Four months ago, the thought of the game’s elite amateurs competing this week at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the southwest coast of Oregon seemed about as likely as the USGA conducting national championships without qualifying. The spread of COVID-19 threatened every non-essential activity, including golf events.
Through fastidious work by the USGA and health officials, along with alterations to the makeup of the field, 264 competitors are at Bandon Dunes this week to compete in the 120th U.S. Amateur Championship. Yes, the atmosphere is quite different from championships past, with rigorous testing and mandatory masks.
While there was some disappointment on Friday when world No. 2 Ricky Castillo withdrew due to fatigue, 12 of the top 25 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®) are here, a list that includes defending champion Andy Ogletree, last year’s runner-up John Augenstein, and 2019 McCormack Medal winner and 2018 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion Cole Hammer
Here are three things to know as the players get set to attack Bandon Dunes and stroke-play co-host Bandon Trails:
Who’s Your Caddie?
For competitors in USGA championships, choosing a caddie is a personal decision. Some go with a parent or sibling. Others opt for someone with more intimate knowledge of the competition course. This week, some 50 Bandon Dunes caddies have been hired to guide competitors through the nuances of links golf.
Joe Highsmith, of Seattle, Wash., is going with a past USGA champion. Jason Allred, the 1997 U.S. Junior Amateur champion who grew up three hours southeast of Bandon in Ashland, Ore., will be on Highsmith’s bag. The connection is Pepperdine University, where Highsmith currently plays and Allred competed.
Oklahoma State coach Alan Bratton, a member of the 1995 USA Walker Cup Team, is looking to guide a Cowboy to a third USGA title. He caddied for Peter Uihlein in 2010 (Chambers Bay) and Viktor Hovland in 2018 (Pebble Beach). Back on the West Coast, he’ll look to guide OSU rising junior Austin Eckroat in 2020.
Had it not been for a finger injury, Karl Vilips, No. 10 in the WAGR, would be competing. Instead, the Australian who reached the quarterfinals last year at Pinehurst will be on the bag for Stanford University teammate and 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Michael Thorbjornsen.
Noted instructor Boyd Summerhays will carry for his son, 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Preston Summerhays. Preston was on the bag for his sister, Grace, at last week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Triple Double
It’s not uncommon to see brother or sister combos play in the same USGA championship. Think Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, Jessica and Nelly Korda, or last year at Bandon Dunes when Jack, Ethan and Jeremy Wall all competed in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, the latter two as partners.
But rarely do you see multiple sets of twins. This week’s field includes twins Pierceson and Parker Coody, of Plano, Texas; and Alexander and Maximilian Herrmann, of Germany; as well as David and Maxwell Ford, of Peachtree Corners, Ga., who are two-thirds of a set of triplets. Pierceson Coody is the most decorated of the group, having just won the Western Amateur to climb to No. 7 in the WAGR.
The 17-year-old Fords’ triplet sister, Abigail, prefers horses to golf courses.
There is one additional brother combination in the field: Trevor and Trent Phillips from Boiling Springs, Ga. They might not share a birth date, but they do have a common denominator: both play for the University of Georgia.
Return Engagement
While they might not be playing the same courses, 15 competitors were at Bandon Dunes a year ago for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, including champion Scott Harvey (partnered with Todd Mitchell, who withdrew from the U.S. Amateur last week) and runner-up Blake Taylor (partnered with Logan Shuping, not in the field). Even though they competed on Pacific Dunes and Old Macdonald, they should be helped by familiarity with the turfgrass and gusty winds associated with the property.
Other notables in the field who competed last May at Bandon include past U.S. Mid-Amateur champions Matt Parziale and Stewart Hagestad, and U.S. Senior Amateur champions – and Four-Ball partners – Bob Royak and Doug Hanzel.
David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.
