Holmgren Falls to Sharpstene in U.S. Am Round of 16

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OAKMONT, Pa. -- Van Holmgren got off to a great start in his Round of 16 match at the 2021 U.S. Amateur on Friday morning, but Matthew Sharpstene came up with a big finish. As a result, it was Sharpstene who emerged with a 1-up victory.

Holmgren, the last Minnesotan left in the tournament and the No. 7 seed, birdied the 482-yard, par-4 first hole and the 340-yard, par-4 second at Oakmont Country Club. But Sharpstene, who made it to the semifinals in last year's Amateur, won the third (426 yards, par 4) with a par, halved the fourth (609, par 5) with a birdie and leveled the match with another birdie at the fifth (382, par 4).

Sharpstene, a senior to be at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte (he transferred from West Virginia in 2020), pulled ahead with a birdie at the par 4 10th (462 yards), but Holmgren reversed him by winning the 11th (379, par 4) and the 500-yard, par-4 15th (358) with pars. Both players parred the 231-yard, par-3 16th; so Holmgren, the 2018 Minnesota State Amateur champion, was 1 up with two holes to go.

Then Sharpstene rallied once again. The No. 23 seed won the 313-yard, par-4 17th with a birdie and the 484-yard, par-4 18th with a par.

It wasn't the ending he wanted, but Holmgren made an impressive showing at the Amateur. He opened with a 4-under-par 66 at Longue Vue (the other course used for the 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying) and followed it with a 70 at Oakmont, the course where all the matches are being played. Oakmont is a brute of a golf course, with five par 4's longer than 475 yards, and two par 3's longer than 230 yards, one of which (the eighth hole) was stretched out to 288 for some of the rounds this week. Nevertheless, Holmgren, who finished his senior year at Florida Gulf Coast this spring and will turn professional in two weeks, was 2 under par for the 67 holes that he played at Oakmont.

Sharpstene did not make it back to the semifinals this year. He was all square through 13 holes with James Piot, a fifth-year senior at Michigan State. Both players birdied the 358-yard, par-4 14th, but Piot won the long par-4 15th with a par, and he won the 16th and 17th with birdies for a 3&1 victory.   

The other player with Minnesota connections still alive on Friday was Brian Stark, who is from California and will be a junior at Oklahoma State this fall, but he qualified for the Amateur in Minnesota, at Dacotah Ridge, where he was the medalist by four shots with a 65-68--133. Stark, the No. 5 seed, was leading Trent Phillips (No. 28) 1 up through 13 holes in their Round of 32 match when play was halted because of rain on Thursday. On Friday morning, Stark completed a 1-up victory over Phillips. 

He then blitzed Grayson Blunt (No. 44) 6&5 in the Round of 16.

In the afternoon quarterfinals, there were only two top-10 seeds remaining -- Stark and his opponent, No. 4 seed Travis Vick, a junior to be at Texas. Vick led the whole match. He won the par-3 13th with a par and the 14th with a birdie to go 3 up. After both players parred the 15th, Stark birdied the 16th and the 17th and cut the deficit to 1 down. Vick gave him an opening by making a bogey at the 18th, but Start bogeyed it, as well, and Vick was through to the semis, 1 up.
 

U.S. Amateur 

At Oakmont Country Club 

Par 70, 7,206 yards

& Longue Vue Club

Par 70, 6,705 yards

(All matches will be played at Oakmont)

Stroke play qualifying (top 64 advance to match play)

1. Mark Goetz, Greensburg, Pa.                   64-68--132

2. Brian Ma, Milpitas, Calif.                           65-68--133

3. Michael Thorbjornsen, Wellesley, Mass.   65--69--134

T4. Brian Stark, Kingsburg, Calif.              66-69--135

T4. Travis Vick, Houston                                67-68--135

T4. Brad Reeves, Woodbridge, Calif.             65-70--135

T7. Van Holmgren, Plymouth                      66-70--136

T7. Jacob Bridgeman, Inman, S.C.               63-73--136

T37. Gunnar Broin, Chanhassen                   71-70--141

Missed cut (there was a 12-for-1 playoff for the No. 64 seed at 143)

Jacob Pedersen, Minnetonka                     70-74--144

Derek Hitchner, Minneapolis                       69-76--145

Cecil Belisle, Red Wing                                81-67--148

Jeremy Tetrault, Forest Lake                       86-79--165


Match Play

All matches at Oakmont

Round of 64

(7) Holmgren def. (58) Maxwell Moldovan, Uniontown, Ohio 3&2

(28) Trent Phillips, Boiling Springs, S.C.  def. Broin 3&1

(5) Stark def. (60) Gordon Sargent, Birmingham, Ala., 1 up


Round of 32

Holmgren def. (39) Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira, Argentina 4&3

Stark def.  Phillips 1 up


Round of 16

(23) Matthew Sharpstene, Charlotte, N.C. def. Holmgren 1 up

Stark def. (44) Grayson Blunt, Houston 6&5


Quarterfinals  

(24) Austin Greaser, Vandalia, Ohio def. (17) Ross Steelman, Columbia, Mo. 2&1

(4) Travis Vick, Houston, def. Stark 1 up

(31) James Piot, Canton, Mich. def. Sharpstene 3&1

(35) Nick Gabrelcik, Trinity, Fla. def. (22) Davis Chatfield, Attleboro, Mass. 1 up