Junior Amateur Blog

19th Hole (par 4, 407 yards)

Both Liu and Thomas hit their approach shots with 8 feet of the hole. Liu missed his putt to the right of the hole, while Thomas' birdie attempt rimmed out.

Liu leads, 3 up.

20th Hole (par 4, 443 yards)

Both players hit their tee shots into the second cut of rough, with Liu to the left and Thomas to the right. Liu's second shot fell within 17 feet, while Thomas shot to 7 feet from the hole. Thomas converted his birdie putt to win the hole.

Liu leads, 2 up.

21st Hole (par 5, 558 yards)

Thomas and Liu both found the fairway with their tee shots. Liu played a layup with an iron, while Thomas went with a fairway wood and hit his shot into the right rough. Liu made it onto the green approximately 28 feet short of the hole, and Thomas also found the green, about 16 feet short. Both players missed birdie putts and halved the hole.

Liu leads, 2 up.

22nd Hole (par 4, 302 yards)

Thomas played a driver off the tee and hit the green, to the right of the hole. His eagle putt came up just short. Liu hit an iron off the tee and a gap wedge approach to within 9 feet left of the hole. His putt missed to the left of the hole. Thomas won the hole.

Liu leads, 1 up.

23rd Hole (par 4, 446 yards)

Both players drove off the tee and into the second cut of rough. Thomas played his second shot to 18 feet beyond the hole, while Liu played into the front fringe. Thomas' birdie change just went by on the left side; Liu's attempt came up several rolls short. The hole was halved.

Liu leads, 1 up.

24th Hole (par 3, 207 yards)

Thomas flew the green with his tee shot, while Liu nailed it with his. Thomas chipped onto the green and made bogey, while Liu hit a 3-footer for par to win the hole.

Liu leads, 2 up.

25th Hole (par 5, 539 yards)

Liu and Thomas both played lay-up shots to within 80 yards of the green. Liu shot to 16 feet beyond the green, while Thomas came up 10 feet short. Liu hit a tricky downhill putt for birdie, and Thomas answered back with his own birdie putt. The hole was halved.

Liu leads, 2 up.

26th Hole (par 3, 152 yards)

Both players sent their tee shots over the green. Liu played a short chip shot from 10 yards beyond the green and sent the ball 15 feet past the hole. Thomas hit his chip shot out of the rough to 7 feet above the hole. Both players missed par putts and the hole was halved.

Liu leads, 2 up.

27th Hole (par 4, 424 yards)

Liu drove his tee shot to the left, while Thomas went to the right. Liu came up just short of the green on his second shot, and nailed a 3-footer for par. Thomas dropped 26-feet short on his approach from the right rough and two-putted for par. The hole was halved.

Liu leads, 2 up.

28th Hole (par 4, 424 yards)

Both players drove their tee shots down the center of the fairway. Liu played his approach to about 22 feet left of the hole, while Thomas was about 25 feet left. Thomas' birdie attempt seemed on target, but just missed. Liu two-putted to halve the hole.

Liu leads, 2 up.

29th Hole (par 4, 453 yards)

Thomas sent his tee shot right and into the second cut. Liu hit his drive right down the middle of the fairway. Liu's second shot came to rest 16 feet short and left of the hole, while Thomas' second shot came to rest near the left fringe. His birdie attempt missed by four feet, and his par shot went low. Liu won the hole.

Liu leads, 3 up.

30th Hole (par 3, 182 yards)

Liu's tee shot came to rest in the second cut. He then chipped onto the green and Thomas' conceded his 10-inch par putt. Thomas' tee shot rolled toward the flagstick and ultimately rolled 5 feet to the left. Thomas converted the birdie putt and won the hole.

Liu leads, 2 up.

31st Hole (par 5, 531 yards)

Both players drove down the middle of the fairway. Thomas played aggressive on his second shot, which came to rest approximately 30 feet left of the hole. He missed his eagle putt, but his 3-footer for birdie was conceded. Liu layed up for his second shot, and his third fell about 15 feet short of the hole. His birdie chance came up short left, and Thomas won the hole.

Liu leads, 1 up.

32nd Hole (par 4, 385 yards)

Thomas' tee shot went to the right and left him with an awkward stance along a grassy upslope. Liu drove slightly to the left and his second shot came to rest about 26 feet to the left of the hole. Thomas' second came up well short of the green. He pitched it 8 feet past the hole and then his par return missed to the right. Liu made his par putt to win the hole.

Liu leads, 2 up.

33rd Hole (par 4, 464 yards)

Liu's second shot from the fairway hit 15 feet short of the hole. Thomas' second from the first cut flew over the green and his chip shot went 10 feet past the hole. He then missed his par return on the low side and conceded Liu's birdie putt. Liu won the hole and is now dormie-3.

Liu leads, 3 up.

34th Hole (par 3, 169 yards)

Liu was first to play and hit his tee shot 26 feet left of the hole. He then putted to within three feet. Thomas missed his tee shot right off the green into a tough location. He nearly holed his second shot, but it went five feet past. After msising the par attempt, Thomas conceded Liu's par putt.

Liu wins, 4 and 2

Thomas and Liu have made the turn, playing the first nine holes in a constant, steady rain. Thomas held a 2-up lead through five, but Liu has battled back, hitting his tee shot within inches of the cup on the par-3 eighth hole. Thomas missed his 2-foot birdie putt on the same hole, bringing the match to all-square.

The championship final between Justin Thomas and Jim Liu teed off at 8:30 a.m. Thomas took the first hole with a par to Liu's bogey.

Due to weather conditions, the championship match has been delayed until 8:30 a.m. Updates will be posted as they come available.

Alli Jarrett’s mornings at this week’s U.S. Junior Amateur have started much the same way. She’s at the course before 6 a.m. to choose hole locations with USGA Rules official Stephanie Parel and Egypt Valley Country Club’s equally dedicated superintendent crew.

The rise of the sun each morning signals not only the start of the day, but the beginning of "The Match." In addition to doing the important behind-the-scenes work that help USGA championships run smoothly, Jarrett and Parel have a running putting contest against two of their colleagues on the superintendent staff. After selecting the spot for the cup, the crew cuts the small circle, meaning that the big game is on.

Pre-game “Match” chatter started early in the week when one of the crew members, apparently  unaware of who or what he might be up against, started talking some friendly girls-versus-guys junk within earshot of Jarrett and Parel. As a college golfer at the University of South Carolina, Jarrett would rather walk across burning coals barefoot than lose at anything.

So, for the remainder of the week, Jarrett and Parel have taken special delight in routinely exacting revenge by skunking their opponents before, in Jarrett’s words, “letting” the crew win on Thursday morning.

“I was feeling so badly for one of the boys that I thought I needed to let up a little bit. You know, throw ’em a bone,” says Jarrett, the USGA’s director of regional affairs, South Region.

The crew also won a game of P-I-G on Wednesday, though by Jarrett’s estimation, the result of the hoops game ought to be a matter of congressional inquiry.

“One of the poor guys didn’t know what it meant to dot the ‘i,’ ” says Jarrett, shaking her head. In other words, best to four, not three, wins.

Jarrett is more than half-joking when it comes to wanting to annihilate her opponents, though it appears she had disintegration on her mind after bringing a Star Wars-like toy light saber to the contest on Thursday. Admittedly, the matches start serious and turn friendly.

“They’re delightful young men and a pleasure to work with,” Jarrett says. “It’s a joy to be out there early in the morning, making new friends.”

But there’s no way her newfound buds are winning again.

– Andrew Blair

What goes on in the clubhouse during a rain delay? A whole lot of waiting.

Rules officials have taken up congress in the lobby armchairs. Parents and volunteers are gathered in the club's lounge area, watching the Detroit Tigers take on the Toronto Blue Jays. (The rain apparently hasn't yet reached the Motor City). Scott Wolfes is sprawled on the couch outside the media room, talking about the course with his family and a local volunteer. Adam Lang, a local caddie for Zachary Wright, is entertaining some of the others waiting in the lobby with his golf-ball juggling skills.

It's still raining hard at Egypt Valley, but no one is hurting for entertainment.

Play was suspended at 2:13 p.m. at the Junior Amateur Championship due to an impending storm. Six groups were on the course at the time of the suspension.

David Lee recorded an ace on the par-3 16th hole, which pulled him back to all-square in his match with Alexander Schauffele. It was the first ace recorded in a U.S. Junior Amateur since Cory Whitsett drained one at the 2006 championship at Rancho Santa Fe (Calif.) G.C. Whitsett went on to win the championship the following year, which might serve as a good omen for Lee.

Longtime USGA volunteer Clyde Luther, of Burke, Va., is serving as a Rules official at the U.S. Junior Amateur for the 29th time. He’s officiated 20 U.S. Opens and at countless state and national championship sites and there’s not much the 80-year-old hasn’t witnessed.

He was on-hand for Tiger Woods’ record three consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur triumphs and has seen countless to-be Tour players rise through the ranks, but it’s not the records or victories that Luther most cherishes. Luther beams when asked what keeps him returning to the Junior Amateur, which he calls “without a doubt” his favorite national championship.

“Meeting with young people and making new, young friends – and seeing them move on to be professional golfers and go on to careers as doctors, dentists, you name it,” smiles Luther, who is a member of the U.S. Junior Amateur Committee and chairman of the Virginia State Golf Association’s Junior Committee. “Seeing [juniors] move up and move on into life – I love it.”

In addition to his legacy of longevity at the Junior Amateur, Luther says he has another important goal before each week starts: meet and greet every competitor in the field.

“I don’t bother them on the golf course, of course, but I do try to say hello to everyone,” Luther says. “I don’t miss many.”  

– Andrew Blair

 We’re often reminded that golf is a game of integrity. 

 The latest standard-bearer of this time-honored principle is Jacob Stockl of Clark, N.J. After completing the second round of stroke-play qualifying on Tuesday, the 16-year-old noticed a discrepancy on his scorecard. Stockl signed for a 5 on his scorecard when he actually made a 6 at the 18th hole. Though the error wasn’t entirely his, Stockl knew he was ultimately responsible and brought the discrepancy to the attention of Geoffrey Yang, chairman of the USGA Junior Amateur Championship Committee. 

 Yang and Ben Kimball, director of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, had only one recourse, which was to disqualify Stockl for a violation of Rule 6-6d (Wrong Score for Hole) in the Rules of Golf. 

 Ultimately, the error put Stockl out of an 11-for-7 playoff. Afterward, he took refuge in the parking lot where tears fell hard. Stockl was shocked not so much by the error, but the perception that some might have of the incorrect score, which was entirely an accident; though his father, Kimball and Yang tried to comfort him afterward, he was inconsolable. 

 “He was more concerned with how people were going to perceive the disqualification,” says Kimball. “It was hard for him to swallow, but it took a great deal of integrity to admit his mistake.”    

 In a year in sports that is increasingly gaining notoriety for missed calls, Stockl stands tall. 

 “It was great. Honesty and character are critical values in the game and the fact that he stepped up and called it on himself shows a lot of character,” Yang says. “His action epitomizes what the game is all about.” 

– Andrew Blair

Scottie Scheffler prevailed on the fifth playoff hole, making a birdie-3 on the 14th hole. Tom Lovelady did not convert his third stroke and this conceded the hole. Scheffler is the 64th seed for match play and will meet with Curtis Thompson on Wednesday morning.

Tom Lovelady and Scottie Scheffler posted matching birdies on the par-5 13th hole and are moving into a fifth playoff round on the 14th hole.

Tom Lovelady and Scottie Scheffler are heading to the 13th hole, after they made par at the par-3 12th hole. Stewart Jolly carded a bogey-4 and was eliminated.

We are moving on to a 3-1 third-hole playoff on the 12th hole. Joey Petronio converted a birdie on the par-4 11th hole to move on to match play, while Aaron Kunitomo, Brandon Ng, Chelso Barrett and Andrew Ariens advanced with pars. Tom Lovelady, Scottie Scheffler and Stewart Jolly are moving to the 12th hole.

The first round of the stroke-play playoff is complete. Andrew Fogg shot a 3 on the par-4 10th hole to advance to match play, while Jamison Randall and Kyle Jones were eliminated after each shooting 5. Tom Lovelady, Scottie Scheffler, Aaron Kunitomo, Brandon Ng, Chelso Barrett, Joey Petronio, Andrew Ariens and Stewart Jolly are moving on to the 11th hole, eight players vying for six remaining match-play berths.

The match-play cut came in at 5-over 149, with 11 players vying for seven spots in the match-play bracket. One of the perks of playing in western Michigan is that the sun will be out until approximately 9:30 p.m., allowing ample time to get through the playoff.

With his 10-under 62, Gavin Hall, of Pittsford, N.Y., set a new U.S. Junior Amateur record for the lowest score over 18 holes. The previous record was a 64 shot by Joe Monte at the 2005 championship held at Longmeadow (Mass.) C.C. He also broke the course record at Egypt Valley, a 9-under 63 shot by Larry Nelson at the 2000 Foremost Insurance Championship

Brandon Dalinka is competing in his first USGA championship, but his collection of memories is still going strong.

Ask the 17-year-old how many golf balls he has lining the shrine in his Newton, Pa., home and you’ll likely get an inquiring look back. He’s lost count.

“I have,” he says, “a lot.”

A student at Council Rock High School North, Dalinka’s latest math tells him that the number may be in upward of 300. The wallpaper in his bedroom may as well be dimple-patterned to match the collection which features golf balls from USGA championship sites such as Bethpage Black, Baltusrol and TPC Sawgrass, all courses he’s played over the years.

Dalinka says he has never collected anything else such as sports trading cards, but he decided to retain a golf keepsake for as long as he can remember and has remained attentive to keeping up the collection. One of his first stops when he arrived at Egypt Valley, the site of this week’s U.S. Junior, was to the golf shop to add one more memento.    

To paraphrase four-time U.S. Open champion Jack Nicklaus, “You can spend the money, but you can never spend the memories.” 

“It’s a good memory to have from every course,” Dalinka says. “It doesn’t cost a lot, and it’s something nice that you can take with you.”

– Andrew Blair

Due to an unanticipated road-closing decision by the Kent County Road Commission, beginning Thursday, July 22, access to the shuttle parking lot for spectators and volunteers will be only from Pettis Ave. South. There will be no access to Pettis Ave. South from Knapp St. Please access Pettis Ave. South from Fulton St. in Ada, Conservation St. off of Honey Creek Ave. or 2-Mile Road off of Honey Creek Ave. Click here for a map of the rerouted directions.

The players certainly experienced a great night last night at the Junior Amateur Players Dinner. After entering the ballroom at the Amway Grand Hotel to a bagpipe processional, the players (along with USGA staff, family guests and Egypt Valley hosts) were treated to a steak dinner and a speech from Mike Knuble, a right-winger for the NHL’s Washington Capitals and a member of Egypt Valley. Mike spoke of all the hard work it took for him to achieve his goal of playing in the NHL, and urged the players in attendance to keep their lives in perspective.

Matthew Ross of Hartland, Wis., has withdrawn from the championship. He was replaced by alternate Alex Jones, of DeWitt, Mich. Jones was the first alternate out of the Grand Rapids, Mich., sectional, where he shot a 147.