It feels like William Holcomb V’s voice is still echoing through Pinehurst’s fairways from his U.S. Amateur run in August. The affable Texan, who just completed his fourth year at Sam Houston State University, bantered and joked his way to the semifinals at last year’s Am, eventually falling to John Augenstein. It was a memorable performance, and he’s back this week at the North & South for another go ’round.
Holcomb was one of 32 players who advanced to match play on Wednesday as the tournament resets for the remainder of the week. Holcomb backed up an opening 72 on Pinehurst No. 4 with a 68 on No. 2 Wednesday. He’s in the No. 24 seed and will take on North Carolina native Blake Taylor on Thursday.
Scoring: North & South Amateur
According to Pinehurst writer Alex Podlogar, not much has changed this week for Holcomb. He brought back Pinehurst caddie Keith Silva – with whom he shared many memorable jabs during U.S. Am week – and is staying with the same family who hosted him in August. He called Pinehurst No. 2 “my favorite golf course I’ve ever played.”
At the top of the bracket sits Travis Vick, who was among three players to land at 7 under for 36 holes. Vick, who debuted at the University of Texas this past season, birdied the third playoff hole for outright medalist honors and will now meet Tyler Wilkes, who birdied his first playoff hole just to earn himself at least one more round at Pinehurst.
From Vick on down, the men who made it to match play bring stout resumes to the table. In the second match out, Pinehurst native Jackson Van Paris takes on Matt McCarty of Scottsdale, Arizona. Van Paris opened with 66 on Pinehurst No. 4 but came back with a 72 on No. 2 to fall to the 16th seed.
Below that, Georgia junior Davis Thompson, the reigning Jones Cup champion and No. 4 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, takes on Belmont senior Evan Davis.
Defending North & South champion Cooper Dossey claimed the No. 5 seed and meets Kelly Chinn, a Duke commit from Great Falls, Virginia, on Thursday morning. Chinn, who is headed into his senior year of high school, was a semifinalist at the 2019 U.S. Junior.
Peter Fountain, recent winner of the North Carolina Amateur and an incoming freshman for North Carolina, takes on Jonathan Brightwell, a Charlotte, North Carolina native who recently announced he would transfer from North Carolina-Greensboro to Oklahoma for next college season. Interestingly, Fountain defeated Brightwell in sudden death for the North Carolina Amateur title.
On the bottom of the bracket, Jonathan Yaun, a Liberty sophomore from Minneola, Florida, meets Matthew Sharpstene, who owned opening-day headlines after a course-record 64 on Pinehurst No. 4. Sharpstene, who is transferring from West Virginia to Charlotte for next season, had a vastly different type of day in Round 2. He made his lone birdie on the second hole of Pinehurst No. 2 and sprinkled in six bogeys for a second-round 75. It still left him with the No. 22 seed.
A handful of notable names are headed home after the opening 36 holes. Chief among those who missed the match-play cut were Texas sophomore Cole Hammer, who was one outside the number to make the playoff, and Canon Claycomb, who is just days removed from winning the Rice Planters Amateur on June 25. Claycomb missed the cut by two shots.
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