round of 64, Jones—the winner of the 2022 CGA Match Play Championship—will square off against Argentina’s Vicente Marzilio at 10 a.m.

Another prior CGA Match Play winner, Colin Prater, will also be teeing it up Wednesday. Prater’s 4-under at Colorado Golf Club on Tuesday vaulted him 85 places higher than he finished on Monday. He finished at 1-under for the two days and tied for 39^th.

Playing in his third U.S. Amateur, the Colorado Springs product advanced to the match play for the first time.  His first-round opponent, Montanan Ryggs Johnston, flirted with the overall lead on Tuesday, but a triple bogey on Cherry’s 18^th dropped him into a tie for 19^th, joining Gordon Sargent, the current number-one player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

The third Colorado-connected player is Dylan McDermott, a rising University of Colorado junior from California with the name of an actor and game of a future star. McDermott, whom CU men’s head golf coach Roy Edwards considers “one of the top amateurs in the world,” fashioned a 1-over par 72 Monday at Cherry Hills and posted a 3-under 69 Tuesday at CGC.

This will mark McDermott’s second U.S. Amateur appearance. In his debut last year in New Jersey, he did not advance to the match play stage. He’ll tee off against North Carolina’s Jackson Koivun at 9:10 a.m.

Not Advancing

The 15 players who shot even par over the two days and tied for 50^th place will all compete in the Round of 64. Without a need for a playoff to eliminate one, two or 10 tied players, the match play will command the entire day.

Among the notables not advancing:
• Two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Stewart Hagestad
• 2023 Western Amateur Champion Kasuma Kobari
• WAGR 12^th ranked Cole Sherwood
• Colorado State grad Davis Bryant.

Catch the Action

The first match begins at 9:00. Follow here or with the USGA app on your smartphone.

Tickets cost $25 for one day. Buy here.

TELEVISION SCHEDULE

Date/Day		Time (EDT)		Network		Coverage
Aug. 16/Wednesday		3-4 p.m.		Peacock		Round of 64 Matches
		4-6 p.m.		Golf Channel		Round of 64 Matches
Aug. 17/Thursday		4-6 p.m.		Peacock		Round of 32 Matches
		5-7 p.m.		Golf Channel		Round of 32 Matches
Aug. 18/Friday		3-4 p.m.		Peacock		Quarterfinal Matches
		4-6 p.m.		Golf Channel		Quarterfinal Matches
Aug. 19/Saturday		1-3 p.m.		Golf Channel		Semifinals Matches
		2-4 p.m.		NBC		Semifinals Matches
Aug. 20/Sunday		1-2 p.m.		Golf Channel		Championship Match
		2-4 p.m.		NBC		Championship Match

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