U.S. Amateur Roundup: Chip-ins Channel the Greats to Reach Round of 32

Another chip-in made history at Pebble Beach.

14-year-old Jackson Van Paris chipped in for birdie on the 18th hole to win his match over No. 17 seed Dylan Perry and become the youngest player to reach the Round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur.

“It’s pretty cool to say Tom Watson chipped in on  No. 17, and I chipped in on No. 18,” said Van Parris, who is from Pinehurst, N.C. “Just all the history out here is incredible.”

Van Paris and the Australian Perry, who finished runner-up at the 2017 British Amateur, halved their first 10 holes.The match remained tied as the two headed to No. 18, where Van Paris sent his wedge over the green, and Perry pitched up to 12 feet for birdie. But Van Paris felt confident enough over his 20-foot chip that he pulled the flag before sinking the shot. Perry’s tying try then slid wide.

“He’s always been special. He’s always had a knack for the moment,” said Jackson’s father Todd. “I told his mom [Jana], ‘He just needs to do something special here.’ When I saw him take the flagstick out of the hole, I said, ‘OK, here we go. He wants to chip this in.’ And, obviously, that’s what he did. What a way to finish.”

Here’s what else caught our eye in the Round of 64 at Pebble Beach:

THIS WALK-OFF EAGLE


Almost as dramatic, co-medalist Cole Hammer chipped in for eagle at No. 18 to hold off Mexico’s Alvaro Ortiz, 2-up.

“To hit a shot like I did on the last hole was just really unbelievable,” said the 18-year-old. “I’ve seen so many greats like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer come down the stretch and do amazing things, and to kind of pull something off like that out of the rough, out of a tough lie, needing at least a birdie, was pretty special and something I’ll remember for a long time.”

Hammer has been red hot. Less than two weeks ago, he won the prestigious Western Amateur with a tournament-record 23-under 261. Hammer also won the U.S. Four-Ball Championship in May.

“My game is the best it’s ever been,” Hammer warned.

THAT INSANE 24-FOR-1 PLAYOFF

You know a playoff is crazy when you need an hour of starting times.

The two dozen players who finished at +4 stepped up to the 17th tee at 7:30 a.m. to try a 220-yard shot that felt like a hole-in-one contest. Two golfers — LSU’s Jacob Bergeron and BYU’s Jacob Kuest — stuck shots inside of 10 feet and drained the birdie putts to advance to a second playoff hole and eliminate the other 22 hopefuls.

“You almost had that sense that everybody was kind of holding their breath a little bit,” said Bergeron, who made the playoff by shooting a back-nine 3-under 33 at Spyglass Hill that also included a closing bogey. “They didn’t really know what to expect. 24 guys for one spot, who’s ever heard of that?”

The playoff surprisingly ended on the second playoff hole with a winning bogey by Bergeron, after Kuest hooked his second shot into the water on No. 18 and carded a messy 8. (A much longer playoff took place later in the day, when Mexico’s Raul Pereda needed five extra holes to put away Trey Winstead.)

Sneaking into the match play field as the No. 64 seed, Bergeron jumped out to a 2-up lead after just three holes against No. 1 Daniel Hillier. But the New Zealander played 2-under the rest of the way to close out Bergeron 3-and-2.

THIS HOLE-IN-ONE AT NO. 7

We were impressed, but China’s Zheng Kai Bai, 20, shrugged off the accomplishment.

“It’s my eighth hole-in-one, so I’m kind of used to it,” said Bai, the No. 28-seed who beat Travis Vick 4-and-3.

THIS TIGER WOODS IMITATION


Remember when Tiger Woods holed out on No. 15 to fuel his seven-shot comeback in the final round of the 2000 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am? Clay Feagler used this clutch shot to beat No. 18 Logan Lowe, 1-up.

THESE HIGHLIGHTS


The drama of match play seems to bring out the best in these guys.

THE UPSETS

The medalists survived, while No. 3-seed Andrew Alligood needed 19 holes to advance. But No. 4 seed Michael Thorbjornsen (this year’s U.S. Junior Amateur winner) fell, and the top three players in the world were sent home (No. 1 Braden Thornberry, No. 2 Justin Suh and No. 3 Collin Morikawa). AJGA record-setter Akshay Bhatia (the No. 11 seed) was also knocked out in 19 holes, when the match was extended because his caddie was assessed a penalty for riding a cart with a USGA volunteer after taking a bathroom break.

What will the Second and Third Rounds have in store Thursday? You can study the pairings here, and tune in to usga.org and FS1 to watch the action.

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