Hazeltine National Golf Club • Chaska, Minn.
Chaska Town Course • Chaska, Minn.
August 12-18, 2024
U.S. ALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Chang, Fischer Post 64s to Lead Field After Day 1 of 124th U.S. Am
Anyone who watched last year’s U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club will certainly remember Paul Chang’s run to the final 16. A former club player at the University of Virginia, Chang begged the coaching staff for a chance to compete on the school’s varsity team, and eventually showed that he had the chops to play at the highest level of collegiate golf.
His play at Cherry Hills certainly demonstrated that talent, as he registered a memorable eagle-2 in what became a highlight-reel, 19-hole, Round-of-16 defeat to John Marshall Butler.
A native of the People’s Republic of China who went to high school in England before arriving on the Charlottesville campus, Chang obviously has shown an affinity for USGA events, as the 23-year-old fired a 6-under 64 at stroke-play co-host Chaska Town Course on a glorious Monday to share the first-round lead with Tom Fischer after the first round of the 124th U.S. Amateur Championship.
The competitors were treated to a perfect mid-August day in Minnesota with sunshine, little wind and temperatures in the low 80s.
Scoring at Hazeltine National Golf Club, the two-time U.S. Open and PGA Championship venue that will host all of the matches beginning on Wednesday, was a bit higher, but a trio of golfers posted 3-under 69s: 15-year-old high school sophomore Sohan Patel, of Weston, Fla., and 2023 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cuppers James Ashfield, of Wales, and Calum Scott, of Scotland, a rising senior at Texas Tech.
Only 19 of 156 competitors bettered the par of 72 at Hazeltine, while 63 were in red figures on the par-70 Chaska Town Course.
Chang’s 66 included another eagle 2, this time when he drove the 318-yard, par-4 and holed his putt.
But since his run at Cherry Hills, Chang, a rising senior, has had a mixed bag of results, registering just two top 10s in his first season with the Cavaliers. This summer his lone top 10 came in the Northeast Amateur in Rhode Island (9th) before he missed the cut in the Southern Amateur and Western Amateur.
“Coming into this event, I definitely feel a little different,” said Chang. “Last year, I didn’t feel like I belonged here at all. I was just testing the waters. Didn’t know who’s who. This year I was running into a lot of fellow players and saying hi. I really want to give it a good run this year.”
Fischer, 20, of Birmingham, Ala., got into the field in June when he captured the 108th Alabama Amateur at Shoal Creek with a 13-under total of 275. A rising junior at Ole Miss, Fischer posted his first top 10 of his career this past season in the Visit Knoxville Collegiate en route to a stroke average of 71.23. On Monday at Chaska Town Course, he posted one of three bogey-free rounds that included an eagle on the par-5 ninth, his final hole of the day.
Eight golfers posted 4-under 66s at Chaska Town Course, which at 6,851 yards is just under 700 yards shorter than Hazeltine and played to a stroke average of 70.9, 5.2 strokes lower than Hazeltine. In 2006, CTC also was the stroke-play co-host for the U.S. Amateur and current PGA Tour player Billy Horschel carded a USGA 18-hole record 60 en route to medalist honors.
That group at 66 included 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up Evan Beck, of Virginia Beach, Va; 2024 California Amateur champion Caden Fioroni, of San Diego, Calif.; Cooper Claycomb, of Bowling Green, Ky.; Tyson Shelley, of Salt Lake City, Utah, a quarterfinalist in the Western Amateur two weeks ago; Matthew Manganello, of Las Vegas, Nev., Michael Alexander Mjaaseth, of Denmark; Taehoon Song, of the Republic of Korea; and Preston Stout, of Dallas, Texas.
Fioroni put a friend’s putter into his bag this week and found some magic to record one of the three bogey-free rounds among the 312-player field. Besides Fischer, Thomas Curry also had a bogey-free 69 at Chaska Town Course, making one birdie and 17 pars.
Fioroni also recently reached out to a friend of his father for some short-game advice and all of that paid off in Round 1.
“It felt pretty solid, especially for the way I hit it today,” said Fioroni, who spent his last three seasons at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas after transferring from Pepperdine following the 2020-2021 campaign. “My last two events, my short game’s been killing me – wedges, chipping, putting. I spent the majority of my time last week, like 75 percent, just working on my short game and wedges. Didn’t even acknowledge my swing much besides setup. I didn’t necessarily hit it great today, but you can play pretty good if you have those three going for you.”
Fioroni wasn’t the only player adding a new implement to his bag. Claycomb substituted his putter three days ago, leading a five-birdie, one-bogey performance.
“My putting’s been shaky all summer, it’s just been uncomfortable,” said Claycomb, a rising sophomore at the University of Louisville. “So, trying to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations has really been the entire summer. You just have to stay confident, it’s all mental.”
In a field full of marquis juniors, including six of the eight boys from the USGA’s inaugural U.S. National Junior Team, it was Patel who bested them all on Day 1. A U.S. Amateur qualifier last year and the third youngest in the field behind Jaden Soong (14) and fellow 15-year-old Miles Russell, the lefty registered five birdies against two bogeys. He had a great chance to post a 68, but missed a 12-foot birdie attempt on No. 9, his final hole of the day.
“It was good. I played well,” said Patel, who shot 74-82 in last year’s U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club/Colorado Golf Club to miss the cut. “I tried to focus on playing one shot at a time. And that’s what I did…This course has proven to be really tough, so at any time you can really have a hole that takes you out of it.
“Really, game wise, obviously, made a pretty big job [from last year]. But really mentally I’ve made a big jump, not getting down on myself, being more positive on the golf course. And that’s really helped me.”
Ashfield, 23, had some travel issues getting to Minnesota from Manchester, England, as he and his English friend/caddie Rich Galley missed their connecting flight in Dublin last Wednesday. They didn’t arrive in Minneapolis until Thursday, but their luggage didn’t follow them. Galley still is without his clothes, while Ashfield got his clubs and suitcase in time for the weekend practice rounds.
On top of that, he’s been dealing with a right wrist issue for the past two years. An MRI didn’t reveal any significant damage and the Welshman has managed to compete through the issue with proper treatment. Hazeltine can inflict its own type of pain, but Ashfield hit 14 of 18 greens in registering five birdies against just one blemish, a double-bogey 6 on the par-4 10th when he hooked his 2-iron tee shot into the left rough, and eventually three-putted.
“You could say the greens are a little quicker than we normally play,” said Ashfield, the runner-up in this year’s Lytham Trophy and a member of Wales’ 2023 World Amateur Team. “I personally think it suits me a little better. A bit longer off the tee for me. A bit more mid-irons and short irons [into greens]. We [also] don’t have to deal with a 20- or 30-mile-per-hour wind like we do back home. It’s good.”
Scott has been on a roll since finishing runner-up in the NCAA Baton Rouge (La.) Regional in May. He finished T-11 in the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, Calif., was the runner-up in the St. Andrews Links Trophy, fourth in the European Amateur and a quarterfinalist in The Amateur Championship conducted by The R&A. Then he capped it all off by being the low amateur in The Open Championship at Royal Troon, tying for 43rd.
He arrived at Hazeltine at No. 12 in the latest World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®. Then he went out and made six birdies against three bogeys in his opening round.
“I’m delighted by how I played out there,” said Scott. “I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s really so penal out there that you have to hit fairways and greens. Sounds so simple, but yet it’s still so tough at the same time. This course isn’t very forgiving and if you’re able to give yourself chances, you’ll get some to drop.”
The 312 competitors will switch stroke-play venues on Tuesday for the second round, after which the field will be trimmed to the low 64 scorers for match play, which begins on Wednesday. Should a playoff be necessary to determine the final match-play spots, it would take place Wednesday morning at Hazeltine National Golf Club. Match play continues Wednesday through Sunday’s 36-hole championship match. Tickets are available for purchase, while Peacock will stream the Round of 64, beginning at 5 p.m. EDT, with Golf Channel picking up the coverage from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“It was probably the best day of my life so far. It was awesome. It’s something I have never experienced before.” – Nate Deziel on hitting the opening tee shot of the championship at Hazeltine
“You don’t get rough or grass like this back home. You can’t get green speeds this fast either because of the wind, so it’s impossible. I really enjoy it though. That’s why I’m in college [at Texas Tech] and I love American golf.” – Calum Scott when asked if Hazeltine compared to any courses he’s played in the United Kingdom or Europe
“I’m going to go head over there now and hit the range, because I got away with it a little bit on this course today. I know that Hazeltine requires excellent ball striking, and you have to have everything going, or it’s going to be a long day. I’m excited for the test, I love tough golf courses. I’m going to battle it out, and hopefully I come out on top.” – Caden Fioroni on switching to Hazeltine for Round 2
“Here it’s a little shorter, so you can miss a little bit. The front nine here is very gettable. Hazeltine’s just a dog track, though. You have to hit every shot correct. So I’m just going to go out there and try and hit as many fairways as I can, I think fairways there are just super important. Just try and do what I did today.” – Cooper Claycomb
“It’s just like an honor to be here. I am not trying to get too down on myself because I know this course has some teeth and some players are struggling. But if I just stay level-headed, I should be good.” – Sohan Patel on his mindset for Round 2 at Chaska Town Course
“I got in around midnight and then went to bed around 1:30 [a.m.]. But I woke up around 7:30 like usual and just watched some YouTube, did my thing, then came out here and played pretty good today. I think for me to shoot under par today was one of the better rounds of golf I’ve played all summer. Because, you know, I’m tired. I’m exhausted. Tonight, I’m going to make sure I get a lot of rest and be ready for tomorrow.” – Luke Clanton after his first-round 69 at Chaska Town Course a day after finishing solo fifth in the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship
“Played 39 holes yesterday, and then flew out last night, made it here and played 18 today. It’s been a challenge, but it’s been fun. Never want to miss the U.S. Am – this was the biggest event on my calendar for sure. To be out here playing is pretty sweet.” – Clanton
David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.
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