Tag: 2022 U.S. Amateur

Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett enjoying final college season after winning 2022 U.S. Amateur

It has been a whirlwind past two months for Sam Bennett.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Sam Bennett was on top of the amateur golf world in August.

Capturing the 2022 U.S. Amateur at The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey, was a new top highlight for Bennett, the senior at Texas A&M. It proved to him he was one of the best amateur golfers. That week, he was the best.

Since then, he has returned to College Station for his final season of college golf. Life has returned mostly to normal for Bennett, but it will never quite be the same.

“Those first few weeks were a little hectic getting back,” Bennett said. “Celebrating with some buddies, family and friends, but then having to start school right back up with qualifying, 6 a.m. workouts and all that. But it has been fun getting back with my teammates.”

The fifth-year senior from Madisonville, Texas, decided to return to Texas A&M before his U.S. Amateur victory, but winning the title only strengthened his resume and the Aggies’ lineup this season.

And that strength showed Tuesday at the 2022 Blessings Collegiate Invitational at The Blessings Golf Club. Bennett fired a round of 4-under 68 to move into the top 10 on the leaderboard heading to Wednesday’s final round. He opened with a 3-over performance on Monday, but he and his Texas A&M teammates dominated the field Tuesday to take the lead at the 7,700-yard, par-72 layout.

Aggies’ coach Brian Kortan said Bennett hasn’t changed.

“He’s really comfortable with what he does,” Kortan said. “That’s a guy you like to have around. He just really enjoys playing golf and competing.”

That competition was on full display at the U.S. Amateur. Whether it was club twirls or talking throughout the week how he was the favorite, Bennett isn’t afraid to boast about his talent.

Thus far during his senior season, he finished T-34 at the Badger Invitational in Wisconsin and a T-17 at the SEC Match Play Championship in the stroke play portion. He lost in his match against Auburn in the match play portion.

So, how has life changed for Bennett since winning the U.S. Amateur? Not much. But that doesn’t take away from how special of a week it was.

“I’ve kind of put that past me,” Bennett said. “I mean, I’m the U.S. Amateur champion, but it gave me that little bit of extra confidence to play at the highest stage.”

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2022 U.S. Amateur: Sam Bennett outlasts Ben Carr to win title at The Ridgewood Country Club

Sam Bennett of Texas got an early lead and never looked back.

Sam Bennett hasn’t been shy about his intentions.

The 22-year-old fifth-year senior at Texas A&M has been boisterous and bombastic all week at the 2022 U.S. Amateur at The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey. The third-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Bennett, from Madisonville, Texas, has gone through a tumultuous gauntlet to get into Sunday’s championship match, yet he never lacked confidence at any point in any match.

He often called himself the best player in the field throughout the week. He proved it Sunday.

Bennett claimed the 122nd U.S. Amateur championship with a 1-up victory against Ben Carr of Georgia. Bennett trailed only two holes during match play all week, beatings Nos. 8, 9, 10, 13 and 27 in the WAGR before Sunday’s championship match. Carr, who will be a fifth-year senior at Georgia Southern this coming school year, was ranked higher than Bennett’s other five opponents combined (No. 70).

“I have the utmost respect for Ben Carr,” Bennett said. “He wouldn’t go away. After lunch, he started dropping in putts and chips from everywhere. It made me pretty nervous. Luckily, I was able to finish it off with a good iron shot on the last.”

U.S. Amateur: Scoring | Photo gallery

By virtue of making the championship match, both players earned invitations to the 2023 U.S. Open at The Los Angeles Country Club and a likely invitation to the 2023 Masters.

Bennett is the first golfer from Texas since Kelly Kraft in 2011 to win the Havemeyer Trophy. He was 3 up after 18 holes, taking the lead for good on the ninth hole, and he never trailed against Carr.

To begin the afternoon session, Bennett won two of the first three holes before Carr responded, winning consecutive holes to make the deficit 3 down with 12 to play. Carr won the 28th hole, No. 10, to get to 2 down, but Bennett responded and won with a par on the 30th, No. 12, to go back 3 up.

On the next hole, the par-5 13th, both players hit their second shots out of bounds and bogeyed the hole. On the next hole, Bennett missed a par putt that lipped out, making his lead 2 up with 4 to play.

On the 34th hole, the par-4 16th, Bennett’s shot from the fairway ended up short in the rough. Carr, meanwhile, was in the rough and landed his wedge pin high, but his ball trickled to the back of the green. Both players made par, and moved to the par-5 17th. Carr got up and down from a greenside bunker for birdie, and Bennett was unable to make a shorter birdie putt of his own, so they marched to the 18th.

Carr’s tee shot came to rest in the right rough while Bennett found the fairway. Then, Bennett stuck a tight approach to 15 feet while Carr’s ball ran long over the green. His chip shot came out soft, and Bennett nearly made his birdie putt, which clinched the match.

“I’m OK,” Carr said. “Congrats to Sam. He’s an awesome player and a great guy. It’s what you dream of as a kid, but it didn’t work out the way I wanted. I couldn’t have lost to a better competitor.”

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And then there were four: Meet the semifinalist at 2022 U.S. Amateur

The 2022 U.S Amateur is down to the final four.

After five days of action-packed golf, four players remain at the 2022 U.S. Amateur in Paramus, New Jersey.

The two rounds of stroke play were held at Ridgewood Country Club and Arcola Country Club, but since match play started with the Round of 64, Ridgewood has been the lone host.

Created in 1895, the U.S. Amateur is the oldest of the USGA’s 15 championships. After the marathon Thursday featuring the Rounds of 32 and 16, Friday had four matches

One of the biggest storylines entering the quarterfinals was Nicholas Gross, a 15-year-old from Pennsylvania, who took down the No. 8 seed Luke Potter in the Sweet 16. Gross, however, fell in his Friday match.

U.S. Amateur: Scoring | Photo gallery

U.S. Amateur quarterfinal results

  • No. 16 Dylan Menante (Carlsbad, California) def. No. 56 Nicholas Gross (Downingtown, Pennsylvania), 4 and 3.
  • No. 36 Sam Bennett (Madisonville, Texas) def. No. 21 Stewart Hagestad (Newport Beach, California), 3 and 2.
  • No. 34 Ben Carr (Columbus, Georgia) def. No. 26 Alex Price (Hillsboro, Virginia), 2 and 1
  • No. 59 Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis) def. No. 51 Shea Lague (Jamul, California), 3 and 2.

U.S. Amateur semifinal schedule

  • No. 16 Dylan Menante vs. No. 36 Sam Bennett, Saturday, 2 p.m. ET
  • No. 34 Ben Carr vs. No. 59 Derek Hitchner, Saturday, 2:20 p.m. ET

How to watch

Saturday, August 20
Semifinals, Golf Channel, 3–6 p.m. ET

Sunday, August 21
36-hole championship match, Golf Channel: 2–5 p.m. ET

15-year-old Nicholas Gross is youngest player to advance to U.S. Amateur quarterfinals since 2007

For the record, Nicholas Gross did shave before the start of match play. He’s good for the rest of the week.

PARAMUS, N.J. — For the record, Nicholas Gross did shave before the start of match play.

He’s good for the rest of the week.

With a 4-and-3 win over Luke Potter on Thursday at Ridgewood Country Club, the 15-year-old high school junior became the youngest player to advance to the U.S. Amateur quarterfinals since 2007.

Clearly, he’s good enough to eat lunch with the big kids.

“I mean, every tournament I play, I have a little bit of anxiety because I want to play well,” said Gross, who attends Downingtown (Pennsylvania) West High School. “Not to the point where I’m like shaking or anything, but I want to play well. At least here I feel like I’m playing with house money because I’m a 15-year-old kid, who, if I lose, I’m a 15-year-old kid and I’m playing these 20-, 25-, 30-year-olds who are great players. That’s kind of freed me up, and I’ve gone out in all my matches and played within myself because I know even though I’m 15, I have the game to compete with anybody.”

PGA Tour winner C.T. Pan made the quarters 15 years ago, becoming the youngest to win a Round of 16 match since the immortal Bobby Jones in 1916.

“To have something that puts my name next to those two is really special and something I’ll remember forever,” Gross said.

He’s clearly done a lot of homework to get this far.

U.S. Amateur: Scoring

“I think he just has prepared for such a long time,” said Rob Coyne, his caddie and high school coach. “He’s played in tournaments since he was probably 10 years old. He’s been grinding and playing up against the older kids. That helps, a lot. He also has great poise and works really hard on his game. This is what comes from all that. It’s just phenomenal stuff for a 15-year-old kid.”

Potter is an 18-year-old who plays at Arizona State. The match was tied after nine, but Gross withstood the stress, moved on quickly from the occasional unlucky bounce and won four of the next five hole with two pars and two birdies.

“We were kind of just battling it out for about seven, eight holes,” he said. “On the back nine, I was hitting good shots all day and was just a little off with my lines, missing some short-sided, I just started hitting greens and putting the pressure o. I thought I really put on enough pressure to where he felt like he had to do something special. It worked out, obviously. I won four holes on the back nine, four out of the six we played. It was great.”

Not bad for a kid who came here with no expectations and had to survive a playoff to advance to match play.

“He three-putted the 36th hole of stroke play and I’ve never seen him so down,” Coyne said. “Now he’s up here, but that’s golf.”

There’s a comfort level at Ridgewood that is helping Gross, who beat Chris Francoeur 3-and-2 in the Round of 32 before lunch on Thursday.

“You know, I think I credit Northeast golf,” he said. “I grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania, and it’s just like this, Northeast style. So, I feel really comfortable here. The sight lines, how you have to play, how you have to get around the golf course. Even my caddie, he’s from right where I live. He’s my high school coach. So we’re both on the same page at all times. I think it’s just a comfort level that’s helped me around here.”

The old man

In every other tournament, Stewart Hagestad relatively young. Not here. The 31-year-old from Newport, California is making a run in his 26th USGA championship. He’s won the U.S. Mid-Am twice and is playing in the quarterfinals here for the second time after dispatching Benjamin James 6 and 4 in the Round of 32 and Hayden Hopewell 2 and 1 in the Round of 16.

2022 U.S. Amateur
Stewart Hagestad watches his drive on hole 12 during the round of 16 at the 2022 U.S. Amateur at The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey. (Photo: Grant Halverson/USGA)

“This is great, really great,” said Hagestad, who’s spent a fair amount of time competing in the region and was named Metropolitan Golf Association Player of the Year in 2016. “I’m a little tired, but yeah, feels great. I’m excited to be playing golf tomorrow.

“None of the matches are easy. … All the kids are good.”

Hagestad will face Sam Bennett, a 22-year-old who plays at Texas A&M, on Friday.

“Yeah, I don’t think we’ll talk very much, but I respect the hell out of him,” the financial analyst said. “He’s really, really good. I hope that’s mutual.”

U.S. Amateur quarterfinals

  • No. 16 Dylan Menante (Carlsbad, California) vs. No. 56 Nicholas Gross (Downingtown, Pennsylvania), 9:30 a.m. ET
  • No. 36 Sam Bennett (Madisonville, Texas) vs. No. 21 Stewart Hagestad (Newport Beach, California), 9:45 a.m. ET
  • No. 34 Ben Carr (Columbus, Georgia) vs. No. 26 Alex Price (Hillsboro, Virginia), 10 a.m. ET
  • No. 51 Shea Lague (Jamul, California) vs. No. 59 Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis), 10:15 am. ET

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A.W. Tillinghast on a budget: Private Ridgewood CC shines for U.S. Amateur, but there are public Tillie options

Check out these A.W. Tillinghast courses open to the public.

With the U.S. Amateur this week at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey, fans have their latest in a string of opportunities to see the work of Hall of Fame architect A.W. Tillinghast. After about a century — and with some celebrated restorations — many of these tracks still provide stern championship tests. As with most of Golfweek’s Best top classic courses, they stir something in the soul.

And although most of Tillie’s gems are behind private gates, public golfers need neither highfalutin connections nor deep pockets to experience the old genius’ nuances.

First among options is the cathedral of municipal golf, Bethpage State Park on Long Island. Bethpage has the highest concentration of publicly available Tillinghast holes anywhere. All five courses on the property have at least some Tillie holes. While the major-championship mainstay Black Course garners most of the attention, the state park as a whole offers a comprehensive view of Tillinghast’s ability to design holes for players of all abilities across varying topography.

U.S. Amateur: Ricky Castillo scrambles to avoid upset in the Round of 64

“That was pretty scary. My ball on 18 was less than an inch inbounds and I took advantage of it.”

PARAMUS, N.J. – Ricky Castillo was momentarily a twisted mess.

Moments after watching a six-foot putt for par slide past the hole, the 21-year-old Californian was lamenting the loss of a 1-up edge and contorting on the 18th tee at Ridgewood Country Club while a wayward drive flirted with trees well down the left side Wednesday in a Round of 64 match at the U.S. Amateur.

The ball narrowly stayed inbounds.

Castillo was forced to punch out short of the green, then calmly got up and down while Ludvig Aberg left his third in a greenside bunker then drew a miserable lie short side in the fescue once he did escape.

Game over.

“That was pretty scary,” Castillo said of the late drama in a 1-up victory. “My ball on 18 was less than an inch inbounds and I took advantage of it, made a good par. It’s not the way you want to see it end, but it was a really well-fought match. We both played really well. It’s a tough golf course, fast greens, thick rough. It was a fun match.”

U.S. Amateur: Scoring

Avoiding the long grass is a high priority for the rest of the week.

“I think everyone is going to have a pretty similar strategy,” said Castillo, a senior at Florida who was 1 down until he rattled off wins at 14 and 15. “Just hit fairways, hit greens. That’s kind of the only way you’re going to play well out here. It’s pretty hard to play well out of the rough just because it’s so thick, and the greens are really firm and fast. … Yeah, staying patient is definitely a big key out here.”

Next up is a Round of 32 match against University of Oregon senior Owen Avrit.

Thank God

Reality was just beginning to sink in when Josh Gliege admitted he never thought advancing beyond the Round of 64 was a possibility until Pietro Bovari missed a short and slippery putt on the 18th hole. The 24-year-old assistant golf coach at Wichita State got up and down from a short-side bunker on the 18th hole then watched his opponent fall victim to a late momentum swing.

“It was unbelievably stressful, especially because I haven’t done it in a while,” said Gliege, a native of Pocatello, Idaho. “It’s fun, but man it does take a toll on you. I never led until right there on the 18th green. He was 3-up through 11 and I won 12 and won 16, 17 and 18.”

Bovari, a 21-year-old from Italy who plays at Virginia, was in disbelief when his final putt failed to fall.

“I hit a terrible drive on 12 that went in the adjacent fairway, but got it up and down for birdie to win the hole,” Gliege said. “He missed a little short one at 16. I asked, ‘God, give me a little gift here and he did, thankfully.’ I said, ‘OK, I have a chance, he’s listening.’ I had a good feeling there.

“I did think a little about where this could go because it’s a fun thing to do, but I didn’t expect to make match play. I didn’t expect to win today. I just keep looking around saying, ‘This is cool,’ and was just kind of enjoying the moment. It’s fun to be here.”

Gliege is carrying his own bag.

“I kind of caddie for a living, I mean, I’m an assistant golf coach, so I’m used to it,” he said. “And I half-joke that I have enough thoughts running through my head, I don’t need somebody else’s. I just like being alone out there.”

Von Lossow makes a statement

Michael Thorbjornsen was coming into the U.S. Amateur hot and ranked among the favorites to win here. The 20-year-old Stanford junior tied for medalist honors Tuesday and got the No. 2 seed, but Andrew Von Lossow derailed that momentum in the Round of 64, posting a 3-and-2 win.

The 34-year-old graphic designer from Spokane, Washington, has a colorful personality. He let an early lead get away, but held steady and recaptured control with wins at 10, 11 and 12.

“That was awesome, playing Michael,” said Von Lossow, who also played in the U.S. Amateur Four Ball. “First time meeting him, I had heard about him, and I know he’s a great player. Then, seeing how he hits the ball and everything, it was awesome. … I didn’t hit every fairway, but I could muscle a few out of the rough. Then my caddie, he caddies here, Brian Roth, and he got me in the right spots around the greens.

“These are majors for me. The course condition, the setup, how the events are run, it’s just world-class. And then you’ve got the world-class competition, as well. It gets the juices going.”

It’s unclear if another fashion statement will be made in the Round of 32.

“This is my loudest shirt,” Von Lossow said. “I don’t know, maybe I’ll go red shorts or something. I don’t know if it’s turning into a signature thing. I might go a little brighter. My all-time favorite outfit is the milkman. It’s all white. But I don’t know if that’s going to come out.”

A number of upsets rattled the bracket.

Gordon Sargent, a 19-year-old sophomore at Vanderbilt who won the 2022 NCAA individual championship fell to Ford Clegg, a 22-year-old who played at Mississippi State, in 21 holes. Luke Gutschewski, a sophomore at Iowa State, had the top seed after tying for medalist honors was also sent home, falling in 20 holes to Purdue senior Peyton Snoeberger.

No soup for you

Mark Costanza was among the 15 players up early for a playoff to determine the last 11 players in the bracket. The 33-year-old from Morristown, New Jersey, grew up minutes away from Ridgewood and was hoping to extend his stay in the old neighborhood. He rolled in a 25-foot birdie to close out stroke play on Tuesday, but a bogey interrupted his run.

The only member of the Seinfeld grouping featured in match play still in play is University of Kentucky junior Campbell Kremer, who dispatched Josh Hill 2 and 1 in the Round of 64. Oklahoma State senior Hazen Newman was sent home, losing his match to Shea Lague in 21 holes.

Quotable

“They’re all really good,” 31-year-old Stewart Hagestad said of the next generation of talent. “You look up and down the range at some of these guys and you’re looking at a group of players that is going to play on, I guess you have to say whatever Tour they decide to at this stage in the game. … These guys are going to play professional golf and play in some big events for a long, long time. Just to kind of be around them, I think it inspires me to kind of raise my game and to rise to the occasion.”

Mike Dougherty covers golf for The Journal News and lohud.com. He can be reached at mdougher@lohud.com or on Twitter @lohudgolf.

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2022 U.S. Amateur field features two players who have competed in LIV Golf events

According to LIV Golf’s year-to-date money list, one player has earned $136,000, the other $267,000.

For any crossover fans of amateur golf and the LIV Golf Invitational Series, two names stick out among the field of 312 at the 2022 U.S. Amateur.

Arizona State senior David Puig and Thailand’s Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat have competed as amateurs in the upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, with both making starts at the inaugural event in London back in June. The 54-hole, no cut event at the Centurion Club was Chantananuwat’s lone start, while Puig also competed in last month’s event at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster.

According to LIV Golf’s year-to-date money list, Chantananuwat has earned $136,000 with Puig at $267,000.

“We have had conversations with both players regarding their relationship with LIV Golf and, based on that discussion, we have affirmed their status as an amateur golfer and that they are both eligible to compete this week at the U.S. Amateur,” the USGA said via a statement to Golfweek.

When the USGA began a full Rules overhaul in 2019 it continued with the finalization of the new Rules of Amateur Status, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022. The modification was made to draw a clear line between an amateur and a non-amateur rather than defining what it means to be a professional.

The only ways a player can lose amateur status are as follows:

  • Accepting a prize with a value exceeding the prize limit ($1,000) or accepting prize money in a handicap competition.
  • Playing as a professional.
  • Accepting payment for giving instruction (although all current exceptions still apply, such as coaching at educational institutions and assisting with approved programs).
  • Accepting employment as a golf club professional or membership of an association of professional golfers.

Both players are listed on the LIV website as amateurs, meaning they could accept no more than $1,000 of their earnings per LIV event.

Puig told the Golf Channel in May that he’s not directly receiving any of the tournament prize money. The story also noted how a source said amateurs in LIV fields could be compensated through other means, such as a name, image and likeness deal. Puig plans to turn professional after the 2023 NCAA Championship, which will be held for the final time at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale near Arizona State.

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Photos: 2022 U.S. Amateur at The Ridgewood Country Club and Arcola Country Club

The 122nd U.S. Amateur is underway in Paramus, New Jersey.

The 122nd U.S. Amateur began Monday at The Ridgewood Country Club and Arcola Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey.

The first two days will feature 312 golfers playing 18 holes on each course in stroke play. The top 64 players will advance to match play on Wednesday, and the 36-hole final scheduled for Sunday.

Eighteen of the top 20 amateurs in the world are in the field. The Ridgewood Country Club, which is hosting the match play portion, is a par-71 layout measuring at 7,403 yards. Arcola Country Club is a par-70 track measuring 7,251 yards.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from the 122nd U.S. Amateur:

Attention Seinfeld fans: you’re gonna love this pairing at the 2022 U.S. Amateur

Someone at the USGA is ‘real and spectacular’ at his or her job.

“I called in sick. I don’t work in the rain.”

If you’re not a Seinfeld fan, that probably went right over your head. If you are, then you know Newman, like many golfers, doesn’t work in the rain.

And it seems, according to the pairings at next week’s U.S. Amateur at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey — about 20 minutes from the backdrop of the hit sitcom — someone at the USGA is a big fan of the show.

For the first two rounds of the USGA championship, Mark Costanza and Hazen Newman will be playing together. Throw a Kremer in there — as in Campbell Kremer — and you’ve got the perfect trio.

We’re assuming this may not have been an accident.

This incredible move by the USGA didn’t go unnoticed by Golf Twitter:

U.S. Amateur: Notable groupings

2022 U.S. Amateur features some must-watch groups of golf’s future stars

Check out the must-watch groups at the 2022 U.S. Amateur.

Although all eyes are currently on Washington watching the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Chambers Bay, another USGA championship is just days away.

The 2022 U.S. Amateur begins Aug. 15 with the first of two rounds of stroke play at both Ridgewood Country Club and Arcola Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey. The top 64 players will advance to match play on Aug. 17, with the 36-hole final scheduled for Aug. 21.

The USGA announced the tee times for the first two rounds of stroke play on Tuesday, and a few of the groups will be must-see action. Check out the top groups to watch for the 2022 U.S. Amateur.

U.S. Amateur: Tee times