US Amateur: Quarter-finals set
John Augenstein, 21, of Owensboro, Ky., posted victories over Akshay Bhatia and Ricky Castillo, the No. 5 and No. 9 players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), respectively, on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the 119th U.S. Amateur Championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club.
Augenstein, 21, a senior at Vanderbilt University and No. 38 in the WAGR, reeled off birdies on holes 6-8 of the renowned Course No. 2 at Pinehurst to seize control in his 3-and-2 morning victory over Bhatia, the runner-up in the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur and the highest-ranked played left in the field. In the afternoon, Augenstein built a 4-up lead over Castillo, and after an eagle-birdie-birdie blitz by Castillo brought him within one hole, the players tied the final six holes with pars.
“I just tried to stay in the moment and understand that I’m still winning the match,” said Augenstein. “[Castillo] still has to win two holes to beat me, and as long as he doesn’t do that, I’m going to win. I think in match play, everybody is going to go on a run. I think you expect it, and that way you’re not surprised when it happens.”
Fellow Kentuckian Austin Squires, of Union, joined Augenstein in the quarterfinals as the No. 64 seed. Squires, who topped No. 1 seed and world No. 11 Brandon Wu in the Round of 64 on Wednesday, edged Stefano Mazzoli, of Italy, in 19 holes and held off John Pak, of Scotch Plains, N.J., 2 up, on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.
“Just to be in the position last year was pretty cool, but to be back here again, I know what I’m up against, and ready to get after it [on Friday],” said Squires, a recent graduate of the University of Cincinnati. “John [Pak] is one of my best friends in amateur golf. I knew what I was up against today when I played against him. I just got in a zone early and then kind of tried to coast, but he didn’t let me coast.”
Squires set up a quarterfinal matchup against the youngest player left in the field, 17-year-old Cohen Trolio, of West Point, Miss. Trolio ousted Blake Wagoner, of Cornelius, N.C., 2 and 1, in the morning and rode six birdies to a 5-and-4 win over Alex Fitzpatrick, of England, in the afternoon. Fitzpatrick was a quarterfinalist in 2018 and was vying to join his brother, Matthew, for whom Alex caddied in his 2013 U.S. Amateur victory.
Another Mississippian, Andy Ogletree, of Little Rock, joined Trolio in the quarterfinals with a 19-hole win over Maxwell Moldovan in the morning and a 5-and-4 triumph over Blake Hathcoat in the afternoon. Ogletree, 21, a senior at Georgia Tech, will take on Spencer Ralston, of Gainesville, Ga., and the University of Georgia, who ousted Julien Sale, of France, and Parker Coody, of Plano, Texas.
Twin brothers Parker and Pierceson Coody were seeking to join their grandfather, 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody, who reached the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur on Pinehurst No. 2 in 1962. But No. 12 seed Ralston eliminated Parker, 6 and 5, and No. 46 seed William Holcomb V, of Crockett, Tenn., ousted Pierceson, 2 and 1.
Augenstein will face Palmer Jackson, 18, of Murrysville, Pa., who went to the 18th hole in both matches, but defeated Jacob Solomon, 1 up, and Isaiah Salinda, 2 up.
The final quarterfinal matchup will feature Holcomb and Karl Vilips, 18, of Australia, who posted matching 3-and-1 wins over Steven Fisk, of Stockbridge, Ga., and Brad Dalke, of Norman, Okla., the 2016 runner-up in this championship.
What’s Next
The quarterfinal round will be contested starting at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, and televised on FS1 from 4-7 p.m. The winners advance to Saturday afternoon’s semifinals, beginning at 2:15. The 36-hole championship match will be played over Course No. 4 and Course No. 2, with the morning round starting at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday coverage is on Fox, from 3-6 p.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m., respectively.
Notable
The quarterfinal round includes two players from Kentucky and two players from Mississippi. The other four players are from Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas and Australia.
The round features a matchup of a Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket (Andy Ogletree) and a University of Georgia Bulldog (Spencer Ralston). “We’re really good friends, so we're looking forward to that,” said Ogletree. “We actually said earlier in the week, hope it gets to that point. We’re both happy just to make it this far, but obviously we want to move on and get to that championship match.”
At No. 12, Spencer Ralston is the highest-seeded player remaining in the match-play bracket. John Augenstein, at No. 18, is next. Austin Squires is tied for the highest-ever finish by a No. 64 seed in the U.S. Amateur since 1979. Nathan Smith (2014) and David Lind (1988) both advanced to the quarterfinals as the No. 64 seed but lost there. No. 57 Cohen Trolio is the next-lowest remaining seed in the quarterfinal round.
Quotable
“Yesterday I was 4 down through 10 [to Thomas Forster], and I just hung in there and basically I just didn’t lose. I learned what I’m doing and understanding match play because I didn’t understand it at all before. I’ve just been kind of having fun. A lot more loose than I was yesterday.” – William Holcomb V, on his comeback in the Round of 64 on Wednesday
“My game has gotten a lot better since I got there. I was not very well-rounded with my game, I would say. I had some incredible rounds because I could hit it pretty good. But I wasn’t an all-around player. I’ve learned and gotten better with my short game, and my scoring average has gone down a stroke a year.” – Andy Ogletree, on his improvement at Georgia Tech
“Michael is a really good player, and one of the best junior golfers there is right now. When I beat him, I really knew, OK, you can pretty much compete with all these kids. I’ve played in a lot of match-play events in my last couple years and I’ve been successful, so I had a lot of confidence coming in.” – Palmer Jackson, on his victory over defending champion Michael Thorbjornsen in the U.S. Junior Amateur last month
“I did a good job of sticking to my expectations and not letting the whole, ‘This is a big USGA event’ take over my brain. So I kind of stuck to what I did.” – Cohen Trolio, 17, of West Point, Miss.
“He helps me a bunch. I trust him. He’s my man. So I know that he’s got my back. As long as you separate the difference between being a dad and a caddie and a swing coach, you’re all good.” – Cohen Trolio, whose father, V.J., is his coach as well as the head teaching professional at Old Waverly Golf Club.
Austin Squires, 22, of Union, Ky.
Instagram: austinsquires7
No. 146 in World Amateur Golf Ranking™
Graduated from University of Cincinnati in May 2019
His golf coach was Doug Martin, the 1984 U.S. Junior Amateur champion
Third No. 64 seed to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur since 1979
Playing in his fourth USGA championship and third consecutive U.S. Amateur
Reached the quarterfinals in last year’s U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach
Interests outside golf include playing the guitar and wake surfing
Road to the Quarterfinals:
Shot 70-75—145 in stroke play; advanced with a par on the fourth playoff hole to earn the No. 64 seed
R64: Def. Brandon Wu, 2 up
R32: Def. Stefano Mazzoli, 19 holes
R16: Def. John Pak, 2 and 1
Cohen Trolio, 17, of West Point, Miss.
Instagram: cohen_trolio
High school junior at Oak Hill Academy
Has verbally committed to Louisiana State University
Playing in his second USGA championship and first U.S. Amateur
Father, V.J., has been the head teaching professional at Old Waverly Golf Club for more than 20 years
His lowest competitive round is 67, which he shot in both rounds of his 2019 U.S. Amateur qualifier
Was named the Mississippi Junior Golfer of the Year in 2018
Won the 2018 individual Mississippi High School State Championship
Road to the Quarterfinals:
Shot 71-73—144 in stroke play to earn the No. 57 seed
R64: Def. Trevor Werbylo, 2 up
R32: Def. Blake Wagoner, 2 and 1
R16: Def. Alex Fitzpatrick, 5 and 4
Andy Ogletree, 21, of Little Rock, Miss.
Instagram: andyogletree
No. 120 in World Amateur Golf Ranking™
Rising senior at Georgia Tech
Playing in his fifth USGA championship and third consecutive U.S. Amateur
Advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur
Won the 2019 Monroe Invitational in Pittsford, N.Y.
Won the 2016 Cardinal Amateur at Sedgefield C.C. in Greensboro, N.C.
Interests outside of golf include kayaking and wake surfing
Road to the Quarterfinals:
Shot 70-72—142 in stroke play to earn the No. 20 seed
R64: Def. Chandler Phillips, 4 and 3
R32: Def. Maxwell Moldovan, 19 holes
R16: Def. Blake Hathcoat, 5 and 4
Spencer Ralston, 22, of Gainesville, Ga.
Instagram: spencer_ralston
No. 45 in World Amateur Golf Ranking™
Rising senior at the University of Georgia
Playing in his seventh USGA championship and fourth consecutive U.S. Amateur
Advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur
Won the 2019 Players Amateur with a final-round 63 at Berkeley Hall Club in Bluffton, S.C.
Quarterfinalist in 2018 Western Amateur
Road to the Quarterfinals:
Shot 69-72—141 in stroke play to earn the No. 12 seed
R64: Def. Brent Ito, 2 and 1
R32: Def. Julien Sale, 1 up
R16: Def. Parker Coody, 6 and 5
John Augenstein, 21, of Owensboro, Ky.
Instagram: jaugenstein
No. 38 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking
Senior at Vanderbilt University, where he earned third-team All-America honors
Won the 2018 Players Amateur
Member of the 2019 USA Palmer Cup Team
Playing in his fifth USGA championship and second U.S. Amateur
Advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2018 U.S. Amateur
Semifinalist in the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur
Road to the Quarterfinals:
Shot 70-71—141 in stroke play to earn the No. 18 seed
R64: Def. Ryan Smith, 6 and 4
R32: Def. Akshay Bhatia, 4 and 2
R16: Def. Ricky Castillo, 1 up
Palmer Jackson, 18, of Murrysville, Pa.
Instagram: pdjack10
No. 555 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking
Graduated from Franklin Regional High School in June
Won the Class 3A state golf championship and helped his baseball team advance to the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state playoffs
Will attend the University of Notre Dame this fall
Playing in his fourth USGA championship and second U.S. Amateur
Advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur
Named after 1960 U.S. Open champion Arnold Palmer
Won the Memorial Junior on June 6
In Round of 16 against Isaiah Salinda, there were just two halved holes
Road to the Quarterfinals:
Shot 66-76—142 in stroke play to earn the No. 26 seed
R64: Def. Hayden Springer, 3 and 2
R32: Def. Jacob Solomon, 1 up
R16: Def. Isaiah Salinda, 2 up
William Holcomb V, 21, of Crockett, Texas
Instagram: willholcomb_v
No. 328 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking
Senior at Sam Houston State
Playing in his third USGA championship and second U.S. Amateur
Missed match play by one stroke in both the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur and 2018 U.S. Amateur
Made his first hole-in-one on the same day he met his eventual wife
Was introduced to the game by his sister, Ann, who played at Stephen F. Austin University
Interests outside of golf include traveling and duck hunting
In Round of 64 against Thomas Forster, was 4 down through 10 holes but rallied to win six of his last eight holes
Road to the Quarterfinals:
Shot 72-72—144 in stroke play to earn the No. 46 seed
R64: Def. Thomas Forster, 2 up
R32: Def. Ludvig Aberg, 1 up
R16: Def. Pierceson Coody, 2 and 1
Karl Vilips, 18, of Australia
Instagram: koalakarl2001
No. 79 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking
Senior at Saddlebrook Preparatory School
Verbally committed to Stanford University
Playing in his fifth USGA championship and third U.S. Amateur
Made a hole-in-one on the sixth hole at Pinehurst No. 4 during a practice round
Tied for sixth in the Northeast Amateur, matching the Wannamoisett course record of 61 in the third round
Won the 2017 Southern Amateur, matching Bob Jones (1917) as the youngest champion in history
Born in Indonesia
Was 8 over par through 10 holes in stroke play; played his last 26 holes in 6 under par
5-under 65 in stroke play tied the competitive course record at Pinehurst No. 4
Has been 2 up through 4 holes in each of his first three matches
Road to the Quarterfinals:
Shot 77-65—142 in stroke play to earn the No. 22 seed
R64: Def. Jansen Smith, 2 and 1
R32: Def. Steven Fisk, 3 and 1
R16: Def. Brad Dalke, 3 and 1