Harvey and Mitchell Sit Atop Leaderboard After Round 1

USGA veterans Scott Harvey and Todd Mitchell turned back the clocks on Saturday at the 10th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, posting a 6-under 64 with three birdies in their final four holes at stroke-play co-host Echo Lake Country Club in Westfield, N.J. 

Harvey, who won the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur and was a member of the 2015 USA Walker Cup team, birdied the opening hole before adding another on the par-4 eighth to make the turn in 2-under.

"We didn’t really fight for par all day and [Harvey] birdied right out of the gate so that always helps,” said Mitchell, of Bloomington, Ill.

Mitchell, the 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up, caught a groove on the back nine by finding fairways. The former shortstop at Illinois State, who was chosen in the 14th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees, rolled in birdies on the par-5 11th and downhill par-3 17th while Harvey poured in another two on No. 15 and No. 17. 

“You can’t play from the rough on either course,” said Harvey, of Greensboro, N.C. “It’s growing, you can almost see it growing while we’re out here. So yeah, you need to hit fairways for sure.”

The longtime friends, who won the 2019 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball and have competed in a combined 73 USGA championships, are one of two sides (Nathan Smith and Todd Smith) to compete in all ten U.S. Amateur Four-Balls.

“We just think similarly, and we see the golf course the same way,” added Harvey. “That really makes it easy to feel like we’re trying the right strategy.”

Less than ten miles down the road at Plainfield Country Club in Edison, Oregonians Zach Foushee and Robbie Ziegler continued to flash their stroke-play prowess. The 2024 medalists last year at Philly Cricket Club who set a 36-hole championship scoring record en route to the honor, posted a 5-under 65 during what transformed from a foggy morning into a picture-perfect spring afternoon.

"We were really just doing what we did last year,” said Foushee. “We hit a bunch of fairways, had two looks on every hole and were fortunate to make a decent number of putts.”

The two ex-University of Oregon standouts and longtime friends jumped off to a torrid start on the Donald Ross classic with three birdies on the opening three holes before adding another on the par-5 seventh and one more for good measure on the uphill par-4 ninth, making the turn in 5-under. 

“We have great chemistry and we’re just out here having fun,” said Foushee. “You don’t know how many more of these you’re going to get.”

Foushee, a real estate agent who was on Oregon’s 2016 NCAA title team, and Ziegler, a marketing representative for adidas Golf who oversees NIL deals for college and amateur players, reached 7-under through 13, but stumbled down the stretch with bogeys on the final two holes. 

"The last few holes were windy and tough,” said Ziegler. “Just really stressful.”

Three other sides carded 5-under 65s on Saturday. At Plainfield, Ryan Ford and Connor McNeely, both rising seniors at University of Cincinnati, carded five straight birdies on holes No. 9-13. The former Wofford Terrier duo of Zach Capps and Brent Whitehead birdied three of their final four holes at Plainfield after a bogey on No. 13. Finally, a young pair of high school Texans, Sterling Hurd and Nicholas Logis, finished with flash as Logis poured in three straight birdies at Echo Lake.

Nathan Smith, the 2025 USA Walker Cup captain and winner of a record four U.S. Mid-Amateur titles, and partner Todd White, the 2023 U.S. Senior Amateur champion, turned in a solid showing at Plainfield with a 3-under 67, good enough for T13.

The winners of the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Olympic Club in 2015 played steady golf all afternoon, as White birdied the par-4 fourth and eighth holes to make the turn in 2-under. 

"You can lean on experience, but you still have to play great,” said Smith, of Pittsburgh, Pa. “You can’t just hide out here at these two courses because they are incredibly difficult and you just have to play well to put a score on the board.”

The second-oldest side in the field held strong down the difficult finishing stretch, with White knocking down the flagstick on the last and tapping in his birdie on the dramatic par-4 18th.

“I don’t know exactly why the golf course fits my eye,” said White, 57, of Spartanburg, S.C. “Maybe it’s the contours of the greens. I love Donald Ross designs, so I embrace what you have to do around here. It’s just a lot of fun.”

Two former NFL stars both fared well in their opening rounds. Sam Bradford, the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick, and partner Ben Bench, turned in a round of even-par 70 at Echo Lake. Bradford drained two birdies, one on the par-3 seventh and another on the par-5 11th.

"It’s been fun because neither of us takes it too seriously,” said Bradford, 37, of Oklahoma City, Okla. “We both keep it light and keep each other going. The vibes are high out there, which I think really helps especially on a day like today where it can really beat you up out there.”

Danny Woodhead, who ran for more than 2,200 yards and caught 300 passes in his NFL career, and his partner Michael Wilhelm, carded a 2-under 68 at Echo Lake. Woodhead got the scoring started with a birdie on the opening hole and added two more birdies on No. 10 and No. 11. Wilhelm birdied the short par-3 third and the par-4 16th.

“When you have rough like this, it’s not the easiest,” said Woodhead, 40, of Elkhead, Neb. “Did we play our best? No. But we hung around and tried to compete. I think we did a pretty good job of that.” 

What’s Next 

The sides will switch courses for the second and final round of stroke play on Sunday, after which the field will be cut to the low 32 sides for match play, which will begin on Monday. A playoff, if necessary, to determine the final spots in the draw, would take place on Monday beginning at 7 a.m. ET. 

Notable 

• For any venue, hosting a USGA championship is an honor. But Plainfield Country Club has another reason to be prideful this year. Scott Paris, the club’s director of golf, was recently named the 2025 PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year. It’s the organization’s highest honor and given to an individual who showcases leadership, moral character and a substantial record of service to the PGA of America and the game of golf. Paris also recently advanced out of local qualifying for the 2025 U.S. Senior Open. 

• Echo Lake Country Club member Barnes Blake, who had the honor of hitting the opening tee shot at his home course, posted a 4-under 66 with partner Liam Pasternak at Echo Lake.  

• Josh Fickes drained the eighth hole-in-one in championship history, and the first since 2023, when he spun his pitching wedge into the hole on the 140-yard third hole at Echo Lake. Fickes, who played collegiately at Clemson, currently works as an account manager for the apparel company Greyson. He and partner Brandon Grzywacz finished 1-under for the day. The ace was Fickes’ ninth career hole-in-one, and third in a competition. 

• U.S. National Junior Team members Will Hartman and Tyler Mawhinney finished even-par for the day at Echo Lake, carding three birdies along the way.  

• Evan Beck, the reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, and partner Dan Walters finished with an even-par round of 70 at Echo Lake. 

• 2024 champions Brian Blanchard and Sam Engel carded a 2-under 68 at Plainfield CC in their first round of title defense.  

• Thomas Collins, a Morristown, N.J., resident and four-year letter winner as a tight end at the University of Connecticut, alongside partner Michael O’Connell, of Mahwah, N.J., had the honor of hitting the opening tee shots at Plainfield Country Club this morning. The local duo finished with a 4-over 74.  

• Two U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champions and reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Evan Beck took some time away from their practice rounds this week to visit the USGA Museum & Library, in Liberty Corner, N.J., and see their plaques in the Hall of Champions. Inaugural Four-Ball winners Nathan Smith and Todd White stopped by on Wednesday. Smith also has won a record four U.S. Mid-Amateur titles and will captain the 2025 USA Walker Cup Team in September at Cypress Point. White also claimed the 2023 U.S. Senior Amateur. Davis Womble and Chad Wilfong, the 2022 Four-Ball champions, joined fellow Wake Forest alum Beck at the Museum on Friday. 

Quotable 

“It definitely helped to feel a bit more comfortable, having a little bit more confidence in the reads [on the greens]. I’ve seen pretty much every putt out here, so seeing it once before was definitely helpful. It was nice playing in from of a home crowd. They were following us on the back nine, so it was fun to get the crowd involved.” – Barnes Blake, on playing his home course, Echo Lake Country Club 
 
“I think it’s just our patience. We came out here on Thursday and realized quickly how difficult both of these golf courses are. You really can’t try to force anything and need to take advantage of the opportunities when they’re there.” - Todd Mitchell, on what has made he and Scott Harvey such a good team over the years 
 
“He’s so good at knowing exactly what we need to do and staying out of our lane. He’s encouraging us to join him [as a USGA champion] and loves how we play. He's just like, man, y'all just keep rolling at it. Your time will come.” - Jack Larkin Jr., on advice from his father, Jack Larkin Sr., the 1979 U.S. Junior Amateur champion 
 
“I clearly hitched my wagon to the right horse this week. I’m just going to ride him and watch him hit it all day.” - Zach Capps, on partner Brent Whitehead 
 
“Tomorrow is going to be interesting because the wind is supposed to blow more. When the wind is blowing, it makes this thick rough just that much tougher. I took two or three extra clubs at times and was able to fortunately gouge it out and hit a couple close. The way the USGA sets up the course is so good, it’s an actual test of golf, and that’s why we play.” – Danny Woodhead, looking ahead to the second round of stroke play 
 
"I feel like it’s pretty tough out here right now. The wind is blowing 15-20, the greens have a lot of slope on them, the rough is up, so if you’re not hitting good shots, you’re definitely not making birdies. We plotted our way around alright, but just didn’t ham-and-egg it a lot. When I made a bogey, he made a bogey, and vice versa." – Drew Stoltz after carding a 1-under on Saturday at Echo Lake 
 
“As this event has grown in popularity, it's always nice when we come here and see the trophy and know that our names are always going to be on there.” - Todd White, reflecting on he and Nathan Smith’s inaugural 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball title