PACIFIC PALISADES, CA (August 20, 2017) - Before the 117th U.S. Amateur Championship teed off Monday, we highlighted 18
"Players to Watch", a sampling of some of the players who have racked up big amateur wins this summer, who are jockeying for bids on the Walker Cup team, or who have climbed at or near the top of the world rankings.
Indeed, after the
USGA's Walker Cup announcement Sunday, all 10 Walker Cuppers were on our list.
Related: Doc Redman Wins U.S. Amateur with an Incredible Comeback
Related: VIDEO: Ghim and Redman are the Last Two Standing
Related: VIDEO: All-American Semifinals Set for U.S. AmateurRelated: VIDEO: Eight Players Remain at the 117th U.S. Amateur
Related: U.S. Amateur Round of 32 Match Play Report
Related: U.S. Amateur Match Play Round of 64 Report
Related: Wood Sets U.S. Amateur 36-Hole Scoring Record
Related: U.S. Amateur: Three Tied at the Top After Round One
Of the 18, Doug Ghim made it the farthest, coming about as close as one could come to winning before ultimately falling to Doc Redman in a brilliantly played 37 hole championship match at Riviera Country Club.
FINAL Players to Watch Leaderboard
Lost in the Championship Final
67-71--138 (T8)
Doug Ghim, Arlington Heights, IL
Beat Chris Waters 4&3, beat Sahith Theegala 19 holes, beat Joey Vrzich 3&2, beat Connor Syme 2&1, beat Theo Humphrey 2&1, lost to Doc Redman 37 holes
Lost in the Round of 16
68-70--138 (T8)
Collin Morikawa, La Canada Flintridge, CA
Beat Blake Collyer 6&5, beat Dylan Perry 1 up, lost to Chun An Yu 2 up
74-69--143 (T49)
Will Zalatoris, Plano, TX
Beat Philip Barbaree 1 up, beat Hugo Bernard 3&2, lost to Travis Smyth 2&1
Lost in the Round of 32
71-69--140 (T19)
Dylan Perry, Australia
Beat Alex Smalley 19 holes, lost to Collin Morikawa 1 up
72-68--140 (T19)
Sahith Theegala, Chino Hills, CA
Beat Gavin Hall 19 holes, lost to Doug Ghim 19 holes
72-72--144 (T57)
Braden Thornberry, Olive Branch, MS (*advanced from 13-for-8 playoff)
Beat Joaquin Niemann 2 up, lost to Travis Smyth 3&2
Lost in the Round of 64
64-70--134 (2)
Norman Xiong, Canyon Lake, CA
Lost to Billy Walthouse 2 up
68-69--137 (T6)
Joaquin Niemann, Chile
Lost to Braden Thornberry 2 up
72-67--139 (T15)
Maverick McNealy, Portola Valley, CA
Lost to Connor Syme 2&1
72-68--140 (T19)
Sam Burns, Shreveport, LA
Lost to Shae Wools-Cobb 2&1
72-72--144 (T57)
Derek Bard, New Hartford, NY (*advanced from 13-for-8 playoff)
Lost to Mark Lawrence, Jr. 4&3
Missed the cut for Match Play
69-75--144 (MC)
Scottie Scheffler, Dallas, TX (*eliminated in 13-for-8 playoff)
72-74--146 (MC)
Stewart Hagestad, Newport Beach, CA
70-77--147 (MC)
Cameron Champ, Sacramento, CA
74-76--150 (MC)
Alfie Plant, England
75-77--152 (MC)
Brad Dalke, Norman, OK
76-79--155 (MC)
Noah Goodwin, Corinth, TX
75-86--161 (MC)
George Zahringer, New York, NY
The top 64 players advanced to match play after a
13-man playoff determined the final 8 spots early Wednesday morning.
ABOUT THE
US Amateur
The U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA
championship, was first played in 1895 at
Newport Golf Club in Rhode Island. The
event,
which has no age restriction, is open to
those
with a Handicap Index of .4 (point four) or lower. It is
one
of 15 national championships conducted
annually by the USGA.
A new two-stage qualifying process went into effect in 2024, providing exemptions through local qualifying for state amateur champions and top-ranked WAGR playres. See the USGA website for details -- applications are typically placed online in the spring
at www.usga.org.
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