The 2010 champion, Jim Liu, 16, of Smithtown, N.Y., Shintaro Ban, 16, of San Jose, Calif., and Nicolas Echavarria, 17, of Colombia, completed 36 holes at 3-under-par141 on Tuesday to share stroke-play medalist honors at the U.S. Junior Amateur at the 7,125-yard, par-72 Golf Club of New England.
Carter Jenkins, 17, of Raleigh, N.C., Andrew Bonner, 17, of Ripon, Calif., and Zechen Dou of the Peoples Republic of China finished one stroke behind at 2-under par 142.
Liu, the only past champion in the field, birdied five of the first eight holes on his way to a 71. In 2010 his victory as a 14-year-old broke a record set by Tiger Woods as the youngest Junior Amateur champion in history.
Today, Liu is two inches taller, 15 pounds heavier and 15 yards longer off the tee.
"I manage my game better," said Liu. "I went through a couple of swing changes this fall, trying to tighten my swing, and it’s not as long and lazy as it was when I won."
Liu’s birdie barrage ended on the ninth hole, when his tee shot hit a cart path and bounded into the woods. He punched out but some loose shots ended in a double-bogey 6 on the hole. He stumbled to another double bogey on the 13th hole after his 5-wood layup shot bounced into a lateral water hazard.
Despite the mishaps, Liu was positive about his chances in the match-play rounds, which start on Wednesday.
"All the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall together," Liu said.
Echavarria, a semifinalist in 2011, managed three birdies on the first nine and bogeyed the seventh and 11th holes on his way to a 71.
"I was starting to roll it pretty good and on three and four, my birdie putts were less than three feet," Echavarria said. "Being co-medalist was really big for me because it gives me a lot to use in match play."
An all-around athlete, Echavarria has been living in Bradenton, Fla., where he attends the Leadbetter Golf Academy. In the 2011 Junior Amateur, Echavarria lost in the semifinals to Chelso Barrett of Keene, N.H.
Barrett, a local favorite in this championship, missed qualifying by one stroke after finishing at 10 over par. The cut came at 9-over-par 153. Seven players will play off for one match-play spot at 7:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday.
Ban is playing in his first USGA championship but has vast match-play experience. Ban defeated Bonner in the 2012 Ripon Match Play tournament in northern California and has enjoyed success in other match-play events.
For match play, what I do is kind of study my opponent for the first three holes and just see how they do and try to compete with that, said Ban, an incoming high school senior. I also play my game, hit fairways and greens and just two-putt. I learned that at home.
Ban birdied four of his first seven holes on putts ranging from 3 to 30 feet and added a birdie at the 14th before making bogeys at the 15th and 18th holes.
Shooting under par is all I ever asked for, Ban said, especially in a USGA event.
Beau Hossler of Mission Viejo, Calif., had a five-birdie performance and a 71 for a 36-hole total of 148, four over par, after an opening 77. Putting problems have plagued the youngster who captured fans with his play at last month’s U.S. Open at The Olympic Club.
"This is really the worst putting tournament I’ve had in my junior golf career," said Hossler, 17, a quarterfinalist last year when he earned medalist honors at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash.
In Tuesday’s second round Hossler returned to the belly putter he used for the U.S. Open, but blamed his reading of the greens for his putting woes. I haven’t sniffed reading a green right so far, he said.
The youngest qualifier in U.S. Open history, Andy Zhang, 14, of the Peoples Republic of China, also made the cut in the Junior Amateur when he finished at 7-over-par 151 (77-74). Zhang got into this year’s Open as an alternate when Paul Casey withdrew.
Matches begin on Wednesday and continue through Saturday, when a scheduled 36-hole match will decide the champion. The U.S. Junior Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted by the United States Golf Association. Ten are strictly for amateurs.
Rhonda Glenn is a manager of communications for the USGA. Email her at rglenn@usga.org.
Stratham, N.H. – Stroke-play qualifying results for the 2012 U.S. Junior Amateur at the 7,125-yard, par-72 Golf Club of New England. (*-In 7-for-1 playoff to determine final match-play spot):
Jim Liu, Smithtown, N.Y. 70-71—141
Nicolas Echavarria, Colombia 70-71—141
Shintaro Ban, San Jose, Calif. 72-69—141
Zecheng Dou, Ppls Rep. of China 74-68—142
Carter Jenkins, Raleigh, N.C. 73-69—142
Andrew Bonner, Ripon, Calif. 70-72—142
Branson Davis, McKinney, Texas 72-71—143
Tom Swanson, Missoula, Mont. 71-73—144
Douglas Ghim, Arlington Heights, Ill. 73-72—145
Richard Hattori, Honolulu, Hawaii 75-70—145
Sam Horsfield, Davenport, Fla. 73-72—145
Scottie Scheffler, Dallas, Texas 72-74—146
Matthew Mahle, Lexington, Ky. 73-73—146
Caleb Proveaux, Leesville, S.C. 74-72—146
Max McGreevy, Oklahoma City, Okla. 68-79—147
Eric Ricard, Shreveport, La. 73-74—147
Robby Shelton, Wilmer, Ala. 74-73—147
Adam Wood, Zionsville, Ind. 76-72—148
Zachary Bauchou, Forest, Va. 73-75—148
D. Cameron Young, Scarborough, N.Y. 74-74—148
Joshua Lee, Orange Park, Fla. 70-78—148
Nicholas Jan, Northbrook, Ill. 74-74—148
Jorge Garcia, Venezuela 76-72—148
Connor Black, Houston, Texas 75-73—148
Austin Eoff, Benton, Ark. 76-72—148
Derek Bard, New Hartford, N.Y. 72-76—148
Beau Hossler, Mission Viejo, Calif. 77-71—148
Cameron Champ, Sacramento, Calif. 74-75—149
Victor Wiggins, Gastonia, N.C. 73-76—149
Derek Bayley, Rathdrum, Idaho 74-75—149
Justin Suh, San Jose, Calif. 75-74—149
James Riley, Hattiesburg, Miss. 76-73—149
Michael Pisciotta, Alpharetta, Ga. 74-75—149
Jake Shuman, Needham, Mass. 75-74—149
Joo-Young Lee, Hilliard, Ohio 74-75—149
Connor Greenleaf, Windham, N.H. 74-75—149
Anthony Alex, Wayne, N.J. 74-76—150
Sean Smothers, Tamarac, Fla. 74-76—150
William Zalatoris, Plano, Texas 74-76—150
Nicolo Galletti, Pleasanton, Calif. 74-76—150
Nick Hardy, Northbrook, Ill. 75-75—150
Ryan Stovash, Orlando, Fla. 72-78—150
Andy Hyeon Bo Shim, Duluth, Ga. 78-72—150
Tae Wan Lee, Korea 76-74—150
Maverick McNealy, Portola Valley, Calif. 74-76—150
Jackson Weede, Greenville, S.C. 74-76—150
Charles Cai, West Windsor, N.J. 73-77—150
Brad Dalke, McKinney, Texas 73-77—150
John Oda, Honolulu, Hawaii 72-79—151
Rigel Fernandes, India 72-79—151
David Lee, Houston, Texas 78-73—151
Dylan Wu, Medford, Ore. 79-72—151
Brandon Bauman, Las Vegas, Nev. 72-79—151
Andy Zhang, Ppls Rep. of China 74-77—151
Khaled Attieh, Saudi Arabia 77-74—151
Robert Geibel, Pembroke Pines, Fla. 79-72—151
Vincent Whaley, McKinney, Texas 81-70—151
Jooho Lee, Canada 78-74—152
Andrej Bevins, Elk Grove, Calif. 71-81—152
Matthew Scobie, Canada 77-75—152
Corey Eddings, Roseville, Calif. 77-75—152
Hartej Gill, Monroe Township, N.J. 75-77—152
Jacob Ross, Brookhaven, Miss. 75-77—152
*Nicholas Crozier, Canada 82-71—153
Failed To Qualify
*Ben Schlottman, Advance, N.C. 75-78—153
*Ryan Celano, Naples, Fla. 74-79—153
*Connor Flach, Ellicott City, Md. 76-77—153
*Addison Coll, Arlington, Va. 77-76—153
*Tyler Kertson, Paradise Valley, Ariz. 81-72—153
*Josh Whalen, Canada 72-81—153
Will Long, Gastonia, N.C. 77-77—154
Diego Trevino, Mexico 72-82—154
Joshua Seiple, Castle Rock, Colo. 76-78—154
Daniel Levin, New York, N.Y. 74-80—154
Nolan Ray, Brentwood, Tenn. 78-76—154
Timothy Conover, Holly Springs, N.C. 76-78—154
Haoyuan Li, Beaumont, Calif. 77-77—154
Frederick Wedel, The Woodlands, Texas 78-76—154
Evan McLeod, Pebble Beach, Calif. 77-77—154
Jake Judkins, San Antonio, Texas 76-78—154
Victor Ponte, Camarillo, Calif. 75-79—154
Chelso Barrett, Keene, N.H. 78-76—154
Carson Schaake, Omaha, Neb. 75-79—154
Art Griffin, Lake Placid, N.Y. 76-79—155
Andrew Ertel, The Woodlands, Texas 77-78—155
Kyle Sterbinsky, Yardley, Pa. 79-76—155
Christian De La Cruz, San Antonio, Texas 74-81—155
Will Seger, Jasper, Ind. 77-78—155
Brett McIntosh, Canada 76-79—155
Clancy Waugh, North Palm Beach, Fla. 72-83—155
Craig Hornberger, Lancaster, Pa. 75-80—155
Brett Rinker, Slippery Rock, Pa. 74-81—155
Blake Cannon, Scottsdale, Ariz. 78-77—155
Hunter Rappleye, Elk Grove, Calif. 75-80—155
Reed Hrynewich, Muskegon, Mich. 75-81—156
Jacob McBride, Hartville, Ohio 76-80—156
Victor Fox, Delmar, N.Y. 79-77—156
Danny Guise, Greenwich, Conn. 78-78—156
Sam Stevens, Wichita, Kan. 77-79—156
Conrad Hahne, Ramsey, Minn. 80-76—156
Mattthew Loiacano, Jonesboro, Ark. 75-81—156
Alec Bone, Phoenix, Ariz. 81-75—156
Jeff Swegle, West Des Moines, Iowa 75-81—156
Luke Graboyes, Watchung, N.J. 79-77—156
Drew Nesbitt, Canada 80-76—156
Brooks Thomas, Chattanooga, Tenn. 80-77—157
Matt Oshrine, Baltimore, Md. 77-80—157
Eddy Lai, San Jose, Calif. 78-79—157
Joseph Kremer, Canada 77-80—157
Kevin Reilly, Oviedo, Fla. 73-84—157
Chase Johnson, Barberton, Ohio 75-82—157
Trevor Page, Birmingham, Ala. 80-77—157
Eric Edwards, Salisbury, N.C. 81-76—157
Nicklaus Baines, Portland, Ore. 76-81—157
Tim Taylor, Iowa Falls, Iowa 79-78—157
Emilio Maurer, Mexico 74-84—158
Jack Vanderburg, Lubbock, Texas 79-79—158
Wonje Choi, San Diego, Calif. 79-79—158
Travis Benson, Granbury, Texas 80-78—158
Greg Conrad, Barrington, Ill. 73-85—158
Robin Kang, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. 80-78—158
Brian Butler, West Hartford, Conn. 81-77—158
Connor Slane, Helena, Ala. 79-79—158
Raymond Knoll, Naperville, Ill. 81-77—158
Christian Fairbanks, Columbus, Ind. 77-81—158
Mason Fox, Sarasota, Fla. 80-79—159
James Park, Deerfield, Mass. 79-80—159
Alex Angard, Encino, Calif. 80-79—159
David Long, Catonsville, Md. 77-82—159
Tyler Moore, Escondido, Calif. 82-77—159
Rhett Rasmussen, Draper, Utah 77-83—160
Ryan Orr, Belleair, Fla. 76-84—160
George Cunningham, Tucson, Ariz. 78-82—160
David Thompson, Shrewsbury, Mass. 80-80—160
Isaac Alderete, Albuquerque, N.M. 82-80—162
Kevin M Cline, Spring Valley, Calif. 77-85—162
Richard Hubbard, Daniel Island, S.C. 79-84—163
Jordan Lu, Canada 88-75—163
Edward Wajda III, Brookfield, Wis. 76-88—164
Sheldon Statkewicz, Mobile, Ala. 79-85—164
Jordan Sanders, Cedar Park, Texas 82-82—164
Graysen Huff, Eagle, Idaho 78-86—164
Jonathan Shaw, Mill Valley, Calif. 85-79—164
Brandon Barrows, Lake Orion, Mich. 79-85—164
Michael Decker, Pebble Beach, Calif. 82-83—165
Jon Pick, Canada 82-83—165
Parker Reddig, Minneapolis, Minn. 80-86—166
David Logan Watkins, Brighton, Tenn. 87-79—166
Keegan McKinney, Avon, Ind. 77-89—166
Austin Banz, Salt Lake City, Utah 86-81—167
Chase Feagin, Dothan, Ala. 85-82—167
Sam Weatherhead, Grand Rapids, Mich. 87-81—168
Chris Hatch, Mukilteo, Wash. 79-91—170
Eric Ansett, Spokane, Wash. 85-86—171
Austin Rusness, Detroit Lakes, Minn. 83-89—172
Dylan Meyer, Evansville, Ind. 72-DQ—DQ
Stratham, N.H. – Pairings for the first match-play round in the 2012 U.S. Junior Amateur at the 7,125-yard, par-72 Golf Club of New England. (All times EDT)
Round of 64
Upper Bracket
10:45 a.m. Jim Liu, Smithtown, N.Y. (141) vs. To Be Determined
8:30 a.m. James Riley, Hattiesburg, Miss. (149) vs. Michael Pisciotta, Alpharetta, Ga. (149)
8:39 a.m. Eric Ricard, Shreveport, La. (147) vs. John Oda, Honolulu, Hawaii (151)
8:48 a.m. Robby Shelton, Wilmer, Ala. (147) vs. Brad Dalke, McKinney, Texas (150)
8:57 a.m. Tom Swanson, Missoula, Mont. (144) vs. Vincent Whaley, McKinney, Texas (151)
9:06 a.m. Austin Eoff, Benton, Ark. (148) vs. Nicolo Galletti, Pleasanton, Calif. (150)
9:15 a.m. Douglas Ghim, Arlington Heights, Ill. (145) vs. Robert Geibel, Pembroke Pines, Fla. (151)
9:24 a.m. Connor Black, Houston, Texas (148) vs. Nick Hardy, Northbrook, Ill. (150)
9:33 a.m. Zecheng Dou, Ppls Rep. of China (142) vs. Corey Eddings, Roseville, Calif. (152)
9:42 a.m. Victor Wiggins, Gastonia, N.C. (149) vs. Connor Greenleaf, Windham, N.H. (149)
9:51 a.m. Matthew Mahle, Lexington, Ky. (146) vs. Dylan Wu, Medford, Ore. (151)
10 a.m. D. Cameron Young, Scarborough, N.Y. (148) vs. Maverick McNealy, Portola Valley, Calif. (150)
10:09 a.m. Carter Jenkins, Raleigh, N.C. (142) vs. Matthew Scobie, Canada (152)
10:18 a.m. Cameron Champ, Sacramento, Calif. (149) vs. Anthony Alex, Wayne, N.J. (150)
10:27 a.m. Scottie Scheffler, Dallas, Texas (146) vs. Brandon Bauman, Las Vegas, Nev. (151)
10:36 a.m. Joshua Lee, Orange Park, Fla. (148) vs. Tae Wan Lee, Korea (150)
Lower Bracket
10:54 a.m. Nicolas Echavarria, Colombia (141) vs. Jacob Ross, Brookhaven, Miss. (152)
11:03 a.m. Justin Suh, San Jose, Calif. (149) vs. Jake Shuman, Needham, Mass. (149)
11:12 a.m. Max McGreevy, Oklahoma City, Okla. (147) vs. Rigel Fernandes, India (151)
11:21 a.m. Adam Wood, Zionsville, Ind. (148) vs. Charles Cai, West Windsor, N.J. (150)
11:30 a.m. Branson Davis, McKinney, Texas (143) vs. Jooho Lee, Canada (152)
11:39 am Derek Bard, New Hartford, N.Y. (148) vs. William Zalatoris, Plano, Texas (150)
11:48 a.m. Richard Hattori, Honolulu, Hawaii (145) vs. Khaled Attieh, Saudi Arabia (151)
11:57 a.m. Jorge Garcia, Venezuela (148) vs. Ryan Stovash, Orlando, Fla. (150)
12:06 p.m. Shintaro Ban, San Jose, Calif. (141) vs. Hartej Gill, Monroe Township, N.J. (152)
12:15 p.m. Derek Bayley, Rathdrum, Idaho (149) vs. Joo-Young Lee, Hilliard, Ohio (149)
12:24 p.m. Caleb Proveaux, Leesville, S.C. (146) vs. David Lee, Houston, Texas (151)
12:33 p.m. Zachary Bauchou, Forest, Va. (148) vs. Jackson Weede, Greenville, S.C. (150)
12:42 p.m. Andrew Bonner, Ripon, Calif. (142) vs. Andrej Bevins, Elk Grove, Calif. (152)
12:51 p.m. Beau Hossler, Mission Viejo, Calif. (148) vs. Sean Smothers, Tamarac, Fla. (150)
1:00 p.m. Sam Horsfield, Davenport, Fla. (145) vs. Andy Zhang, Ppls Rep. of China (151)
1:09 p.m. Nicholas Jan, Northbrook, Ill. (148) vs. Andy Hyeon Bo Shim, Duluth, Ga. (150)