Isaiah Salinda, Michael Thorbjorsen, Cole Hammer
The U.S. Amateur field represents the very best golfers on the amateur circuit. At the beginning of the week, 312 players get a shot at two rounds of stroke play to prove they fall within the top 64 in the world. Then it’s on to match play.
We scanned the tee sheet for the first two rounds of stroke play, and offer these five pairings to keep a particularly close eye on:
Matt Parziale, Brockton, Mass.; Will Grimmer, Cincinnati, Ohio; Luis Gagne, Costa Rica
Three players with different stories, but all three have one thing in common: they were the only three amateurs to make the cut at the U.S. Open among the 20 who started the week. Parziale is the reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion. Grimmer has been making headlines since his first U.S. Open start in 2014, when he was 17. Next season, he’ll be a senior at Ohio State. Gagne will also be a senior, only at LSU. He and Parziale tied for low amateur honors at the Open by finishing with a share of 48th.
Michael Thorbjornsen, Wellesley, Mass.; Scott Harvey, Greensboro, N.C.; Sean Knapp, Oakmont, Pa.
These three players represent the best at every level of the game. Thorbjornsen, 16, is two weeks removed from winning the U.S. Junior at Baltusrol Golf Club. It earned him an automatic berth into the U.S. Amateur. Harvey represents the mid-amateur contingent, having won the 2014 event then finishing as runner-up in 2016. Knapp, at 56, has entered the realm of senior golf. The reigning U.S. Senior Amateur champion just won the Pennsylvania Senior Amateur on Aug. 8.
Braden Thornberry, Olive Branch, Miss.; Collin Morikawa, La Canada Flintridge, Calif.; Viktor Hovland, Norway
Thornberry was the 2017 AmateurGolf.com Player of the Year and is playing inspired golf. The Ole Miss senior was T-26 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic (and don’t forget he was T-4 there a year ago). Needless to say, Thornberry can play with anyone. Morikawa and Hovland both are ranked inside the top 5 in the world, with Morikawa at No. 3 and Hovland at No. 5, respectively. Both Thornberry and Morikawa are playing their fourth consecutive U.S. Amateur.
Cole Hammer, Houston, Texas; Isaiah Salinda, South San Francisco, Calif.; Alex Smalley, Greensboro, N.C.
Simply put, this is the group of winners – and in some of the summer’s most elite events. Hammer is a week removed from winning the Western Amateur, arguably the next strongest event after the U.S. Amateur. Salinda tied an Olympic Club course record with a 9-under 62 that went a long way in earning him the Pacific Coast Amateur win. Finally, Smalley won the Sunnehanna Amateur wire-to-wire.
Noah Goodwin, Corinth, Texas; Jeff Wilson, Fairfield, Calif.; Gary Nicklaus, Jupiter, Fla.
A lot of experience in this group. Goodwin won the U.S. Junior a year ago and is headed to SMU in the fall. Wilson is an accomplished amateur from Fairfield, Calif., who was the low amateur at the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Most recently, he was the low amateur at the U.S. Senior Open. Finally, the 49-year-old Nicklaus is a reinstated amateur who will make his sixth U.S. Amateur appearance but just his second since regaining his amateur status in 2007.
Below, find the complete list of pairings and tee times for the first two rounds of the 118th U.S. Amateur Championship, Monday (Aug. 13) and Tuesday (Aug. 14), at the 7,075-yard, par-71 Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links (PB) and at 6,995-yard, par-72 Spyglass Hill Golf Course (SH), in Pebble Beach, Calif.
Monday (Aug. 13), PB, Hole No. 1 / Tuesday (Aug. 14), SH, Hole No. 10
7:30 a.m. / 12:45 p.m. – J.R. Warthen, Pismo Beach, Calif.; Ryan Spurlock, Maumelle, Ark.; Chris Nido, Puerto Rico
7:40 a.m. / 12:55 p.m. – Charles Waddell, Chicago, Ill.; Mark Turner, Gloucester, Mass.; Jack Melville, Maple Glen, Pa.
7:51 a.m. / 1:06 p.m. – Matt Parziale, Brockton, Mass.; Will Grimmer, Cincinnati, Ohio; Luis Gagne, Costa Rica
8:01 a.m. / 1:16 p.m. – Cullen Plousha, Carlsbad, Calif.; Paul Simson, Raleigh, N.C.; Christian Cavaliere, Katonah, N.Y.
8:12 a.m. / 1:27 p.m. – Hugo Bernard, Canada; John Augenstein, Owensboro, Ky.; Eric Ansett, Spokane, Wash.
8:22 a.m. / 1:37 p.m. – AJ Ott, Fort Collins, Colo.; Brian Clark, Knoxville, Tenn.; Mason Williams, Bridgeport, W.Va.
8:33 a.m. / 1:48 p.m. – Davis Shore, Brentwood, Tenn.; Hurly Long, Germany; Alexander Vogelsong, Palm City, Fla.
8:43 a.m. / 1:58 p.m. – Gray Barnes, Stormville, N.Y.; Josh Whalen, Canada; Varun Chopra, Champaign, Ill.
8:54 a.m. / 2:09 p.m. – Nick Bienz, Hoagland, Ind.; Patrick Gareiss, Chesapeake, Va.; Chris Hatch, Mukilteo, Wash.
9:04 a.m. / 2:19 p.m. – Shrish Dwivedi, Redwood City, Calif.; Chase Johnson, Barberton, Ohio; Erick Morales, Puerto Rico
9:15 a.m. / 2:30 p.m. – Shae Wools-Cobb, Australia; Caleb Ramirez, Blythe, Calif.; Chandler Eaton, Alpahretta, Ga.
9:25 a.m. / 2:40 p.m. – Raul Pereda, Mexico; Kaleb Johnson, Naples, Fla.; Hayden Buckley, Tupelo, Miss.
9:36 a.m. / 2:51 p.m. – Corby Segal, Santa Clarita, Calif.; Ryggs Johnston, Libby, Mont.; Austin Eckroat, Edmond, Okla.
Monday (Aug. 13), PB, hole No. 10 / Tuesday (Aug. 14), SH, hole No. 1
7:30 a.m. / 12:45 p.m. – Clay Feagler, Laguna Niguel, Calif.; Jack Tolson, Opelousas, La.; Akshay Bhatia, Wake Forest, N.C.
7:40 a.m. / 12:55 p.m. – Michael Thorbjornsen, Wellesley, Mass.; Scott Harvey, Greensboro, N.C.; Sean Knapp, Oakmont, Pa.
7:51 a.m. / 1:06 p.m. – Jake Beber-Frankel, Miami, Fla.; Zack Gordon, Gaffney, S.C.; Hayes Dupree, Mohave Valley, Ariz.
8:01 a.m. / 1:16 p.m. – Jack Schultz, Whitefish Bay, Wis.; Timmy Hildebrand, Carmel, Ind.; Nathan Barbieri, Australia
8:12 a.m. / 1:27 p.m. – Matthew Griggs, Prosper, Texas; Will Holmgren, Plymouth, Minn.; Josh Nichols, Apex, N.C.
8:22 a.m. / 1:37 p.m. – Logan Lockwood, Van, Texas; Jackson Van Paris, Pinehurst, N.C.; Mason Overstreet, Kingfisher, Okla.
8:33 a.m. / 1:48 p.m. – Zach Murray, Australia; Jake Williams, Temecula, Calif.; Max Theodorakis, Danbury, Conn.br>
8:43 a.m. / 1:58 p.m. – Christopher Tuulik, San Diego, Calif.; Travis Vick, Houston, Texas; Mitchell Meissner, San Antonio, Texas
8:54 a.m. / 2:09 p.m. – Oliver Gillberg, Sweden; Min Woo Lee, Australia; David Micheluzzi, Australia
9:04 a.m. / 2:19 p.m. – Ryan McCarthy, Kensington, Md.; Andrew Orischak, Hilton Head, S.C.; Harry Hall, England
9:15 a.m. / 2:30 p.m. – Sy Lovan, Canada; Andy Ogletree, Little Rock, Miss.; Drew Kittleson, Scottsdale, Ariz.
9:25 a.m. / 2:40 p.m. – Tanner Owens, Milton, Tenn.; Andrew Alligood, St. Johns, Fla.; Derek Bayley, Rathdrum, Idaho
9:36 a.m. / 2:51 p.m. – Cameron Meeks, Las Vegas, Nev.; Colby Dean, Eagle, Idaho; Chris Crisologo, Canada
Monday (Aug. 13), PB, hole No. 1 / Tuesday (Aug. 14), SH, hole No. 10
12:45 p.m. / 7:30 a.m. – Chris Baingo, Llano, Calif.; Patrick McCarthy, Albuquerque, N.M.; Frederic Lacroix, France
12:55 p.m. / 7:40 a.m. – Nicholas Dentino, Carmel, Ind.; Danny Paniccia, Clovis, Calif.; Won Jun Lee, Republic of Korea
1:06 p.m. / 7:51 a.m. – Damon Krause, Los Angeles, Calif.; S.M. Lee, Dacula, Ga.; Patrick Frodigh, Westwood, Mass.
1:16 p.m. / 8:01 a.m. – Patrick Martin, Birmingham, Ala.; Preston Summerhays, Scottsdale, Ariz.; James Imai, Brookline, Mass.
1:27 p.m. / 8:12 a.m. – Carter Toms, Shreveport, La.; Thomas Lehman, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Hayden Wood, Edmond, Okla.
1:37 p.m. / 8:22 a.m. – Rosswell Sinclair, South Africa; Ben Sigel, Deephaven, Minn.; Ian Siebers, Bellevue, Wash.
1:48 p.m. / 8:33 a.m. – William Mouw, Chino, Calif.; Nicholas Lyerly, Salisbury, N.C.; Bradford Tilley, Easton, Conn.
1:58 p.m. / 8:43 a.m. – Brandon Mancheno, Jacksonville, Fla.; Michael Feagles, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Jesus Montenegro, Argentina
2:09 p.m. / 8:54 a.m. – Braden Thornberry, Olive Branch, Miss.; Collin Morikawa, La Canada Flintridge, Calif.; Viktor Hovland, Norway
2:19 p.m. / 9:04 a.m. – Steven Chervony, Boca Raton, Fla.; Richard Berkmeyer, St. Louis, Mo.; Ben Greve, Minneapolis, Minn.
2:30 p.m. / 9:15 a.m. – Sam O'Dell, Hurricane, W.Va.; Will Kannegieser, Minot, Maine; Daniel Hillier, New Zealand
2:40 p.m. / 9:25 a.m. – Arthur Griffin, Lake Placid, N.Y.; Greg Yellin, El Paso, Texas; Brian Blanchard, Scottsdale, Ariz.
2:51 p.m. / 9:36 a.m. – Patrick Murphy, Canada; Tyler Vincent, Lisle, Ill.; Nate Thomson, Greendale, Wis.
Monday (Aug. 13), PB, hole No. 10 / Tuesday (Aug. 14), SH, hole No. 1
12:45 p.m. / 7:30 a.m. – Derek Ackerman, Half Moon Bay, Calif.; Zheng Kai Bai, People's Republic of China; William Gordon, Davidson, N.C.
12:55 p.m. / 7:40 a.m. – Avery Schneider, New Albany, Ohio; Trey Winstead, Baton Rouge, La.; Preston Ball, Raleigh, N.C.
1:06 p.m. / 7:51 a.m. – Cole Hammer, Houston, Texas; Isaiah Salinda, South San Francisco, Calif.; Alex Smalley, Greensboro, N.C.
1:16 p.m. / 8:01 a.m. – Alex Jamieson, Duxbury, Mass.; Devondeep Bling, Ridgecrest, Calif.; Mario Carmona, Mexico
1:27 p.m. / 8:12 a.m. – Gaven Lane, Argyle, Texas; Blake Windred, Australia; Frank Lindwall, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
1:37 p.m. / 8:22 a.m. – Alex Scott, Traverse City, Mich.; Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra Coto, Spain; William Holcomb, Crockett, Texas
1:48 p.m. / 8:33 a.m. – Jacob Koppenberg, Bellingham, Wash.; Joe Alfieri, Lutz, Fla.; Matthew Cowgill, Weston, Mass.
1:58 p.m. / 8:43 a.m. – Etienne Brault, Canada; Matthew Wetherill, Cincinnati, Ohio; Joe Highsmith, Lakewood, Wash.
2:09 p.m. / 8:54 a.m. – Toks Pedro, Nigeria; Zach Arsenault, Camden, N.J.; McClure Meissner, San Antonio, Texas
2:19 p.m. / 9:04 a.m. – Jacob Bergeron, Slidell, La.; Garrett Rank, Canada; Timothy Wiseman, Corydon, Ind.
2:30 p.m. / 9:15 a.m. – Matthew Bassler, Baltimore, Md.; Alex Fitzpatrick, England; Kevin O'Connell, Cary, N.C.
2:40 p.m. / 9:25 a.m. – Daniel Anfield, Channahon, Ill.; Connor Messick, Oak Hill, Va.; Shawn Lu, Honolulu, Hawaii
2:51 p.m. / 9:36 a.m. – Khavish Varadan, Malaysia; Donnie Trosper, Canton, Mich.; Harrison Ott, Brookfield, Wis.
Monday (Aug. 13), SH, hole No. 1 / Tuesday (Aug 14), PB, hole No. 10
7:30 a.m. / 12:45 p.m. – Zach Smith, Isla Vista, Calif.; Ryan Nietfeldt, Elkhorn, Neb.; Charlie Dann, Australia
7:40 a.m. / 12:55 p.m. – Dan Erickson, Pace, Fla.; Drew Pershing, Washington, Ill.; Eoin Leonard, Republic of Ireland
7:51 a.m. / 1:06 p.m. – Grant Sutliff, Cumming, Ga.; Luke Armbrust, Wheaton, Ill.; Kyler Dunkle, Parker, Colo.
8:01 a.m. / 1:16 p.m. – Justin Suh, San Jose, Calif.; Matthew Jordan, England; Robin Dawson, Republic of Ireland
8:12 a.m. / 1:27 p.m. – Hide Yoshihara, Irvine, Calif.; Brady Dixon, Mounds, Ill.; Spencer Dunaway, Mililani, Hawaii
8:22 a.m. / 1:37 p.m. – Ryan Marter, Columbia, S.C.; John Pak, Scotch Plains, N.J.; James Song, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
8:33 a.m. / 1:48 p.m. – Austin Liu, Oak Park, Calif.; Cody Cox, Milford, Pa.; Alex Schaake, Omaha, Neb.
8:43 a.m. / 1:58 p.m. – Ashwin Arasu, San Diego, Calif.; Jacob Huizinga, Orlando, Fla.; Jeremy Grab, Daniel Island, S.C.
8:54 a.m. / 2:09 p.m. – Tyler Strafaci, Davie, Fla.; Stewart Hagestad, Newport Beach, Calif.; Rhett Rasmussen, Draper, Utah
9:04 a.m. / 2:19 p.m. – Austin Sipe, Centerville, Ohio; Tyler Isenhart, Geneva, Ill.; John Wright, Fairhope, Ala.
9:15 a.m. / 2:30 p.m. – Palmer Jackson, Murrysville, Pa.; Brandon Wu, Scarsdale, N.Y.; Brett Young, Bethel Park, Pa.
9:25 a.m. / 2:40 p.m. – Garrett Barber, Stuart, Fla.; Ben Reichert, Buffalo, N.Y.; Joe Du Chateau, Fond Du Lac, Wis.
9:36 a.m. / 2:51 p.m. – Peter Kuest, Fresno, Calif.; Coby Welch, Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Michael Brennan, Leesburg, Va.
Monday (Aug. 13), SH, hole No. 10 / Tuesday (Aug. 14), PB, hole No. 1
7:30 a.m. / 12:45 p.m. – Ryan Smith, Carlsbad, Calif.; Matthew Lowe, Farmingdale, N.Y.; Brian Ohr, Wheeling, Ill.
7:40 a.m. / 12:55 p.m. – Parker Reddig, Minneapolis, Minn.; Mason Andersen, Chandler, Ariz.; Riley Elmes, Lake Oswego, Ore.
7:51 a.m. / 1:06 p.m. – Ethan Brue, Peoria, Ill.; Gordon Neale, Dove Canyon, Calif.; Jake McGlone, Charlotte, N.C.
8:01 a.m. / 1:16 p.m. – Trent Phillips, Inman, S.C.; Erik Dulik, Great Falls, Va.; Anthony Sebastianelli, Clarks Summit, Pa.
8:12 a.m. / 1:27 p.m. – Stephen Behr, Florence, S.C.; Cougar Collins, Canada; Jacob Solomon, Auburn, Ala.
8:22 a.m. / 1:37 p.m. – Luis Fernando Barco, Peru; Zachary Bauchou, Forest, Va.; Jovan Rebula, South Africa
8:33 a.m. / 1:48 p.m. – Jack Casler, Garden City, N.Y.; Davis Chatfield, Attleboro, Mass.; Patrick Welch, Providence, R.I.
8:43 a.m. / 1:58 p.m. – Trace Crowe, Easley, S.C.; Jonah Leach, Windermere, Fla.; Tyler Ota, Honolulu, Hawaii
8:54 a.m. / 2:09 p.m. – Austin Squires, Union, Ky.; Davis Riley, Hattiesburg, Miss.; TBD
9:04 a.m. / 2:19 p.m. – Spencer Ralston, Gainesville, Ga.; Josh McCollum, Upland, Calif.; Kevin Scherr, Nazareth, Pa.
9:15 a.m. / 2:30 p.m. – Nick Carlson, Hamilton, Mich.; Kory Franks, Jefferson City, Mo.; Brandon Einstein, Winston-Salem, N.C.
9:25 a.m. / 2:40 p.m. – Brandon Dalinka, Margate City, N.J.; Ryan Burnett, Lafayette, Calif.; Sam Goldenring, Florham Park, N.J.
9:36 a.m. / 2:51 p.m. – Sam Batta, Watertown, S.D.; Nicholas Costello, Austin, Texas; Devin Hernandez, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Monday (Aug. 13), SH, hole No. 1 / Tuesday (Aug. 14), PB, hole No. 10
12:45 p.m. / 7:30 a.m. – Joey Vrzich, San Diego, Calif.; Patrick Cover, Cornelius, N.C.; Matthew Paradis, Hooksett, N.H.
12:55 p.m. / 7:40 a.m. – Spencer Ball, Suwanee, Ga.; Kevin Tassistro, San Diego, Calif.; Jack Wyman, South Freeport, Maine
1:06 p.m. / 7:51 a.m. – Alex Shead, Augusta, Ga.; Jake Carter, Aiken, S.C.; Noah Norton, Chico, Calif.
1:16 p.m. / 8:01 a.m. – Alexander Yang, Carlsbad, Calif.; Joey Savoie, Canada; Jack Rhea, Jonesborough, Tenn.
1:27 p.m. / 8:12 a.m. – Noah Goodwin, Corinth, Texas; Jeff Wilson, Fairfield, Calif.; Gary Nicklaus, Jupiter, Fla.
1:37 p.m. / 8:22 a.m. – Chandler Phillips, Huntsville, Texas; Todd Clements, England; Shintaro Ban, San Jose, Calif.
1:48 p.m. / 8:33 a.m. – Dave Ryan, Taylorville, Ill.; Steven DiLisio, Swampscott, Mass.; Kaiwen Liu, People's Republic of China
1:58 p.m. / 8:43 a.m. – Matthew Cocorikis, Monroe Township, N.J.; Maxwell Sear, Canada; Brett Robinson, Tustin, Calif.
2:09 p.m. / 8:54 a.m. – Trevor Phillips, Inman, S.C.; Cameron Sisk, El Cajon, Calif.; Dylan Menante, Carlsbad, Calif.
2:19 p.m. / 9:04 a.m. – Parker Holekamp, Kingwood, Texas; Ryan Stachler, Milton, Ga.; Dylan Perry, Australia
2:30 p.m. / 9:15 a.m. – Daniel Wetterich, Cincinnati, Ohio; Austin Hardman, Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Tyler Reisenauer, Dickinson, N.D.
2:40 p.m. / 9:25 a.m. – Benjamin Shipp, Atlanta, Ga.; Nicholas Tenuta, Mount Prospect, Ill.; Darin Goldstein, New York, N.Y.
2:51 p.m. / 9:36 a.m. – Taylor Wood, Coto De Caza, Calif.; Alvaro Ortiz, Mexico; Andrew Bailey, Cleveland, Ohio
Monday (Aug. 13), SH, hole No. 10 / Tuesday (Aug. 14), PB, hole No. 1
12:45 p.m. / 7:30 a.m. – Bryan Baumgarten, Granite Bay, Calif.; Nolan Ray, Brentwood, Tenn.; Noah Woolsey, Pleasanton, Calif.
12:55 p.m. / 7:40 a.m. – Philip Barbaree, Shreveport, La.; Kristoffer Reitan, Norway; Franklin Huang, San Diego, Calif.
1:06 p.m. / 7:51 a.m. – Beau Briggs, Covington, La.; Jeff Wood, Cameron Park, Calif.; Garett Reband, York, S.C.
1:16 p.m. / 8:01 a.m. – Chandler Morgan, Lexington, Ky.; Michael McCoy, Norwalk, Iowa; Jorge Garcia, Venezuela
1:27 p.m. / 8:12 a.m. – Triston Fisher, Southlake, Texas; Benjamin Johnson, Downers Grove, Ill.; Angel Hidalgo, Spain
1:37 p.m. / 8:22 a.m. – Joshua McCarthy, Danville, Calif.; Gian-Marco Petrozzi, England; Scott Purvis, Springdale, Ark.
1:48 p.m. / 8:33 a.m. – Davis Lee, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.; Josef Dransfeld, Huntington, W.Va.; Quade Cummins, Weatherford, Okla.
1:58 p.m. / 8:43 a.m. – Logan Lowe, Grass Valley, Calif.; James Kneen, White Lake, Mich.; Matthew Smith, Seneca, S.C.
2:09 p.m. / 8:54 a.m. – Chun An Yu, Chinese Taipei; Mark Lawrence Jr., Richmond, Va.; Brad Dalke, Norman, Okla.
2:19 p.m. / 9:04 a.m. – Andy Spencer, Prairie Village, Kan.; Cole Harris, Carmel, Ind.; Chase Carlson, Tacoma, Wash.
2:30 p.m. / 9:15 a.m. – Sahith Theegala, Chino Hills, Calif.; Brandon Weaver, Purcellvillle, Va.; Matt Liston, Louisville, Ky.
2:40 p.m. / 9:25 a.m. – Donald Kay, San Diego, Calif.; Yongjun Bae, Republic of Korea; Eric Berggren, Windermere, Fla.
2:51 p.m. / 9:36 a.m. – Anthony Quezada, Phoenix, Ariz.; Dennis Bull, Norwalk, Iowa; Hunter Atkins, West Point, Miss.