John Daly II, son of two-time major champion John Daly, has advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur. He prevailed in a difficult first-round match play, earning his place deep in the tournament. Combined with deft shoveling, flush striking, and a patient mind—taking it all in stride like 3rd round KO over Cooper Claycomb, 1-up.
His win was most notable for a clutch shot on the 11th hole, when Daly II scored a birdie. He was able to win the other 17 holes to do it — a true show of some epic play and mental toughness in that match. This breakout victory certainly puts him in good company along with the other 31 players moving on in the tournament.
In yet another hard-fought contest, Scotland’s Niall Shiels Donegan advanced to the next round of the tournament. He eked out a dramatic win against Luke Poulter, 1-up. She comes from an accomplished lineage. His father, Lawrence Shiels Donegan, had been a sportswriter for the same paper, serving as golf correspondent for nearly three decades. On the other hand, Poulter is the son of Ian Poulter, perhaps golf’s most loud and proud Ryder Cup fanatic.
Filip Jakubcik, the No. 2 amateur in the world and senior at Virginia, picked up the clinching victory over Parker Claxton in a rout. He controlled the match from start to finish, winning 2-and-1. Jakubcik’s excellent play only confirmed what he and his fellow competitors already knew—he belonged to the best of the best at the U.S. Amateur.
Jackson Koivun, recognized as the top player in the world amateur rankings and representing Auburn, advanced with a narrow 1-up victory over Ryan Vools. Koivun had a very important par on the 16th hole, a life-saving one-shot lead. He finished the day in style with a long two-putt birdie on the 17th hole, a par-5.
In one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, Arkansas native 18-year-old Mason Howell took down Tommy Morrison of Texas. For the high seeded Morrison, No. 6, this loss was unexpected. Morrison opened the tee-up with both guns blazing, but found trouble on the par-5 17th hole, carding a bogey to finish at even-par. His struggles compounded with a double bogey on the 19th hole, eliminating him from the tournament.
Tim Wiedenmeyer of Germany recovered from a rough start to post a 2-and-1 win against Reed Greyserman. After falling behind five of the first seven holes, Wiedenmeyer came back to take control of the match.
As the tournament continues, these outcomes are a testament to the intense competition and rising stars of the amateur golf scene. With Daly II and many of the other big names moving on, golf fans everywhere should be in for an especially thrilling finish to the U.S. Amateur.
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