Tag: U.S. Amateur

Photos: 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club

Check out the best photos from Cherry Hills.

CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. — A field of 312 golfers has ascended upon Denver, and by Sunday evening, only one will remain.

The 2023 U.S. Amateur began Monday at Cherry Hills Country Club, which has hosted two previous U.S. Amateur championships. Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colorado, is the stroke play co-host. Every golfer will play a round of stroke play at each course before the top 64 advance to match play at Cherry Hills.

Last year, Sam Bennett beat Ben Carr 1 up at The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey, to take the title. This is the 123rd U.S. Amateur.

Check out some of the best photos all week from the 2023 U.S. Amateur.

Check out photos of every hole at Cherry Hills for the 2023 U.S. Amateur

Check out the first par 5 in the U.S. with an island green, and every other hole at Cherry Hills.

Cherry Hills Country Club near Denver wrapped up a multi-year renovation in 2022, putting the course in prime condition for this week’s U.S. Amateur.

The William Flynn-designed layout in Cherry Hills Village opened in 1923 and was the site of several major championships: three U.S. Opens (including Arnold Palmer’s 1960 victory, his only U.S. Open title), two PGA Championships, one U.S. Women’s Open and two previous U.S. Opens.

Cherry Hills ranks No. 66 on Golfweek’s Best 2023 list of top classic courses built before 1960 in the U.S. It also ranks No. 3 among all private clubs in Colorado.

During the renovation, architect Tom Doak and his Renaissance Golf Design team, largely under the direction of Renaissance associate Eric Iverson on the ground, restored several greens to their original size. Bunkers also were reworked to reintroduce their original intent. The cross bunkering on the 17th hole, for example, was restored on what was the first par 5 to feature an island green in the U.S. Perhaps most striking: Little Dry Creek, which in no way is actually dry, was brought more into play on several holes.

Check out the photos of each hole below, courtesy of the club and photographer Evan Schiller.

Players to watch at the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club

It’s going to be an incredible week at Cherry Hills.

[anyclip pubname=”2122″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8171″]

It’s time for the premier men’s amateur championship.

The 2023 U.S. Amateur started Monday at Cherry Hills Country Club and Colorado Golf Club, both in the Denver suburbs. The field of 312 players will complete 36 holes of stroke play, 18 at each course, before a cut is made to the top 64, who will advance to match play at Cherry Hills beginning Wednesday. This will be the 123rd U.S. Amateur.

Eighteen of the top 20 players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking are in the field, including No. 1 Gordon Sargent.

Last year, Sam Bennett topped Ben Carr 1 up at The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey.

Here’s a look at 10 players to watch at the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills.

[pickup_prop id=”34388″]

Everything to know about the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club

This is the 123rd U.S. Amateur, which began in 1895.

[anyclip pubname=”2122″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8171″]

It’s time for the greatest men’s amateur golf championship in the world.

The 2023 U.S. Amateur started Monday at Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. The field of 312 will play 36 holes of stroke play at Cherry Hills and Colorado Golf Club before the top 64 make match play, which begins Wednesday at Cherry Hills.

This is the 123rd U.S. Amateur, which began in 1895. There were a record 8,253 entries accepted for the championship. Cherry Hills has hosted five men’s major championships and two previous U.S. Amateurs, including in 1990 when Phil Mickelson won.

The final is set for Sunday.

Sam Bennett topped Ben Carr 1 up at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey, to capture the title last year.

Here’s everything you need to know for the 2023 U.S. Amateur.

Here’s what you need to know about the USGA’s changes to qualifying for premier amateur events starting in 2024

The U.S. Amateur will see the most significant changes.

Want to get into one of the United States Golf Association’s premier amateur events in 2024? The qualification process is going to look a bit different than the past.

The governing body announced Wednesday “significant modifications” to its qualifying model for the first time in 20 years. Beginning in 2024, the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Junior and U.S. Girls’ Junior will adjust the number of players who are exempt into the championships and expand exemption categories and adjust how it fills the remainder of the fields.

The U.S. Amateur will see the most significant changes, which will move from a one-stage, 36-hole qualifying format to a two-stage qualifying format with 45 18-hole local qualifying sites and 19 18-hole final qualifying sites to fill out the 312-person field.

The changes will allow events to retain their openness while ensuring that high-caliber players are provided ample opportunity to earn a spot in the field and that qualifying can be conducted at the highest level among growing entries and field sizes.

The USGA will increase the number of players fully exempt off the World Amateur Golf Ranking from 50 to 100. In addition, the top 600 players in the WAGR will be exempt from local qualifying.

“The openness and aspirational nature of our championships is a defining characteristic of USGA championships,” Brent Paladino, senior director of Championship Administration, said. “As the number of entries and qualifying sites have continued to increase on a yearly basis, we looked at ways to evolve our structure to ensure the long-term sustainability of qualifying without excessively burdening Allied Golf Associations (AGAs) and host clubs. These revisions will provide players with additional pathways to our championships through traditional qualifying, expanded exemption categories and performance in state, AGA, regional and national amateur championships.”

For the U.S. Women’s Amateur, the number of players exempt into the championship will increase to 50 from 25. There will be no change in qualifying structure, but the number of qualifying sites will be reduced.

For the junior championships, both exemption categories have been adjusted (top 100 from 80 for boys and top 50 from 40 for girls). In addition, the qualifying-event structure will encourage conducting join or concurrent qualifiers.

In 2022, the USGA accepted 44,737 total entries and collaborated with AGAs to conduct a combined 678 qualifiers across 15 championships. There will be a reduction of 94 qualifying sites next year.

The USGA will also lower the Handicap Index limits across all four championships and modifications to the performance policy that will be announced later.

Entries for 2024 USGA amateur championships will open next spring. The 2024 U.S. Amateur will be held at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, with the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur coming at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 2024 U.S. Junior will be at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and the 2024 Girls’ Junior will be at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, California.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=]

USGA announces Chambers Bay will host 2027 U.S. Junior Amateur, 2033 U.S. Amateur

“The property remains a favorite for players and fans alike.”

Chambers Bay has proved its ability to test the best professional and amateur players in the world, so much so that the U.S. Golf Association has announced it will return to the municipal course on the Puget Sound near Seattle twice over the next 10 years.

The USGA will hold the 2027 U.S. Junior Amateur and 2033 U.S. Amateur championships in University Place, Washington, the fifth and sixth USGA championships to be contested on the design by Robert Trent Jones Jr., Bruce Charlton and Jay Blasi (a Golfweek’s Best rater ambassador and contributor to Golfweek.com). A stroke-play companion course for both championships will be named later.

Chambers Bay previously hosted the 2010 U.S. Amateur (Peter Uihlein) and 2015 U.S. Open (Jordan Spieth), as well as last summer’s 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur (Saki Baba) and 2022 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (Kiko Francisco Coelho/Leopoldo Herrera III).

The layout ranks No. 52 on Golfweek’s Best list of modern courses in the U.S. and is No. 2 in Washington on Golfweek’s Best list of top public-access courses in each state.

Future sites: U.S. Amateur bound for Bandon, Hazeltine, more

“There have been several memorable moments for us already in Chambers Bay’s short history, and the property remains a favorite for players and fans alike,” said Mark Hill, USGA managing director of championships. “We’re grateful for our continued partnership with Pierce County and look forward to bringing these two premier championships to such a special property.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01f5k5vfbhv59szck1 image=]

U.S. Amateur: Sam Bennett and Ben Carr advance to championship final at The Ridgewood Country Club

It all comes down to this.

Sam Bennett looked as if he was going to cruise into the finals of the 122nd U.S. Amateur.

The 22-year-old fifth-year senior from Texas A&M was 2 up with five to play in his semifinal match against Dylan Menante at The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey. Yet on the 17th tee, the match was tied. Menante, a senior at North Carolina, sat in the middle of the fairway while Bennett watched his drive leak right into the trees.

Bennett’s ball came to rest nearly against the trunk of a huge tree. He and his caddie spoke at length about his options, and he opted to hit a high draw that somehow avoided further tree trouble and settled in a fairway bunker. Menante’s 3 wood second shot settled just short of the green.

However, Bennett didn’t let being behind the 8-ball bug him. He flushed his shot out of the bunker and was inside Menante once both players were on the green, and he sank the birdie putt, which ended up being the difference in a 1 up victory to advance to the U.S. Amateur finals on Sunday.

Bennett will face off against Ben Carr, a fifth-year senior at Georgia Southern, in the 36-hole final on Sunday. Carr topped Derek Hitchner, 3 and 2, catching fire on the back nine to advance to the championship match.

Both Bennett and Carr secured spots in the 2023 Masters and 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club by advancing to the final.

Menante, No. 8 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, didn’t challenge Bennett on the final hole. Menante’s tee shot was right and his second shot short of the green in the rough. Bennett, meanwhile, found the fairway and hit a 7-iron to about 15 feet for birdie, giving a vicious club twirl after hitting the shot.

For Bennett, he continues his stellar run. None of his opponents have been ranked lower than No. 27 in the WAGR.

Carr, 22, from Columbus, Georgia, capitalized on a strong back nine. He won three holes in a four-hole stretch, including birdies on the par-5 13th and par-4 14th, to go 3 up. He narrowly missed a short birdie putt on the par-3 15th to clinch victory, but he ended up winning with a par on the next hole.

No. 70 in the WAGR, Carr is looking to become the first current or former Georgia Southern player to win the U.S. Amateur since alum Stewart “Buddy” Alexander captured the 1986 title at Shoal Creek.

There was also an emotional moment for Carr in his post-round interview. He uses a special ball marker to commemorate his father, who died in 2019. But, it went missing.

“On the first tee, I couldn’t find it,” Carr told Smiley Kaufman, who’s working as a reporter for Golf Channel, after the match. “I emptied out my pockets, there was nothing. I emptied out my bag. I couldn’t find it in my bag.”

But then he found it right before clinching his match.

“I’m over my putt on 16, and it’s just in my left pocket,” Carr said. “I don’t know how. I sweat to God, I checked. I check my pocket, I swear to God.”

U.S. Amateur: Scoring | Photo gallery

U.S. Amateur semifinal results

  • No. 36 Sam Bennett (Madisonville, Texas) def. No. 16 Dylan Menante (Carlsbad, California), 1 up
  • No. 34 Ben Carr (Columbus, Georgia) def. No. 59 Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis), 3 and 2

U.S. Amateur final schedule

  • No. 36 Sam Bennett vs. No. 34 Ben Carr, Sunday, 8 a.m.

How to watch

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

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

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

[vertical-gallery id=778290396]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

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.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=01evcfxp4q8949fs1e image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]