John Daly II and Niall Shiels Donegan Advance to Quarterfinals at U.S. Amateur
In an emotional day at The Olympic Club, John Daly II and Niall Shiels Donegan secured their place in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur, after winning two matches each this Thursday. The competition intensifies as high-ranking players continue to fall. Daly, son of two-time major champion John Daly, defeated Nate Smith 2 and 1 in the round of 32 in the morning. Subsequently, in the round of 16, he defeated Daniel Bennett of South Africa 3 and 2. Daly, who is about to start his final year at Arkansas, will face Mason Howell in the next stage. Howell, an 18-year-old from Georgia, managed to qualify for the U.S. Open this year, with impressive rounds of 63-63 in the Atlanta section. Howell defeated second-ranked Ben James 1 up and Max Herendeen 2 and 1. Herendeen, for his part, eliminated top-ranked Jackson Koivun with a 3 and 2 victory in the morning. Donegan also proved his worth with two 1-up victories. He defeated Christiaan Maas of South Africa, in ninth place, and Preston Stout, the Oklahoma State senior and stroke-play medalist, ranked fourth. Donegan, who plays under the Scottish flag and resides in the Bay Area, tied Stout with a birdie on the 15th hole, a par 3, and took the lead with a 20-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, a par 5. “Happy, ecstatic,” said Donegan, who recently joined the North Carolina golf team after two seasons with Northwestern. “Yes, it’s incredible. I’m just trying to enjoy the moment right now and get ready for tomorrow.” Donegan was one of 17 players who advanced from a 20-player playoff on Wednesday morning to determine the final 64 for match play. His father, Lawrence, was a longtime golf correspondent. Donegan will face Jacob Modleski, who won 2 up against Paul Chang from China. Modleski, ranked number 15, is the highest-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Miles Russell, sixteen, from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, also reached the quarterfinals, after defeating Mahanth Chirravuri from Pepperdine 2 and 1. Russell is ranked number 16. Russell will play against Eric Lee, ranked 29th, who won 2 up against Josh Duangmanee, after Duangmanee lost his ball off the tee on the final hole. In the other quarterfinal, Jimmy Abdo will face Jackson Herrington.“Being the underdog, I feel like there’s a lot less pressure on me to perform well,” Abdo said, after his first season at Gustavus Adolphus in Minnesota. “I feel like I can go out and play pretty freely. That’s what we did on most of the holes there.”
Jimmy Abdo
