Summerhays, Jin to meet in U.S. Junior final at Inverness
7/19/2019 | by United States Golf Association
see also: View results for U.S. Junior Amateur, Saucon Valley Country Club - Grace Course
The two will meet in a 36-hole final for the title.
Bo Jin, 17, of the People’s Republic of China, and Preston Summerhays, 16, of Scottsdale, Ariz., won a pair of matches on Friday to advance to the 36-hole final match of the 72nd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Inverness Club.
Jin, the No. 8 seed, rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to edge No. 21 Kelly Chinn, of Great Falls, Va., 1 up, after Chinn had rallied to tie their semifinal match with wins on the 16th and 17th holes. Jin never trailed in the match and responded both times that Chinn tied him, with an eagle on the par-5 13th hole and the birdie on No. 18.
“Before the putt I was thinking I had exactly the same putt in the morning,” said Jin of the winning putt on the final green. “I left it a little bit short then, so I just gave it a little bit more speed. Yeah, definitely excited to see it go in.”
Summerhays, the No. 11 seed, wore down Thomas Pagdin, of England, 17, the highest remaining player in the quarterfinals at No. 41 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), in the other semifinal match. Summerhays overcame a 2-hole deficit by winning six of the last seven holes to advance, 4 and 3.
“My mindset was just to keep on playing,” said Summerhays, who won his second consecutive Utah Amateur title last week. “He had a good first seven holes, and I knew that he’s human. He was going to make some mistakes. I just tried to stay patient.”
Jin (No. 777 in the WAGR) and Summerhays (No. 208 in the WAGR) both rallied in their earlier quarterfinal victories on a very hot day at Inverness, with the heat index climbing above 100. In fact, three of the four semifinalists were forced to rally from back-nine deficits in their morning matches.
Summerhays faced the largest deficit, 3 down to No. 19 seed Austin Greaser, of Vandalia, Ohio, through 11 holes before winning four of the next five holes. A par on the closing hole to Greaser’s bogey completed a 2-up win.
Pagdin was 1 down to No. 15 George Duangmanee, of Fairfax, Va., after 10 holes, but made three birdies, including a 20-footer on No. 17, to earn a 2-and-1 victory. Jin was 2 down to Deven Ramachandran, of San Rafael, Calif., but rallied to win holes 14, 16 and 17 for a 1-up win. Chinn squandered a 2-up lead against Garrett Martin of San Antonio, Texas, but won four out of five holes to earn a 4-and-2 victory.
The winner of the 72nd U.S. Junior Amateur will earn a berth in the 2020 U.S. Open Championship next June at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. The winner and runner-up both earn spots in next month’s 119th U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club.
Jin, the No. 8 seed, rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to edge No. 21 Kelly Chinn, of Great Falls, Va., 1 up, after Chinn had rallied to tie their semifinal match with wins on the 16th and 17th holes. Jin never trailed in the match and responded both times that Chinn tied him, with an eagle on the par-5 13th hole and the birdie on No. 18.
“Before the putt I was thinking I had exactly the same putt in the morning,” said Jin of the winning putt on the final green. “I left it a little bit short then, so I just gave it a little bit more speed. Yeah, definitely excited to see it go in.”
“My mindset was just to keep on playing,” said Summerhays, who won his second consecutive Utah Amateur title last week. “He had a good first seven holes, and I knew that he’s human. He was going to make some mistakes. I just tried to stay patient.”
Jin (No. 777 in the WAGR) and Summerhays (No. 208 in the WAGR) both rallied in their earlier quarterfinal victories on a very hot day at Inverness, with the heat index climbing above 100. In fact, three of the four semifinalists were forced to rally from back-nine deficits in their morning matches.
Summerhays faced the largest deficit, 3 down to No. 19 seed Austin Greaser, of Vandalia, Ohio, through 11 holes before winning four of the next five holes. A par on the closing hole to Greaser’s bogey completed a 2-up win.
Pagdin was 1 down to No. 15 George Duangmanee, of Fairfax, Va., after 10 holes, but made three birdies, including a 20-footer on No. 17, to earn a 2-and-1 victory. Jin was 2 down to Deven Ramachandran, of San Rafael, Calif., but rallied to win holes 14, 16 and 17 for a 1-up win. Chinn squandered a 2-up lead against Garrett Martin of San Antonio, Texas, but won four out of five holes to earn a 4-and-2 victory.
The winner of the 72nd U.S. Junior Amateur will earn a berth in the 2020 U.S. Open Championship next June at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. The winner and runner-up both earn spots in next month’s 119th U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club.
About the U.S. Junior Amateur
While it is not the oldest competition, the U.S. Junior Amateur is considered the premier junior competition, having been around since 1948. The event is open to male golfers who have not reached their 19th birthday prior to the close of competition ...
Most Popular Articles
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced
Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing
2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING
Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year
Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch
Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory
Luke Ringkamp Cruises to Rolex Tournament of Champions Title at TPC San Antonio
Nov 26, 2025One week after committing to Pepperdine, Luke Ringkamp won the Rolex Tournament of Champions by nine shots.
Inside Gil Hanse’s Restoration of Baltusrol’s Upper Course: A Return to Tillinghast’s
Dec 11, 2025Renowned architect Gil Hanse reveals how he brought Baltusrol’s Upper Course back to life by honoring A.W. Tillinghast’s original