Jimmy Abdo, against all odds, is still alive after the first round of matches (the Round of 64) in the U.S. Amateur.
Basically, Abdo has been living on the edge pretty much since the tournament began, and never more so than Wednesday, when he found himself 2 down to No. 4 seed Logan Reilly with eight holes to play, after he lost the 10th with a bogey.
Not a problem. Abdo made four birdies in a row on the way to the club house and dispatched Reilly 1 up.
The Gustavus Adolphus sophomore to be from Edina is currently No. 4292 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. So the percentages weren't exactly on his side when he was trying to get through the regional qualifyiing at Glen Oaks Country Club in Des Moines for the most prestigious amateur tournament in the world. There were only four spots available.
But he shot a 2-under-par 69. That tied for third and got him into a 4-for-2 playoff, which he survived by making pars on the two playoff holes.
So it was on to San Francisco and the iconic Lakes Course at The Olympic Club. Abdo, who was the MIAC Rookie of the Year for the 2024-25 college season, put together a 2-over-par 72 on Monday in the first round of stroke play, which had him just on the outside looking in, as far as making the top 64 -- and match play -- was concerned.
He didn't do himself any favors with a bogey-bogey start in Round 2, but he birdied the par-5 fourth (566 yards) and the par-3 fifth, and got to 1 under for the day with a birdie at the ninth.
That was more prosperity than Abdo could handle, and he got himself back into harm's way once again with a double bogey at the par-3 10th and consecutive bogeys at the 12th and 13th. It was another desperate situation, but that seems to be where Abdo thrives. He needed two birdies from there just to have any chance at all of getting into the match-play part of the tournament, and he got them at the 348-yard, par-4 14th and the 407-yard, par-4 16th.
It all added up to 71, giving him a 36-hole total of 143 -- and putting him in a 20-way tie for 48th place.
Once again, Abdo found himself in a playoff, and once again he came through it. He was one of 18 players who parred the first hole of the playoff (the 454-yard, par-4 ninth) Wednesday morning, and another par at the 10th earned him a spot in match play, as the No. 61 seed.
Reilly is a prize recruit for Auburn, which was second in the stroke-play portion of this year's NCAA Championships. He won the Virginia State Amateur and the Virginia State Open in 2024, before starting his senior year in high school.
All of Reilly's credentials notwithstanding, it was Abdo who was the fastest coming out of the gate Wednesday afternoon, with a birdie at the 524-yard first hole and a par at the second, which gave him a quick 2-up lead. Reilly responded by winning the 221-yard, par-3 third with a birdie, the fourth with a par and the 516-yard, par-4 fifth with a birdie.
Five holes in, and they hadn't tied one yet. The trend continued at the sixth, where Reilly made a double bogey, thereby allowing Abdo to pull even. But Reilly went 1 up again when he parred the par-3 eighth, and he went 2 up with a par at the 10th.
Abdo started his stretch run with a par that won the 12th hole. He needed a birdie at the 419-yard, par-4 14th just to stay 1 down. But he squared the match by making a birdie at the par-3 15th (160 yards), and pulled ahead with a birdie at the 603-yard, par-5 16th.
Reilly birdied the 17th, another par 5, but Abdo matched it to remain 1 up, and they tied the 18th with pars.
Next up for Abdo is will be a Round of 32 match against Wolfgang Glawe, who recently completed his eligibility at the University of Houston and is the No. 36 seed. He beat No. 29 Tom Fischer 4&3 in their first-round match.
The medalist -- and No. 1 seed at the Am, after going 67-65--132 in qualifying -- was Preston Stout, and he advanced with a 4&3 victory over No. 64 Pennson Badgett.
Things didn't go as well for the No. 2 seed , Tommy Morrison, who at 6 feet, 8 inches, was the tallest player in the field. Having shot 134 on Monday and Tuesday, he was 1 under and 1 up after 16 holes on Wednesday against No. 63 Mason Howell. But he lost the par-5 17th with a bogey and doubled the first extra hole (No. 1, 522 yards, par 4) to give Howell a spot in the second round.
U.S. Amateur
At The Olympic Club -- Lakes Course
Par 70, 7,185 yards
San Francisco
Stroke-play qualifying (top 64 advanced to match play)
1. Preston Stout 67-65--132
2. Tommy Morrison 66-67--134
3. Miles Russell 70-66--136
4. Logan Reilly 67-70--137
T5. Nate Smith 69-69--138
T5. Reed Greyserman 69-69--138
T5. Bryan Kim 70-68--138
T48. Jimmy Abdo 72-71--143
What it took -- 148 20-man playoff for 17 spots
Andrew Ramos 73-73--146
Matthew Armstrong 79--76--145
Nate Stevens 80-75--155