Meet the 2022 U.S. Amateur Quarterfinalists

122nd U.S. Amateur Home | Tickets

Sam Bennett, 22, Madisonville, Texas

 Instagram: @sambennettgolf

• No. 3 in World Amateur Golf Ranking® / WAGR®

• Competing in his fourth USGA championship and third U.S. Amateur

• Made the 36-hole cut (T-49) in his first U.S. Open this summer at The Country Club

• Advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2020 U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes

• Was named the 2022 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year

• Registered six top-5 finishes in 2021-22 at Texas A&M University

• Member of USA team in 2021 and 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup

• Competed in two PGA Tour events (2021 Valero Texas Open, 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational)

Road to the Quarterfinals

• Shot 71-73–144 in stroke play to earn the No. 36 seed
• R64: Def. Nick Gabrelcik, 19 holes
• R32: Def. Fred Biondi, 6 and 5
• R16: Def. David Puig, 4 and 2

Ben Carr, 22, Columbus, Ga.

 Instagram: @_bencarr

• No. 70 in World Amateur Golf Ranking® / WAGR®

• Competing in his second U.S. Amateur after having played in 2019

• Former PGA Tour player Willy Wilcox is his caddie this week

• Made a 20-footer on the first playoff hole to defeat Nathan Franks and advance to quarterfinals

• 2021-22 Ping All-America Honorable Mention, 2021-22 first-team All-Sun Belt

• Was the No. 1-ranked junior in the state of Georgia coming out of high school

• Entering his fifth year at Georgia Southern

• Trying to become first Georgia Southern player to win U.S. Amateur since alumnus Buddy Alexander (1986)
  

Road to the Quarterfinals

• Shot 72-72–144 in stroke play to earn the No. 34 seed
• R64: Def. Jake Holbrook, 7 and 5
• R32: Def. Andrew Von Lossow, 1 up
• R16: Def. Nathan Franks, 19 holes

Nicholas Gross, 15, Downingtown, Pa.

 Instagram: @nickgrossgolf

• No. 707 in World Amateur Golf Ranking® / WAGR®

• Competing in his second USGA championship and first U.S. Amateur

• Youngest player to advance to the quarterfinals since C.T. Pan in 2007 (also 15 years old)

• T-4 at 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur, lost in Round of 32

• Was a 2021 AJGA Rolex Junior All-America Team Honorable Mention

• Member of 2021 AJGA Junior All-Star Team

• As a sophomore, became the first player from his high school to win the individual high school state championship

• 2019 and 2020 US Kids Golf Teen world champion (Boys 12 & 13)

• 2018 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finalist (Boys 10-11) and finished third overall

• Both parents are professors of civil and environmental engineering (Shawn at Villanova and Jennifer at Lehigh)

• Currently a junior at Downingtown West High School

Road to the Quarterfinals

• Shot 72-74–146 in stroke play to earn the No. 56 seed
• R64: Def. Cohen Trolio, 3 and 1
• R32: Def. Chris Francoeur, 3 and 2
• R16: Def. Luke Potter, 4 and 3

Stewart Hagestad, 31, Newport Beach, Calif.

 Instagram: @stew

• No. 9 in World Amateur Golf Ranking® / WAGR®

• Competing in his 26th USGA championship and 13th U.S. Amateur

• Member of three winning USA Walker Cup Teams (2017, 2019, 2021)

• Has competed in four U.S. Opens, making the cut in 2022 at The Country Club (64th)

• Captured the 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sankaty Head Golf Club, defeating Mark Costanza, 2 and 1

• Reached the quarterfinals of the 2020 U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes

• Won gold medal at 2019 Pan American Games in mixed team competition

• Low amateur in the 2017 Masters, becoming the first invited Mid-Amateur champion to make 36-hole cut

• Won the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Stonewall, defeating Scott Harvey in 37 holes

Road to the Quarterfinals

• Shot 69-74–143 in stroke play to earn the No. 21 seed
• R64: Def. Sam Bairstow, 3 and 1
• R32: Def. Benjamin James, 6 and 4
• R16: Def. Hayden Hopewell, 2 and 1

Derek Hitchner, 22, Minneapolis, Minn.

 Instagram: @derekhitchner

• No. 51 in World Amateur Golf Ranking® / WAGR®

• Competing in his fourth U.S. Amateur

• Advanced to match play for the first time

• Earned honorable mention All-America honors at Pepperdine University in 2021-22

• Chosen first-team All-West Coast Conference and WCC All-Academic Team

• Reached quarterfinals of this year’s Western Amateur

• Born in Summit, N.J.; his father, Doug, played soccer at Bucknell University

• Enjoys fly-fishing, ping pong and chess

Road to the Quarterfinals

• Shot 72-74–146 in stroke play to earn the No. 59 seed
• R64: Def. Adrien Dumont de Chassart, 1 up
• R32: Def. Josh Gliege, 3 and 2
• R16: Def. Justin Biwer, 3 and 2

Shea Lague, 18, Jamul, Calif.

 Instagram: @shea_lague_03

• No. 552 in World Amateur Golf Ranking® / WAGR®

• Competing in his second USGA championship and first U.S. Amateur

• Made 7-foot birdie on 19th hole to defeat No. 3 seed Hugo Townsend in Round of 16

• Shot a 5-under 135 in U.S. Amateur qualifying at Goose Creek Golf Club

• Advanced to Round of 16 in this year’s California State Amateur

• Posted a 73.18 scoring average as a freshman at San Diego State University in 2021-22

• Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Week on Jan. 27

• Tied for 17th in Western Intercollegiate in Spring 2022

Road to the Quarterfinals

• Shot 74-71–145 in stroke play to earn the No. 51 seed
• R64: Def. Hazen Newman, 21 holes
• R32: Def. Yuxin Lin, 3 and 2
• R16: Def. Hugo Townsend, 19 holes

Dylan Menante, 21, Carlsbad, Calif.

 Instagram: @dylanmenante

• No. 8 in World Amateur Golf Ranking® / WAGR®

• Competing in his fourth U.S. Amateur, advancing to match play for first time

• Earned All-America recognition at Pepperdine University twice

• 2021 and 2022 West Coast Conference Player of the Year

• Posted four top-10 and seven top-20 finishes as a junior

• Won his second consecutive Northeast Amateur with a record 72-hole score of 19-under 257

• Member of winning USA team at 2021 Arnold Palmer Cup and was member of 2022 team

• Transfering to the University of North Carolina for the 2022-23 season

• His father, Dean, and mother, Lisa, played golf and tennis, respectively, at the University of Nevada

Road to the Quarterfinals

• Shot 73-69–142 in stroke play to earn the No. 16 seed
• R64: Def. Andres Acevedo, 3 and 2
• R32: Def. Carson Lundell, 1 up
• R16: Def. Maxwell Moldovan, 1 up

Alex Price, 21, Hillsboro, Va.

 Instagram: N/A

• No. 1,212 in World Amateur Golf Ranking® / WAGR®

• Shot 6-under 134 in Newport News, Va., qualifier to reach his first USGA championship

• Earned Ping First Team All-American honors

• Senior at Christopher Newport University

• Set program scoring average record for a single season in 2021-22 (72.6)

• Trying to become second left-hander to win the U.S. Amateur (Phil Mickelson, 1990)

• Would be lowest-ranked player to ever win U.S. Amateur (Gunn Yang, No. 776 in 2014)

• Grew up playing hockey, retired to focus on golf due to injuries

Road to the Quarterfinals

• Shot 72-71–143 in stroke play to earn the No. 26 seed
• R64: Def. Wenyi Ding, 23 holes
• R32: Def. Christo Lamprecht, 1 up
• R16: Def. Ricky Castillo, 3 and 2