119th U.S. AmateurChampionship – Storylines
Aug.12-18, 2019, Pinehurst Resort & Country Club,
Course No. 2 & Course No. 4, Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
How are They Faring – Live Scoring
PLAYER NOTES:
Mason Andersen, 20, of Chandler,Ariz., competed in the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills, where he missed the cut byone stroke. Andersen, a junior at Arizona State University, tied for 16th inthe 2019 Pac-12 Conference Championship. He was named the 2017 Arizona GolfAssociation player of the year. Andersen, who is competing in his fourthconsecutive U.S. Amateur, won the Arizona Stroke Play Championship, earnedmedalist honors in the Arizona Amateur and advanced to U.S. Open sectionalqualifying in 2016.
Philip Barbaree, 22, of Shreveport,La., won the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur by defeating Andrew Orischak in 37 holesand posted a championship record for largest comeback, coming from 5 down witheight holes to play. Barbaree, a senior at Louisiana State University, iscompeting in his fifth U.S. Amateur. He played in last year’s U.S. Open atShinnecock Hills Golf Club. Barbaree won two Division I individual state highschool championships and helped C.E. Byrd High garner the 2016 team title. In2019, he finished third at the Southern Amateur Championship.
Richard “Skip” Berkmeyer, 46, of St. Louis,Mo., qualified for his 10th U.S. Amateur on July 23. This is his 31st USGAchampionship, a list that includes reaching the Round of 16 twice in the U.S.Mid-Amateur. Berkmeyer, owner of a custom trophy company, has three MissouriState Amateur titles.
Akshay Bhatia, 17, of Wake Forest,N.C., was the runner-up to Michael Thorbjornsen in the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateurat Baltusrol Golf Club. He also advanced to match play in the last year’s U.S.Amateur at Pebble Beach. In 2019, Bhatia won the Jones Cup Invitational and theDustin Johnson World Junior. He also made his PGA Tour debut at the ValsparChampionship and tied for 42nd in his first Korn Ferry Tour event. In 2018, hecaptured his second consecutive Boys Junior PGA, the Junior Invitational atSage Valley and the Polo Golf Junior Classic. Bhatia, whose sister Rhea was amember of the Queens University of Charlotte women’s golf team, aced the 17thhole at Pinehurst No. 2 when he was age 12. Bhatia will represent the USA inthe 2019 Walker Cup next month at Royal Liverpool.
DevonBling,19, of Ridgecrest, Calif., was the runner-up to Viktor Hovland in the final ofthe 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach. He competed in this year’s U.S. Open, aswell as the Masters, where he made the cut and finished 55th. Bling, a juniorat UCLA, finished sixth in the 2019 Pac-12 Championships as a sophomore. In2018, Bling won the California State Fair Amateur following his runner-upfinish at the U.S. Amateur.
Brett Boner, 45, of Charlotte,N.C., was the runner-up in the 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Charlotte Country Clubin his hometown, losing to Kevin O’Connell, 4 and 3. Boner, a financial advisor,is a member at Carolina Golf Club and was runner-up in the 2017 CarolinasMid-Amateur. In 2018, he won his second Charlotte City Amateur by one stroke atCharlotte Country Club. Boner is competing in his fourth USGA championship adfirst U.S. Amateur.
Colin Bowles, 19, of Albany, Ga.,won the Georgia State Amateur in 2016 and at age 16, was the youngest winner ofthat event since Bob Jones in 1916. Bowles, a sophomore on the Georgia Southernmen’s golf team, is competing in his fourth USGA championship.
Jacob Bridgeman, 19, of Inman, S.C.,reached the Round of 16 in the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur. Bridgeman, a sophomoreat Clemson, was second on the team in scoring average and had four top 10’sduring his freshman season, including co-champion of the 2019 Puerto RicoClassic. Bridgeman won the 2016 Carolina Junior Boys and three individual statechampionships in high school.
Ricky Castillo, 18, of Yorba Linda, Calif., was the youngest player (age 14) in the2015 U.S. Amateur and reached the Round of 32 in 2017 at Riviera Country Club.Castillo, competing in his third U.S. Amateur, has played in the last threeU.S. Junior Amateurs where he was a stroke play co-medalist in 2019 andadvanced to the Round of 16 in both 2018 and 2017. He recently completed hissenior year at Valencia High School and will attend the University of Floridain the fall. Castillo was a quarterfinalist and stroke-play medalist in the2019 North & South Amateur in June and was third in the Junior Invitationalat Sage Valley. His brother, Derek, who plays at Cal State-Fullerton, tied for10th in the 2019 Big West Conference Championship and competed in the 2013 U.S.Junior Amateur and 2014 U.S. Amateur.
Jimmy KevClements, 22, of Louisville, Ky., is playing in his firstUSGA championship. He is a freelance graphic artist and works with his wifeSavannah at a website design and branding company. His older brother, Karsten,competed in the 2008 U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst.
ParkerCoody, 19, and Pierceson Coody, 19, of Plano, Texas, are twin brothers andboth sophomores on the University of Texas golf team which finished second atthe 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Championship. They are grandsons of 1971 Masterschampion Charles Coody and caddied for their grandfather when they were sixyears old at the Masters par 3 tournament. They are the only set of brothers inthis year’s field.
JordanCostello, 21, of Pinedale, Wyo., is playing in his thirdU.S. Amateur (also 2016 and 2018). Pinedale, Wyo., is at the base of threemountain ranges and its elevation is 7,200 feet. The population is 1,900 andthere is only a nine-hole course nearby as the closest course is 80 miles awayin Jackson Hole. Costello set his high school’s basketball scoring record with47 points in a game in his sophomore season. He also holds the school scoringmark of 1,525 points. He will begin his senior season as a member of theUniversity of Utah golf team this fall.
Chris Crisologo, 23, of Canada, willplay in his fourth consecutive U.S. Amateur. He was a four-time Division IIAll-America selection as a member of the Simon Fraser University team inBritish Columbia. Crisologo, who resides in Richmond, B.C., won the 2018British Columbia Amateur, 2018 South American Amateur and the 2019 SouthAmerican Championship.
Brad Dalke, 21, ofNorman, Okla., is competing in his 11th USGA championship and sixth U.S.Amateur. Dalke was the runner-up to Curtis Luck in the 2016 U.S. Amateur andplayed in the 2017 Masters. A 2019 graduate of the University of Oklahoma, hehelped the Sooners capture the 2017 NCAA Championship by winning the decisivematch in the victory over Oregon. Dalke helped the USA claim the 2018 PalmerCup at the Evian Resort Golf Club in France. His father (Bill) was a startinglinebacker on Oklahoma’s 1975 national championship football team and hismother (Kay Pryor) played on the first Oklahoma women’s golf team.
StevenDiLisio,21, of Swampscott, Mass., is competing in his second straight U.S. Amateur.DiLisio, a senior at Duke University, is one of three current Blue Devils inthe field. Last month, he won the 111th Massachusetts Amateur Championship at TheCountry Club in Brookline, defeating Jimmy Hervol, 3 and 2, in the championshipmatch.
CooperDossey, 21, of Austin, Texas, qualified for thischampionship at White Deer Run Golf Club in Vernon Hills, Ill., which bringsthe Baylor University senior back to the site of his victory in the 2019 North& South Amateur, played in late June. Dossey is making his first U.S.Amateur appearance.
John Eades, 36, of Charlotte, N.C., is playing in his first U.S. Amateur since2001. Eades, a former University of Maryland Terrapin, won the 2017 CarolinasMid-Amateur. In 2019, he won the North Carolina Amateur Championship by fivestrokes.
ChandlerEaton,21, of Alpharetta, Ga., qualified for his first U.S. Open in June and was oneof four amateurs to make the cut, finishing T-58 at Pebble Beach. Eaton, arising senior and two-time All-ACC selection at Duke University, is competingin his third U.S. Amateur. During his junior season with the Blue Devils, Eatonwas named a second-team All-American after winning the 2019 Nike CollegiateChallenge and finishing tied for seventh at the NCAA Athens Regional. Hisfather, Scott, played golf at Texas-Arlington, and his mother, Kim, played golffor Iowa State.
JasonEnloe,46, of Dallas, Texas, is entering his sixth season as the head men’s golf coachat Southern Methodist University. He is playing in his fourth U.S. Amateur buthis first since he competed in three consecutive in 1995 (quarterfinalist),1996 (Round of 16) and 1997. A reinstated amateur since 2015, he won twice onthe Nationwide Tour. He was a member of the USA Team at the 1996 World AmateurTeam Championship. Enloe has two young daughters. His wife, Katie, died fromleukemia in July 2018, just six months after her diagnosis. He will be joinedat the Amateur by two of his current players, McClure “Mac” Meissner and OllieOsborne.
JerominoEsteve,38, of Windermere, Fla., gained the only spot out of the qualifier in hisnative Puerto Rico on July 18-19. He is the vice president/general manager ofan auto dealership and a driving instructor of high-performance racing cars. Hehas built a car that was used in endurance racing and he has completed a25-hour endurance race. A cancer survivor, he has played in four Latin AmericaAmateur Championships and three World Amateur Team Championships for PuertoRico (2012, 2014, 2016). He was captain of the Dartmouth College golf team andearned All-New England recognition in 2003. This is his third appearance at theU.S. Amateur.
ClayFeagler,21, of Laguna Niguel, Calif., has qualified for his fourth straight U.S.Amateur championship and advanced to the Round of 32 last year at Pebble Beach.Feagler is a two-time all-West Coast Conference first team selection, playingat Pepperdine.
Alex Fitzpatrick, 19, of England, reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 U.S. Amateur atPebble Beach. He is the younger brother of Matthew Fitzpatrick, who owns fivePGA European Tour victories and tied for 12th in the last two U.S. Opens. Alex,who will be a sophomore at Wake Forest University, was on the bag for hisbrother when Matthew won the 2013 U.S. Amateur at The Country Club inBrookline, Mass. In 2018, he was the runner-up to Billy McKenzie in the SpanishInternational Amateur, finished fourth in the Irish Amateur Open Championshipand tied for 21st in the European Amateur Championship.
SamGoldenring,21, of Florham Park, N.J., will be competing in his second consecutive U.S.Amateur. He is a senior at Williams College in Massachusetts, where he earnedAll-New England Small College Athletic Conference and Ping All-Northeast Regionhonors for a third consecutive year. As a junior, Goldenring won the 2019 NCAADivision III National Championship, which was his fourth victory of the season.
AustinGreaser,18, of Vandalia, Ohio, was a quarterfinalist in the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur atInverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, losing, 2 down, to eventual champion PrestonSummerhays. Greaser, an incoming freshman at the University of North Carolina,is competing in his first U.S. Amateur. He finished third in the 2018 OhioDivision I state championship and placed fifth in 2017.
BenGreve,38, of Minneapolis, Minn., is an insurance agent who is competing in his fourthUSGA championship. He has twice won the Minnesota State Open (2016, 2017) andwas a member of Minnesota’s 2002 NCAA Championship team. Greve is married toLindsay Whalen, a four-time WNBA champion with the Minnesota Lynx and atwo-time Olympic gold medalist (2012, 2016) who is now the University of Minnesota’shead women’s basketball coach.
WillGrimmer,22, of Cincinnati, Ohio, qualified for the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2,where he was the youngest player (age 17) in the field. He also recorded theonly 59 in Pinehurst history on Course No. 1 during the 2013 North & SouthJunior Amateur. Grimmer was one of three amateurs to make the 36-hole cut inthe 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, where he finished 66th. He isplaying in his sixth consecutive U.S. Amateur and 13th USGA championship. Headvanced to the Round of 32 at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club in 2015.Grimmer, who graduated from Ohio State University this spring, was a two-timeAll-Big Ten Second Team honoree with two victories for the Buckeyes. In 2019,he finished tied for second in The Players Amateur at Berkeley Hall Golf Cluband represented the United States in the Arnold Palmer Cup.
Stewart Hagestad, 28, of Newport Beach,Calif., played in this year’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, becoming the firstamateur in 34 years to qualify for three consecutive U.S. Opens. Hagestad iscompeting in his 10th U.S. Amateur and 18th USGA championship. He won the 2016U.S. Mid-Amateur by defeating Scott Harvey in 37 holes and was a member of thewinning 2017 USA Walker Cup Team. Hagestad, who became the second-youngestMid-Amateur champion, produced the largest comeback victory (4 down with 5holes to play) since a 36-hole final was introduced in 2001. He was the lowamateur in the 2017 Masters Tournament, tying for 36th. Hagestad was a memberof the University of Southern California golf team, graduating in 2013. Hereached the Round of 16 in last year’s U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach and was asemifinalist in the 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur. In 2019, he finished tied for secondat both The Players Amateur and the Northeast Amateur Invitational. Hagestadwill represent the USA in the 2019 Walker Cup next month.
Cole Hammer, 19, of Houston,Texas, was a stroke play co-medalist in last year’s U.S. Amateur at PebbleBeach and reached the semifinals. A sophomore at the University of Texas,Hammer also won the 2018 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with partner Garrett Barber andwas a semifinalist in last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur at Baltusrol Golf Club.In his freshman season, he helped lead the Longhorns to a runner-up finish inthe 2019 NCAA Championships, earned Golf Coaches Association of America FirstTeam All-America honors and had eight top-10 finishes in 11 events, includingtying for medalist honors in three events. Hammer, who was the third-youngestplayer to compete in a U.S. Open when he played at Chambers Bay at age 15 in2015, is playing his third U.S. Amateur and tenth USGA championship. Hammer wonthe 2018 Western Amateur and has been the ranked No. 1 on the World AmateurGolf Rankings since June 2019. He will represent the USA in the 2019 Walker Cupnext month.
Scott Harvey, 41, of Greensboro,N.C., is competing in his ninth U.S. Amateur and 31st USGA championship. He wonthe 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, which earned him an invitation to the2015 Masters, and was the runner-up to Stewart Hagestad in the 2016 U.S.Mid-Amateur. Harvey, a property manager, was a member of the 2015 USA WalkerCup Team and qualified to play in his first U.S. Open in 2017 at Erin Hills.Harvey, who has reached match play in all 11 U.S. Mid-Amateurs he has competedin, won his second USGA championship at the 2019 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball inBandon, Ore., with partner Todd Mitchell. He has two North Carolina Mid-Amateurtitles (2012, 2017) and three Carolinas Mid-Amateur titles (2012, 2013, 2016).
Joe Highsmith, 19, of Tacoma, Wash.,reached the quarterfinals in the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur, losing to theeventual champion Michael Thorbjornsen, 4 and 3, at Baltusrol Golf Club.Highsmith, a sophomore at Pepperdine University, was WCC Freshman of the Yearand an All-WCC first team selection last season. He reached match play in fiveU.S. Junior Amateurs and is competing in his second straight U.S. Amateur. In2017, Highsmith became the youngest player to win the Washington State Amateurwhen he posted a 54-hole score of 9-under 205. Last month, he won the 2019Sahalee Players Championship.
Devon Hopkins, 29, of Jacksonville,Beach, Fla., was born in South Africa and also has Republic of Ireland citizenship.He works full-time in healthcare insurance and attended Northern Illinois on aChick Evans Scholarship, graduating in 2011. He and Matt Kleinrock advanced tothe quarterfinals of the 2019 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship.
BoJin,17, of the People’s Republic of China, was the runner-up in the 2019 U.S.Junior Amateur at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, losing 2 and 1 to PrestonSummerhays in the final. Jin attends Futures Academy in Carlsbad, Calif., andis playing in his first U.S. Amateur. His brother, Cheng, played in three U.S.Amateurs, won the 2015 Asia-Pacific Amateur and competed in the 2016 Masters.His sister, Jiarui (Joyce) Jin, was co-medalist in the 2019 U.S. Women’sAmateur and also competed in this year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior.
Tyler Jones, 18, of Westerville,Ohio, won the 2018 Boys’ North & South Junior played on Pinehurst’s No. 8and No. 2 courses. Jones, an incoming freshman at Marshall University, iscompeting in his first U.S. Amateur and second USGA championship after playingin the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur.
Trent Karlik, 40, of McKees Rocks,Pa., is a computer science teacher in the Montour School District. He playedcollege golf at Robert Morris University. This is his third U.S. Amateur andfirst since 2009.
Julian “R.J.” Keur, 23, of Summerville,S.C., holds dual citizenship (USA and Germany). His father, Ron, is a disabledAir Force veteran who served 23 years. Keur remembers being dropped off on analmost daily basis at the Charleston (S.C.) Air Force Base course (WrenwoodsGolf Course) in the summers and spending his days there. He says: “The oldermembers would let me play with them, offered advice and taught me the rules ofthe game….I formed priceless relationships with those men and women, many ofwhom still follow my progress today as I chase my dream.” Keur won the 2017Carolinas Amateur.
Sean Knapp, 57, of Oakmont, Pa.,won the 2017 U.S. Senior Amateur, defeating Paul Simson, 2 and 1, at TheMinikahda Club, in Minneapolis, Minn. His effort to repeat as champion came upshort last year as he finished runner-up to Jeff Wilson in the 2018 final.Knapp is competing in his 15th U.S. Amateur and his 48th USGA championship. Headvanced to the U.S. Amateur quarterfinals in 1998 and reached the Round of 16in the 1995 U.S. Amateur before losing, 2 and 1, to eventual champion TigerWoods. He is a 14-time Western Pennsylvania Golf Association Player of theYear. Knapp, who is vice president of financial sales for an investmentmanagement firm, began playing golf at age 19 while caddieing at Oakmont (Pa.)Country Club. He played college basketball at Indiana University ofPennsylvania.
Peter Kuest, 21, of Fresno,Calif., is a rising senior at Brigham Young University. As a junior, he wonfive tournaments for the Cougars and was named WCC Player of the Year and aDivision I Ping All-America Second Team selection. Kuest is competing in hissecond straight U.S. Amateur after reaching the Round of 64 last year at PebbleBeach.
Mark Lawrence Jr., 22, of Richmond, Va.,was a semifinalist in the 2017 U.S. Amateur, falling to the eventual championDoc Redman, 1 up. Lawrence redshirted the 2018-2019 season for Virginia Techand enters this fall as a senior. Lawrence Jr., who is competing in his thirdstraight U.S. Amateur, won the 2017 Virginia State Golf Association Men’sAmateur Championship, matching his father, Mark Lawrence Sr., who won the titlein 1980. The pair were the first father-son duo to claim the state amateurtitle.
Brandon Mancheno, 19, of Jacksonville,Fla., is playing in his fourth U.S. Amateur and seventh USGA championship.Mancheno, a junior at Auburn University, earned his first collegiate title lastseason at the Tiger Invitational. As a freshman, he was chosen to the NationalAll-Freshman Team and voted Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year. Hecarded a course-record 63 in the first round of stroke play before losing inthe Round of 64 in the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur at Flint Hills National GolfClub. He also reached match play in 2016 and was the stroke-play medalist andadvanced to the Round of 32 in 2015. Mancheno was the runner-up in the 2017Florida State Amateur and won the 2016 Class 3A state high school championship.
XavierMarcoux,18, of Concord, Mass, missed qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S.Open Sectional stage by one stroke apiece earlier this year, before earningmedalist honors at the Andover, Mass., U.S. Amateur qualifier in July. Marcoux,an incoming freshman at Rutgers University, is competing in his first USGA championship.He recently won the 2019 New England Amateur Championship.
Roland Massimino, 22, of Lumberville,Pa., is a 2019 graduate of Kansas State, where he earned Big 12 All-Academichonors for three years. He is the grandson of the late Rollie Massimino, whocoached Villanova to the 1985 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
Josh McCollum, 23, of Upland, Calif.,had originally intended to attend Cal-State Fullerton on a baseball scholarshipuntil an injury changed his direction. He has only played golf for five yearsand this is his second consecutive U.S. Amateur. McCollum plays college golf atChico State and shot 59 in 2016 to set the course record at Red Hill CountryClub in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., where he also qualified on July 22.
Mike McCoy, 56, of Des Moines,Iowa, and Nathaniel McCoy,29, of Ankeny, Iowa, are the first father-son combination to play in the U.S.Amateur since father Philip Pleat and his son, James, of New Hampshire playedat Cherry Hills Country Club in Colorado in 2012. Mike, the 2013 U.S.Mid-Amateur champion who played on the 2015 USA Walker Cup Team, has had adecorated career as an amateur. He was the low amateur in the 2014 and 2015U.S. Senior Opens. As a result of his 2013 Mid-Amateur win, he played in the2014 Masters. Like his father, Nathaniel is a reinstated amateur. He won the2011 Dogwood Invitational and played collegiately at Iowa State before playingas a professional in Canada for five years, winning eight times. He is anadministrator for the Iowa State Golf Association. The McCoys are the fifthfather-son combination to play in the same U.S. Amateur, joining Dick and DixieChapman (1958), Paul and Brett Quigley (1988) and David and Michael Derminio(2001) and the Pleats.
McClure ‘Mac’ Meissner, 20, of San Antonio,Texas, earned his first collegiate victory this season at the American AthleticConference Championship where he set the championship low-round record as wellas the three-round record with a 13-under 200. Meissner, a junior at SMU, finishedtied for 11th at the 2019 NCAA Championships. He is competing in his secondconsecutive U.S. Amateur. Meissner’s head coach at SMU, Jason Enloe, is also inthis year’s field, as well as Mustang teammate Ollie Osborne. His brotherMitchell plays golf at Rice and his uncle, Todd Haney, played professionalbaseball for the Chicago Cubs.
David Micheluzzi, 23, of Australia, wasa semifinalist at The Amateur Championship in Ireland this June after reachingthe quarterfinals in 2018. He was the runner-up to Keita Nakajima in the 2018Australian Amateur after defeating Shae Wools-Cobb in the semifinals.Micheluzzi is competing in his second USGA championship and second straightU.S. Amateur after missing the cut last year at Pebble Beach. He also won the2018 Australian Master of the Amateurs by five strokes at Royal Melbourne witha four-round total of 270.
Jesus Montenegro, 22, of Argentina , is making his secondappearance in the U.S. Amateur after becoming the first Jacksonville Stateplayer to qualify for the national championship since 2003. At Pebble Beach, hedefeated then-WAGR No. 1 Braden Thornberry, 2 and 1, in the Round of 64 beforelosing to eventual quarterfinalist Alex Fitzpatrick in the next round.Montenegro was the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2019.
William Mouw, 18, of Chino, Calif.,advanced to the Round of 16 in last year’s U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach. Mouwhas also reached the Round of 32 in two consecutive U.S. Junior Amateurs (2018,2019). He won the 108th California State Amateur when he defeated ChristianBanke, 4 and 2, in the final on June 29. Mouw, the son of a chicken egg farmer,also claimed this year’s Thunderbird Junior Invitational and Ping Heather FarrGolf Classic. In 2017, he won the Western Junior by eight strokes, tying 1999U.S. Junior Amateur champion Hunter Mahan’s 72-hole scoring record. Mouw, thewinner of the 2015 IMG Junior World Championship (ages 13-14), was a member ofthe basketball and golf teams at Ontario Christian High School and will attendPepperdine University in the fall.
James Nicholas, 22, of Scarsdale,N.Y., a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year, graduated this spring fromYale, where he had five collegiate victories including the 2019 Ivy LeagueChampionship title. In addition to golf, he was recruited by most Ivy Leagueschools to play football and several Division I schools to play hockey.Nicholas played one season of varsity football at Yale and played occasionallywith the club hockey team, before dialing it back to focus on golf. Hisgrandfather is Dr. James A. Nicholas, who performed four knee operations thatsaved Joe Namath’s career while he worked for the New York Jets, in addition toworking for the New York Rangers and New York Knicks.
Noah Norton, 20, of Chico, Calif.,finished runner-up to Cooper Dossey in the 2019 North & South AmateurChampionship at Pinehurst No. 2. He qualified for this year’s U.S. Open atPebble Beach and advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2017 U.S. Amateur at TheRiviera Country Club. Norton has reached match play in two U.S. Junior Amateurs(2016, 2017). A junior at Georgia Tech, he posted three top-10 finishes in hissophomore season. Norton was the 2017 California State Amateur runner-up.
Kevin O’Connell, 31, of Cary, N.C.,won the 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur championship, defeating Brett Boner, 4 and 3, atCharlotte Country Club, earning exemptions into the 2019 U.S. Open and MastersTournament. In 2018, he tied for sixth in the Porter Cup, tied for fourth inthe Carolinas Mid-Amateur and tied for third in the North Carolina Mid-Amateur.O’Connell, who works for a club manufacturer, earned All-America andAll-Atlantic Conference honors at the University of North Carolina, along withbeing named the 2008 ACC rookie of the year. He is playing in his seventh USGAchampionship and second U.S. Amateur.
Andrew Orischak, 20, of Hilton HeadIsland, S.C., qualified at Colleton River Club in Bluffton, S.C., where he wasthe runner-up in the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur to Phillip Barbaree. Orischak isa senior at the University of Virginia and earned Ping All-Region honors duringhis junior season while finishing with the Cavaliers’ second-lowest strokeaverage. He is competing in his sixth USGA championship and third U.S. Amateur.
John Pak, 20, of Scotch Plains,N.J., is competing in his third U.S. Amateur and seventh USGA championship.Pak, a junior at Florida State University, set a program record for single-yearscoring average (69.56) as a sophomore and won four of his 11 events, includingthe 2019 ACC Championship. He became the third Seminole golfer to earnedGolfweek and GCAA first-team All-American honors in the same season. Pakadvanced to match play in all four U.S. Junior Amateurs he competed in,reaching the semifinals in 2016 and the quarterfinals in 2015.
Matt Parziale, 32, of Brockton,Mass., won the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship by defeating Josh Nichols, 8and 6, at Capital City Club (Crabapple Course), in Atlanta, Ga. Parziale becamethe first Mid-Amateur champion to earn a full exemption into the followingyear’s U.S. Open. His margin of victory matched the third-largest inchampionship history. Parziale, a former firefighter with the Brockton FireDepartment, and Luis Gagne were the low amateurs in the 2018 U.S. Open, tyingfor 48th at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. In the past year, Parziale leftfirefighting for the insurance business. He competed in the 2018 Masters andreached the quarterfinals of this year’s Massachusetts Amateur for the secondstraight year.
Trent Phillips, 19, of Inman, S.C.,is a sophomore at the University of Georgia who is competing in his secondconsecutive U.S. Amateur. In 2018, Phillips reached the Round of 16 in the U.S.Junior Amateur and the Round of 32 in the U.S. Amateur. He was named the SECFreshman of the Year and earned second team All-American honors during hisfreshman season. Phillips, who became the first player since 1991 to winconsecutive South Carolina Junior Championships, was a three-time Class 4A/5Astate high school championship medalist (2014, 2015, 2017) in South Carolina.His brother, Trevor, is a senior at Georgia and has played in two U.S.Amateurs.
Cullen Plousha, 20, of Carlsbad,Calif., qualified for the Junior Worlds in San Diego 12 consecutive years. Hisfather Cullen served in the U.S. Marines and played football at the Universityof Arizona, while his mother, Mary, won four varsity letters as a member of theWildcats basketball team. Cullen, who competed in the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateurand 2018 U.S. Amateur, is a junior at Colorado State University.
Garrett Rank, 31, of Canada, iscompeting in his eighth U.S. Amateur and 18th USGA championship. In 2016-17, hebecame a full-time official in the National Hockey League after working forseveral years in the American Hockey League. Rank won the 117th Western Amateuron Aug. 3, defeating Daniel Wetterich, 3 and 2, in the final. He became thefirst Canadian to win the championship in 42 years and the first mid-amateur towin the title since 1997. Rank, who overcame a cancer scare at age 23, competedin the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Rank was the runner-up in the 2012U.S. Mid-Amateur and advanced to at least the quarterfinals with partnerPatrick Christovich in three consecutive U.S. Amateur Four-Balls (2016-18).
Jovan Rebula, 22, of South Africa,is the nephew of 1994 and 1997 U.S. Open champion Ernie Els. Last year, Rebuladefeated Robin Dawson to capture the 123rd Amateur Championship, conducted byThe R&A, at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club. He became the first South African towin the Amateur since Bobby Cole in 1966. Rebula, who is a rising senior atAuburn University, was selected as an honorable mention Ping All-American forthe second straight season after claiming the 2019 Southeastern ConferenceChampionship individual title. He competed in the 2019 U.S. Open and is playingin his second U.S. Amateur.
Isaiah Salinda, 22, of South SanFrancisco, Calif., was a semifinalist in last year’s U.S. Amateur at PebbleBeach, losing to Devon Bling, 1 up. Salinda, who graduated from StanfordUniversity this spring, was a large part of Stanford’s national championshipseason. He won twice, finished sixth overall at the NCAA Championships and went3-0 in match play to lead the Cardinal to the title, including a 4-and-3victory over Cole Hammer in the championship match. Salinda was a second-teamAll-American in 2018-19 and is competing in his second USGA championship. Hewon the 2018 Pacific Coast Amateur by one stroke over Austin Eckroat.
McCain Schelldardt, 21, of Edmond, Okla.,played in the 2016 and 2018 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championships with hisuncle, Trey Martin, who will serve as his caddie at the 2019 U.S. Amateur.
Luke Schneiderjans, 21, of Alpharetta,Ga., is the third varsity athlete from his family to play sports for GeorgiaTech. His older brother Ollie (Georgia Tech, 2015) won the Mark McCormack Medalas the No.1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in 2014 and another brotherBen (Georgia Tech, 2018) was a baseball pitcher who now caddies for Ollie, aPGA Tour pro. Playing for the Yellow Jackets in the 2017 NCAA StanfordRegional, Luke shot 62 with 11 birdies in the second round.
Henry Shimp, 22, of Charlotte,N.C., is playing in his third U.S. Amateur and first since 2016. A risingsenior at Stanford University, Shimp was a member of the national championshipteam this May and secured one of the winning match points in the 3-2 victoryover Texas. He won the Carolinas Junior back-to-back years in 2014 and 2015.
Alex Smalley, 22, of Greensboro,N.C., is competing in his fourth consecutive U.S. Amateur. He reached matchplay in 2017 and was the stroke-play medalist and advanced to the Round of 32in 2016. Smalley, a 2019 graduate of Duke University, earned Ping All-Regionhonors for the fourth straight year and graduated as the Blue Devils’ careerscoring leader with a 71.32 career average in 49 tournaments. He was named 2019ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, finished tied for 7th in the NCAA AthensRegional and tied for 18th in the ACC Tournament. In 2019, Smalley won theSunnehanna Amateur by five strokes, becoming the fifth golfer and first sinceRickie Fowler (’07 & ’08) to win consecutive titles.
Ryan Smith, 17, of Carlsbad,Calif., was a quarterfinalist in the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur in Andover, Kan.,at age 15. Smith, competing in his second straight U.S. Amateur, has played infour USGA championships and will be a senior this fall at Classical AcademyHigh School in Escondido, Calif., where he helped lead the Caimans to the 2019CIF Division 3 title. He reached match play in the U.S. Amateur last year at PebbleBeach.
James Song, 18, of Rancho SantaFe, Calif., advanced to match play for the fourth consecutive year in the U.S.Junior Amateur last month at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, after reaching theRound of 16 in 2018. Song fired a 62 at Oak Valley Golf Club in sectionalqualifying to compete in the 2016 U.S. Amateur. Song, who was born inVancouver, British Columbia, is a rising sophomore at the University ofCalifornia.
HaydenSpringer,22, of Columbine Valley, Colo., shot a 10-under 134 and earned medalist honorsat the Columbine Valley qualifier. Springer, a 2019 graduate of Texas ChristianUniversity, outdueled 2018 U.S. Amateur champion Viktor Hovland to win the 2019Big 12 Conference individual title in April. He plans to turn pro later this year.In 2018, the Texan won the Trans-Mississippi title. He also played in the 2017U.S. Amateur.
PrestonSummerhays,16, of Scottsdale, Ariz., won the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur at Inverness Club inToledo, Ohio, defeating Bo Jin in the final match, 2 and 1. One week prior tohis U.S. Junior Amateur title, he captured his second consecutive Utah StateAmateur, having become the youngest player (age 15) to win the championship in2018. He broke a record that was shared by Tony Finau and his uncle Daniel. Summerhaysis the son of former PGA Tour player Boyd, the nephew of current PGA Tourplayer Daniel and the great nephew of Bruce, who won three PGA Tour Championsevents. Preston, who attends Chaparral High School, shot 65-60 in 2018 U.S.Amateur qualifying, the lowest 36-hole sectional score since 2011. In 2019, heplayed in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Utah Championship and posted top-10 finishes inthe Ping Heather Farr Classic (T-7) and Junior Invitational at Sage Valley(T-10).
Sahith Theegala, 21, of Chino Hills,Calif., is competing in his fourth consecutive U.S. Amateur after reaching thequarterfinals in 2016 and Round of 32 in 2017. Theegala is playing in his ninthUSGA championship, including the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills. A redshirtsenior at Pepperdine University, he sat out the 2018-2019 with a wrist injury.The prior season, he earned third-team All-America honors and was All-WestRegion and All-West Coast Conference for the third consecutive year. In hisreturn from injury this summer, Theegala won the Southern California GolfAssociation Amateur Championship and finished runner-up at the Sahalee PlayersChampionship.
Michael Thorbjornsen, 17, of Wellesley,Mass., won the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, defeating Akshay Bhatia,1 up, in the 36-hole final at Baltusrol Golf Club. As a result of his victory,he received an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) GolfLinks, where he was one of four amateurs to make the cut, finishing in 79thplace. Thorbjornsen, who also reached match play in the 2018 U.S. Amateur atPebble Beach, represented the victorious USA Team in the 2018 Junior Ryder Cuplast fall in France. He won the 2016 Drive, Chip & Putt National Final(ages 14-15) at Augusta National Golf Club and was the 2012 and 2013 U.S. KidsGolf National Player of the Year.
Cohen Trolio, 17, of West Point,Miss., is a six-time Mississippi State Junior champion and a high schoolstudent at Oak Hills Academy. His father, V.J., is the teaching professional atOld Waverly Golf Club, the site of the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open, the 2006 U.S.Women’s Mid-Amateur and the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Travis Vick, 19, of Houston,Texas, is an incoming freshman at the University of Texas. Vick, who iscompeting in his third U.S. Amateur (2016, 2018), was a three-sport athlete atHouston’s Second Baptist High School. In addition to golf, he was a Division IIhonorable mention all-state linebacker and all-district quarterback and apitcher/third baseman on the baseball squad. Vick scored the first double eaglein the history of the U.S. Junior Amateur in the 2018 championship atBaltusrol. He has twice won the Class 5A state individual golf championship andled his team to the 2018 state crown. Vick is a family friend of Hal Sutton,who competed in 18 U.S. Opens and won the 1980 U.S. Amateur and 1983 PGAChampionship.
Karl Vilips, 17, of Australia, iscompeting in his third U.S. Amateur. Vilips reached the Round of 64 in the 2019U.S. Junior Amateur after making it to the Round of 32 in 2018. He tied forsixth (best finish by a junior player) in the 2019 Northeast Amateur andmatched the course record of 61 in the third round. Vilips has three othertop-10 finishes, including second in the AJGA Simplify Boys Championship atCarlton Woods. In 2018, he won the Wyndham Invitational and was the runner-upin the Western Junior. In 2017, he captured the Southern Amateur title andmatched Bob Jones (1917) as the youngest champion in tournament history.Vilips, who was born in Indonesia, has used fund-raising activities to travelto tournaments.
Charlie Waddell, 34, of Chicago, Ill.,is a financial advisor who has qualified for five of the last six U.S. AmateurChampionships. He holds an MBA from Northwestern and at Bucknell he won twostraight Patriot League Player of the Year Awards as well as two conferenceindividual titles. A reinstated amateur, he was inducted into the BucknellUniversity Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2018.
Blake Wagoner, 22, of Cornelius,N.C., is a senior at Arizona State who is competing in his first U.S. Amateur.He is one of six Sun Devils in this year’s field, tied for the most of anycollege. Wagoner’s father played football at Ohio State while his uncle, Dan,played defensive back for the Falcons, Vikings and Lions in the early 1980s.
Ethan Wall, 24, of Brielle, N.J.,competed in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball earlier this year with his youngerbrother, Jeremy. Ethan and Jeremy played together at Loyola University inBaltimore, Md. Ethan’s youngest brother Jack, who is headed to the Universityof South Carolina this fall, competed in the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur atInverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, and advanced to match play.
Trevor Werbylo, 21, of Tucson, Ariz.,is a junior on the University of Arizona men’s golf team and is the nephew offormer LPGA player Cindy Rarick. Werbylo was an All-Pac-12 Second Teamselection as a sophomore and led the Wildcats in scoring average, rounds underpar and top-20 finishes (8). He finished tied for second at the 2019 NCAALouisville Regional and is playing in his first U.S. Amateur. His caddie willbe Chris Nallen, an Arizona assistant coach who was a two-time All-American anda member of the 2004 USA Walker Cup Team who reached the U.S. Amateursemifinals in 2004 at Winged Foot.
Jeff Wilson, 56, of Fairfield,Calif., captured his first USGA championship in the 2018 U.S. Senior Amateur atOregon’s Eugene Country Club, defeating Sean Knapp, 2 and 1. Wilson is thegeneral sales manager at an automobile dealership. He abandoned a professionalgolfer’s life, bouncing around mini-tours, for a more stable career path.Wilson, who was reinstated as an amateur in 1997, has had success over theyears in USGA championships. He tied for 31st in the 2018 U.S. Senior Open atThe Broadmoor and became the second player to earn low amateur in both the U.S.Open and U.S. Senior Open, joining Marvin “Vinny” Giles III. Wilson, who waslow amateur in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links, iscompeting in his 11th U.S. Amateur and 36th USGA championship.
Brandon Wu, 22, of Scarsdale,N.Y., played in two major championships this year, the U.S. Open and The OpenChampionship at Royal Portrush. Wu finished tied for 35th in the U.S. Open atPebble Beach. Wu, a 2019 graduate of Stanford University, was a member of thenational championship team in May and delivered one of the winning match pointsin the final against Texas while going 3-0 in match play during the NCAAChampionships. As a senior, Wu earned second team All-American and All-Pac-12First-Team honors.
Chun An ‘Kevin’ Yu, 21, of ChineseTaipei, was a quarterfinalist in the 2017 U.S. Amateur and reached the Round of32 last year. He qualified for his second consecutive U.S. Open this summer andfinished tied for second in the 2019 Porter Cup. Yu, a senior at Arizona StateUniversity, was a GCAA First-Team All-American as a junior after finishingthird at the 2019 NCAA Championships and tied for second in the NCAA StanfordRegional. He is playing in his sixth USGA championship.