Jack Turner (Ben Adelberg/Back of the Range Photo)
The Florida Gators have taken over Moraine Country Club and the 122nd Western Amateur.
Florida sophomore
Jack Turner, junior
Parker Bell, and senior
Ian Gilligan each won their round of 16 and quarterfinal matches on Friday to advance to the semifinals on Saturday. The trio of Gators will be joined by 16-year-old
Henry Guan, with all vying to add their name to the George R. Thorne Trophy alongside the likes of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
"It's pretty cool to see all of us make it into the semifinals of such a prestigious tournament," Bell said. "I knew the three of us could do this, and it's going to be exciting to see what we can do tomorrow and this season."
Bell will face Gilligan at 8:00 a.m., with Turner and Guan following at 8:12 a.m.
Bell is currently ranked No. 51 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.
"Parker is such a good match-play player, and we've played a lot of rounds together," Gilligan said. "The three of us have all gotten so much better since last year, and this really shows it."
Florida has already had a successful year in the WGA championships, with incoming freshman Parker Sands claiming the Western Junior at Ruth Lake Country Club in Illinois in June. Turner, Gilligan, or Bell could become the first Gator to win the Western Amateur since Bubba Dickerson's win at Point O' Woods Golf and Country Club in 2001.
"One of the most special days of my coaching career," Florida coach J.C. Deacon said in an Instagram post.
Live coverage of the semifinal matches will stream live from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Coverage will resume at 1 p.m. ET for the entire final match. ESPN+ subscribers in the United States, Canada (TSN+), the Caribbean, and Latin America (on Disney+) can tune in on the ESPN App, ESPN.com, and connected TV devices.
For Guan – who turned 16 in June – Saturday presents an opportunity to make Western Amateur history. He would be the tournament's youngest champion in 122 editions.
Jamie Lovemark holds the record after winning as a 17-year-old at Point O’ Woods in 2005. A junior player hasn't won since an 18-year-old Cole Hammer won in 2018 at Sunset Ridge Country Club.
"I don't think there's much pressure," Guan said. "Instead, I think there's lots of opportunity to do something cool. I'm just focused on playing good golf at the end of the day."
To reach the semifinal, Guan defeated Mahanth Chirravuri 2 and 1 before beating William Sides 3 and 2 in the quarterfinals. His semifinal opponent, Turner, dispatched Jake Peacock 2 and 1 before beating Tyson Shelley 5 and 4 in the afternoon.
Bell's journey to the Sweet 16 looked bleak to begin the day. He was sitting at 6-under and on the cut line as the fourth round finished following yesterday's suspension due to severe weather.
"I woke up not even expecting to play and was just praying for a playoff," Bell said. "I went into the playoff with nothing to lose and made a birdie on the first hole to make it in and now we're moving on. It's been a crazy day."
Following the playoff, Bell defeated No. 2-ranked Jackson Koivun 3 and 2, then dispatched Mikkel Mathiesen 3 and 2 in the quarterfinals.
Gilligan topped Blades Brown 2 and 1 in the Round of 16. He then dispatched Ben James 2 and 1 to reach the semifinals.
First played at Glen View Club in 1899, the Western Amateur is the world’s third-oldest amateur championship, behind only the British Amateur (1885) and the U.S. Amateur (1895). It regularly attracts the top players from across the country and around the world.
A grueling combination of stroke play and match play makes the Western Amateur one of the most demanding events in golf. The field of 156 players compete in 72 holes of stroke play over three days to determine the Sweet 16 for match play.
Attendance and parking at the Western Amateur are free.
Round of 16 Results
Friday, August 2
Parker Bell, Tallahassee, Fla., def. Jackson Koivun, Chapel Hill, N.C., 3 and 2
Mikkel Mathiesen, Denmark, def. Gregory Solhaug, Norway, 3 and 2
Ian Gilligan, Reno, Nev., def. Blades Brown, Nashville, Tenn., 2 and 1
Benjamin James, Milford, Conn., def. Zachery Pollo, Rocklin, Calif., 5 and 4
Tyson Shelley, Holladay, Utah, def. Max Herendeen, Bellevue, Wash., 5 and 4
Jack Turner, Orlando, Fla., def. Jake Peacock, Milton, Ga., 2 and 1
Henry Guan, Irving, Tex., def. Mahanth Chirravuri, Chandler, Ariz., 2 and 1
William Sides, Tulsa, Okla., def. Jackson Herrington, Dickson, Tenn. 1 up
Quarterfinal Results
Friday, August 2
Bell def. Mathiesen, 3 and 2
Gilligan def. James, 2 and 1
Turner def. Shelley, 5 and 4
Guan def. Sides, 3 and 2
Recap courtesy of Western Golf Association
View results for Western Amateur
ABOUT THE
Western Amateur
Invitational event, and the most important
tournament in American amateur golf outside of the
U.S. Amateur. With a grueling schedule, it's quite
possibly the
hardest amateur tournament to win.
156 invited players come from across the
globe to play one of the toughest formats in
amateur golf. The tournament starts with 18
holes of stroke play on Tuesday and
Wednesday after which the field is cut to the
low 44 scores and ties. Thursday it's a long
day of 36 holes of stroke play to determine
the “Sweet Sixteen” who compete at Match
Play on Friday and Saturday (two matches
each day if you're going to the finals) to
decide the champion.
View Complete Tournament Information