Top Seeds Win in U.S. Am, But Top-Ranked Sargent Loses

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CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. -- Gordon Sargent won the individual championship at the NCAA Division I golf tournament in 2022, when he was a freshman at Vanderbilt University. He spent most of the 2022-23 college season at No. 1 in the NCAA DI rankings, was the low amateur at the U.S. Open in June, and is currently No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. But he didn't make it out of the first round of match play in the U.S. Amateur Championship this week. He was beaten 2&1 by Nick Dunlap on Wednesday. 

The U.S. Am is the biggest tournament in amateur golf, but earlier this summer, Dunlap won two tournaments that aren't far behind -- the Northeast Amateur Invitational and the North & South Amateur Championship -- and he is No. 9 in the WAGRs. In his Round of 64 match against Sargent, he lost the par-5 first hole at Cherry Hills Country Club to Sargent's birdie. The next eight holes were tied. But Dunlap, who will be a sophomore at Alabama this fall, leveled the match with a birdie at the 451-yard, par-4 10th. He pulled ahead with a birdie at the 638-yard, par-5 11th and went 2 up with a birdie at the 511-yard, par-4 14th. The match ended when the two players halved the par-5 17th (547 yards) with birdies.

"I think this was a match that a lot of people wanted to see," Dunlap said afterward. "Obviously, he's the No. 1 player in the world for a reason. He put a lot of pressure on me on the front with some of his 390-yard drives, but I thought if I could get the tee and maybe apply some pressure of my own that maybe I could flip the momentum in my favor."

Sargent tied for 17th in stroke-play qualifying Monday and Tuesday with a 36-hole total of 140 (70-70) and was the No. 24 seed. Dunlap tied for 38th with a 142 (72-70), and he is seeded No. 41.

Seven of the top 10 seeds advanced on Wedneseday, including all three of the co-medalists -- Blades Brown, Jackson Buchanan and Sampson Zheng.

Brown, a 16 year old from Nashville, Tenn., shot a course-record, 8-under-par 64 at Colorado Golf Club on Tuesday in the second round of qualifying to get his share of medalist honors at 136, and he is the No. 1 seed. (Colorado GC and Cherry Hills were both used for qualifying, but all the matches this week will be played at Cherry Hills.). In his Round of 64 match, Brown faced No. 64 Benton Weinberg, and was 3 up after winning the ninth hole with a par and the 10th with a birdie. Weinberg rallied with birdies at the long 11th and the par-4 13th, and he tied things up with a birdie at the 466-yard, par-4 16th.

It took a birdie at the par-5 17th for Brown to regain the lead. He halved the 18th with a par, and escaped with a 1-up victory.  

Buchanan, a soon-to-be junior for perennial Big Ten champion Illinois, is tne No. 2 seed. He capped off his 67 at Colorado GC on Tuesday with three consecutive birdies. On Wednesday, his finish against the No. 63 seed, Karl Vilips, wasn't quite as strong. He bogeyed the treacherous, 487-yard, par-4 18th at Cherry Hills, but Vilips made a triple bogey, and Buchanan won 2 up.

No. 3 Zheng was also pushed to the 18th hole, by No. 62 Preston Summerhays, and he had to win the hole with a par to take the match 1 up. 

The winner of the Lazarus Award during qualifying was Bowen Mauss, a 16-year-old from Draper, Utah. He was dead and buried Monday night, after a first-round 78 at Cherry Hills. But he came back to life -- and moved up 181 places in the standings, from a tie for 231st into a tie for 50th -- with a 65 at Colorado GC on Tuesday. That made him the No. 57 seed, and he was 1 over par at Cherry Hills on Wednesday in a 1-up victory over No. 8 Nicholas Gross.

Two other top-10 seeds departed. No. 60 Grant Smith got a conceded birdie at the 17th and birdied the 18th, as well, which enabled him to defeat No. 5 Piercen Hunt 1 up. And No. 55 Austin Greaser was 7 under par (with concessions) for 14 holes in a 6&4 conquest of No. 10 Jonas Baumgartner.  


U.S. Amateur Championship

At Cherry Hills Country Club (par 71, 7,368 yards)

Cherry Hills Village, Colo. 

& Colorado Golf Club (par 72, 7,642 yards)

Parker, Colo. 

Stroke play

Final results (the top 64 finishers advance to match play on Wednesday)

T1. Blades Brown, Nashville, Tenn.               72 CH-64 CGC -- 136

T1. Sampson Zheng, China                            66 CGC-70 CH -- 136

T1. Jackson Buchanan, Dacula, Ga.              69 CH-67 CGC -- 136

T4. Piercen Hunt, Canada                              66 CGC -71 CH -- 137

T4. Maxwell Ford, Peachtree Corners, Ga.    71 CH-66 CGC -- 137

T4. Caleb Surratt, Indian Trail, NC                  70 CGC-67 CH -- 137

T4. Andi Xu, China                                           69 CGC-68 CH -- 137

T8. Connor Jones, Denver                               68 CGC-70 CH -- 137

T8. Nicholas Gross, Downington, Pa.              71 CH-67 CGC -- 137

Missed cut -- 143 (15 players tied for 50th; so there was no playoff required)

Brett Reid, Spicer                                            75 CH-72 CGC -- 147

Cecil Belisle, Red Wing                                   77 CH-73 CGC -- 150

Sam Foust, Edina                                             81 CGC-73 CH -- 154

Nate Adams, Maple Grove                               79 CGC-76 CH -- 155

Carson Herron, Wayzata                                  79 CGC-78 CH -- 157


Match play

Round of 64

No. 1 Blades Brown def. No. 64 Benton Weinberg 1 up

No. 2 Jackson Buchanan def. No. 63 Karl Vilips 2 up

No. 3 Sampson Zheng def. No. 62 Preston Summerhays 1 up

No. 4 Maxwell Ford def. No. 61 Brian Stark 4&3

No. 60 Grant Smith def. No. 5 Piercen Hunt 1 up

No. 6 Caleb Surratt def. No. 59 Dylan Menante 6&5

No. 7 Audi Xu def. No. 58 Matthew McClean 1 up

No. 8 Bowen Mauss def. No. 8 Nicholas Gross 2 up

No. 9 Connor Jones def. No. 56 Vocemte Marzilio 4&3

No. 55 Austin Greaser def. No. 10 Jonas Baumgartner 6&4