44th U.S. Mid-Amateur: Inside the Field

WHO’S HERE – Among the 264 golfers in the 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur field, there are:

Oldest Competitors: Michael McCoy (62, born 11-21-62), David Feder (62, born 4-9-63), Louis Brown (62, born 8-24-63), Greg Sanders (61, born 10-1-63), Tony Hejna (57, born 1-8-68)

Youngest Competitors: A.J. Fitzgerald (25, born 9-13-00), Mateo Pulcini (25, born 8-30-00), Brian Pelose (25, born 8-24-00), Luka Karaulic (25, born 7-18-00), Nishant Datta (25, born 6-4-00)

Average Age of Field: 36.53

Field breakdown by age:

25-29: 57 competitors
30-34: 68 competitors
35-39: 70 competitors
40-49: 52 competitors
50-59: 13 competitors
60-plus: 4 competitors

U.S. States Represented – 45 states are represented in the 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur: California (23), Texas (20), Florida (15), North Carolina (13), Arizona (9), Ohio (9), Colorado (8), Illinois (8), Massachusetts (8), New York (7), Pennsylvania (7), Georgia (6), Iowa (6), Indiana (6), New Jersey (6), South Carolina (6), Alabama (5), Idaho (5), Maryland (5), Michigan (5), Missouri (5), Virginia (5), Kentucky (4), Tennessee (4), Washington (4), Wisconsin (4), Kansas (3), Minnesota (3), West Virginia (3), Arkansas (2), Louisiana (2), Mississippi (2), New Hampshire (2), Oregon (2), Utah (2), Alaska (1), Connecticut (1), Hawaii (1), Maine (1), North Dakota (1), Nebraska (1), Nevada (1), Oklahoma (1), Rhode Island (1), South Dakota (1)

International – 19 countries are represented in the 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur: United States (234), Canada (5), Argentina (3), Colombia (3), France (2), Ireland (2), Mexico (2), Australia (1), Austria (1), Belgium (1), Brazil (1), Czechia (1), England (1), Germany (1), Japan (1), Northern Ireland (1), Philippines (1), Spain (1), Venezuela (1), Wales (1)

USGA Champions (10): Evan Beck (2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Louis Brown (2024 U.S. Senior Amateur), Stewart Hagestad (2016, 2021 and 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Scott Harvey (2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur, 2019 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball), Matthew McClean (2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Michael McCoy (2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur, 2025 U.S. Senior Amateur), Lukas Michel (2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Kevin O’Connell (2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Matt Parziale (2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Davis Womble (2022 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball)

USGA Runners-Up (9): Evan Beck (2008 U.S. Junior Amateur, 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur, 2025 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball), Kenny Cook (2011 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Marc Dull (2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur, 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball), Scott Harvey (2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Drew Kittleson (2008 U.S. Amateur, 2022 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball), Bobby Massa (2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Brad Nurski (2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur), Cody Paladino (2007 U.S. Amateur Public Links), Greg Sanders (2025 U.S. Senior Amateur)

Players in Field with Most U.S. Mid-Amateur Appearances (2025 included) – Michael McCoy (26), Scott Harvey (16), Matt Parziale (11)

Played in 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur (50): Joel Alexander, Ryan Axlund, Andrew Bailey, Matheus Balestrin, Jack Barber, Adam Barkow, Evan Beck, Stephen Behr Jr., Michael Buttacavoli, Christian Cavaliere, Will Davenport, Preston Dembowiak, Connor Doyal, Parker Edens, Charles Fitzsimmons, Mitchell Ford, Aaron Fricke, Aaron Goldberg, Stewart Hagestad, Bryce Hanstad, Scott Harvey, Sam Jackson, Chris Kamin, Justin Kaplan, Drew Kittleson, Terry Ko, Liam Logan, Bobby Massa, Matthew McClean, Michael McCoy, Lukas Michel, Sam Migdal, Adam Miller, Paul Mitzel, Chandler Mulkey, Kevin O’Connell, Segundo Oliva Pinto, George Ordway, Will Osborne, Matt Parziale, Cody Paladino, Brett Patterson, Josh Persons, James Pleat, Colin Prater, Andrew Price, Grant Smith, Patrick Stephenson, Jordan Utley, Christopher Wheeler

Played in 2025 U.S. Open (2): Evan Beck, Matt Vogt

Played in 2025 U.S. Amateur (15): Andrew Bailey, Evan Beck, Connor Doyal, Stewart Hagestad, Sam Jackson, Drew Kittleson, Bobby Massa, Cody Massa, Matthew McClean, Matt Parziale, Matt Vogt, A.J. Fitzgerald, Brad Nurski, Chandler Mulkey, Greg Sanders

Played in 2025 U.S. Senior Amateur (7): Louis Brown, Michael McCoy, Greg Sanders, Tony Hejna, Bryan Hoops, Joe Alfieri

Played in 2025 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (20): Jonathan Bale, Evan Beck, Will Davenport, Scott Harvey, Drew Kittleson, Brett Patterson, Davis Womble, Jordan Pomeranz, Marc Dull, Brandon Grzywacz, Ralston King, Andrew Price, Blake Watts, Chadd Slutzky, Jonathan Lai, Joel Alexander, Dennis Bull, Sam Migdal, Brad Nurski, Cameron Crawford,

Walker Cup Team Members:

United States (3): Stewart Hagestad (2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025), Scott Harvey (2015), Michael McCoy (2015)

Great Britain & Ireland (1): Matthew McClean (2023)

PLAYER NOTES:

Jack Barber, 28, of San Mateo, Calif., was a member of Stanford University’s No. 2-ranked tennis team. He played from 2015-19 but three wrist surgeries tempered his college career. Barber, who earned his B.S. and M.A. from Stanford, is the co-founder of an ecommerce software business and is making his second consecutive U.S. Mid-Amateur appearance. He earned co-medalist honors in the Reno, Nev., qualifier on Aug. 18, carding a 4-under 68 alongside Daniel Wittlinger at Hidden Valley Country Club. In his 2024 debut, Barber lost in the Round of 64.

Adam Barkow, 37, Oakland, Calif., is competing in his second consecutive U.S. Mid-Amateur and is the son of highly acclaimed golf author Al Barkow, who was awarded the USGA’s inaugural Herbert Warren Wind Award in 1987 for his novel Gettin’ to the Dance Floor. His family’s connections to the USGA also include his grandfather, Alvin, who competed in the 1953 U.S. Amateur, won by Gene Littler. Adam reached the Round of 32 in his Mid-Am debut last year. He played collegiately at Fresno State and now manages a brewery in nearby Berkeley. Adam has overcome substance abuse issues with alcohol over the last few years, crediting his sobriety since 2023 for his ability to pursue competitive mid-amateur golf. Barkow is also taking voice-over classes, with the intention of working as a voice-over actor in the future.

Evan Beck, 35, of Virginia Beach, Va., triumphed in the 2024 championship match at Kinloch Golf Club over Bobby Massa, 9 and 8, after earning co-medalist honors alongside Segundo Oliva Pinto in stroke play at 8-under 133. Beck finished runner-up in the 2025 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Plainfield Country Club in Plainfield, N.J., alongside playing partner Dan Walters. He was the runner-up in the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur, held at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, in Scarborough, N.Y., and he advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2022 Mid-Amateur at Erin Hills. Beck, an analyst for an investment group, has also played in five U.S. Amateurs, was runner-up in the 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur at Shoal Creek and reached the semifinals of the 2022 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with Walters. He was named Virginia State Golf Association Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022. A two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection while playing at Wake Forest University, Beck won this year’s George L. Coleman Invitational and George C. Thomas Invitational at Seminole and The Los Angeles Country Club, respectively. He works as a portfolio manager for Brown Advisory, an independent investment management and strategic advisory firm.

Stephen Behr Jr., 32, of Atlanta, Ga., works in global sales for a multinational software company and is competing in his fifth U.S. Mid-Amateur. He advanced to the semifinals in 2024, falling to eventual champion Evan Beck, and in 2023, he was a quarterfinalist. He reached the Round of 16 in the 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur, where he also lost to eventual champion Stewart Hagestad in 23 holes. Behr earned medalist honors in the 2018 edition of the championship at Charlotte (N.C.) Country Club, where he advanced to the Round of 16. He won the 2022 Crump Cup at Pine Valley and was runner-up the following year. Behr, who earned a degree in accounting from Clemson University, was a second-team All-American for the Tigers in 2016. His father, Steve, served as the head golf professional at Florence (S.C.) Country Club for nearly 30 years before announcing his retirement in 2025. He currently works for SAP.

Louis Brown, 62, of Marietta, Ga., won the 2024 U.S. Senior Amateur at The Honors Course, in Ooltewah, Tenn., and advanced to match play once again in 2025, falling in 19 holes in the Round of 64 at Oak Hills Country Club, in San Antonio, Texas. He is competing in his eighth USGA championship and first U.S. Mid-Amateur. Brown made his first USGA start in 1981 when he reached the U.S. Junior Amateur quarterfinals. He earned all-conference honors at the University of Georgia and won the 1985 Georgia State Amateur. Brown then played as a professional on the PGA, Canadian, Nike and Australian tours. He would later become a partner and wealth advisor for a financial investment firm.

Christian Cavaliere, 27, of Katonah, N.Y., is competing in his third U.S. Mid-Amateur after he advanced through the Voorheesville, N.Y., qualifier on Aug. 4. Cavaliere qualified for the 2023 U.S. Open at The Los Angeles Country Club and competed in five U.S. Amateurs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he founded Tremont Sporting Company, which manufactures golf accessories. In the 2024 edition of the championship, he shot 6-under 135 in stroke play, finishing two shots behind the medalists before falling in the Round of 32. Cavaliere recently won the New York State Open, advanced to the semifinals of this year’s Metropolitan Golf Association Amateur and tied for seventh in the Met Open. A winner of the 2016 Metropolitan Golf Association Junior title, Cavaliere was an All-Northeast Region and All-New England selection at Boston College.

Marc Dull, 39, Lakeland, Fla., finished runner-up to Sammy Schmitz in the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur. His great-grandfather, Dexter Daniels, won two U.S. Senior Amateur titles, in 1961 and 1966. Dull and partner Chip Brooke were also runners-up to Cole Hammer and Stuart Barber in the 2017 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Pinehurst No. 2. Dull made history in May when he won his Round-of-16 Four-Ball match as a solo side after Brooke had to fly back to Florida to attend his daughter’s high school graduation. Dull has also served as a caddie at Streamsong Resort.

Parker Edens, 35, of Brookings, S.D., is in his fourth season as head men’s golf coach at South Dakota State University and is making his third consecutive appearance in the championship. He previously worked at Colorado State University, his alma mater, as an assistant for three years. In 2024, Edens shot 7-under 134 to finish a stroke shy of co-medalist honors. He advanced to the Round of 16 that included a 3-and-2 victory over 2022 champion Matthew McClean, of Northern Ireland. Edens reached the quarterfinal round in his U.S. Mid-Amateur debut in 2023. Edens, who played in the 2010 and 2012 U.S. Amateurs, won six times on mini tours and had Web.com conditional status as a professional before being reinstated as an amateur. In 2023, he won the South Dakota Golf Association Mid-Amateur and Colorado Golf Association Four-Ball. He made the semifinals of this year’s Colorado Match-Play Championship.

A.J. Fitzgerald, 25, of Salinas, Calif., has caddied for the last six years at Cypress Point Club, and drew reigning U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell’s bag for last week’s Walker Cup Match. The former Cal State University-Monterey Bay golfer qualified for the last two U.S. Amateurs (Hazeltine and The Olympic Club) as well as the 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Kiawah Island Club. He turns 25 on the day of this year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur begins, making him the youngest player in the field. His mother, Aana Fitzgerald, was the longtime chief financial officer for the Northern California Golf Association.

Stewart Hagestad, 34, of Newport Beach, Calif., arrives at Troon Country Club fresh off helping the USA Walker Cup Team win for the fifth consecutive time, 17-9, at Cypress Point Club, in Pebble Beach, Calif. He garnered the side’s 13th point in a Sunday singles win over Eliot Baker, ensuring the Americans would retain the Cup. This was Hagestad’s fifth start in the Walker Cup and he owns a 7-1 overall mark in singles. Hagestad is one of three players (Jay Sigel and Nathan Smith) to win at least three U.S. Mid-Amateurs (2016, 2021, 2023). He defeated Evan Beck, 3 and 2, in the 36-hole final at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in 2023. Hagestad, who has played in 33 USGA championships, also represented the USA on victorious Walker Cup Teams in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023 and won a gold medal in the mixed team competition of the 2019 Pan American Games. Hagestad has the sixth-most match-play victories in U.S. Mid-Amateur history with a 29-5 record and would tie the late Jay Sigel (30) with just one match-play victory at Troon. He was the low amateur in the 2017 Masters Tournament, making him the first invited U.S. Mid-Amateur champion to achieve the feat. He also has played in five U.S. Opens and works as a broker for BDT & MSD Partners in the firm’s West Palm Beach, Fla., office.

Scott Harvey, 47, of Greensboro, N.C., is a two-time USGA champion. He has competed in 35 USGA events, including 15 U.S. Mid-Amateurs, and played in five USGA Men’s State Teams for North Carolina. He won the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Saucon Valley Country Club and was the runner-up to Stewart Hagestad in 2016. Harvey, a self-employed property manager, has a 27-13 Mid-Amateur match-play record and was a member of the 2015 USA Walker Cup Team. In 2019, he won the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with partner Todd Mitchell at Bandon Dunes. Harvey qualified for his first U.S. Open in 2017 at Erin Hills when he shot a 63 in the first round of his 36-hole final qualifier. He has won 10 Carolinas Golf Association championships.

Sam Jackson, 32, of West Columbia, S.C., is competing in his fourth consecutive U.S. Mid-Amateur. He advanced to match play in each of his first three appearances, having fallen in the Round of 64 in 2024. Jackson advanced to the semifinals in the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur, losing to eventual champion Stewart Hagestad, 1 down, and reached the Round of 32 in his first Mid-Amateur in 2022 at Erin Hills. Jackson, a sales representative for a windows and doors company, won this year’s South Carolina Amateur and was the runner-up at the Snedeker Memorial. Jackson also finished T-5 in this year’s Azalea Invitational. He was chosen the South Carolina Golf Association’s top player in 2022.

Drew Kittleson, 36, of Scottsdale, Ariz., will play in his second consecutive U.S. Mid-Amateur and fourth overall after earning an exemption by way of his semifinalist finish at Kinloch Golf Club in the 2024 edition of the championship, where he fell to eventual runner-up Bobby Massa. Kittleson was also a finalist in both the 2022 and 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championships at Country Club of Birmingham and Kiawah Island Club, respectively, alongside playing partner Drew Stoltz, who co-hosts the popular golf podcast Subpar. He reached the Round of 16 in the 2021 Mid-Amateur and was the runner-up in the 2008 U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2. He also competed in the 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club. Kittleson, an All-American at Florida State University, is an owner of a kitchen and bathroom remodeling company started by his father. He has competed in 16 USGA championships and played in both the Masters and U.S. Open in 2009.

William Knauth, 26, of New York, N.Y., is competing in his first U.S. Mid-Amateur and first USGA championship. Knauth is currently working on his Ph.D. in statistics at Columbia University following a career competing on the NCAA Division III Carnegie Mellon University men’s golf team, where he won the Byron Nelson Award in 2022, and was twice a Division III All-American. Knauth qualified for this year’s championship by shooting 4-under 68 at Apawamis Club in Rye, N.Y., earning medalist honors with his girlfriend, Liz Shim, on the bag. Before college, he was also an accomplished violinist.

Bobby Massa, 37, of Dallas, Texas, is competing in his fourth U.S. Mid-Amateur and was a finalist in the 2024 edition, falling 9 and 8 to Evan Beck in the 36-hole championship match at Kinloch Golf Club. Last year, he also advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine, losing to eventual champion Jose Luis Ballester, 3 and 1. Massa reached the quarterfinal round while playing in his second U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in 2023. He is a personal trainer who helps clients with golf speed and stability, from weekend players to professional athletes, including current USGA President Fred Perpall as well as NFL running back Derrick Henry. Massa played professionally for eight years, including on the Adams Tour, and was reinstated as an amateur in 2019. Massa earned all-region and all-conference recognition at the University of Texas-Arlington

Matthew McClean, 32, of Northern Ireland, won the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Erin Hills in his first USGA championship appearance. He failed to advance to match play the following year at Sleepy Hollow but reached the Round of 32 in 2024. McClean, who became the second international player to win the Mid-Amateur, played in the 2023 U.S. Open and Masters and was a member of the 2023 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup Team. He is a self-employed optometrist and represented Ireland in the 2022 and 2023 World Amateur Team Championships. This year, he competed in the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club. He finished third in the Irish Men’s Amateur Open after capturing the title in 2024, and T-3 in the Lytham Trophy. McClean also finished T-5 in the Crump Cup at Pine Valley in 2024 and reached the semifinals of the 2023 Western Amateur.

Michael McCoy, 62, of Des Moines, Iowa, arrives at Troon Country Club fresh off a win in the U.S. Senior Amateur at Oak Hills Country Club in August. With his victory, McCoy became the first player in USGA history to win both the U.S. Mid-Amateur (2013) and the U.S. Senior Amateur. The Iowa native was a member of the 2015 Walker Cup team and served as captain for the victorious 2023 USA Walker Cup team at The Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland. He was named Iowa Golf Association’s Player of the Year 11 times and is competing in his 72nd USGA championship. His son, Nate, who works for the Iowa Golf Association, also is in the field.

Lukas Michel, 31, of Australia, became the first international player to capture the U.S. Mid-Amateur when he won at Colorado Golf Club in 2019. Michel, who earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Melbourne, works as a golf course design associate for a London-based group. He grew up playing with Curtis Luck (2016 U.S. Amateur champion) and Oliver Goss (2013 U.S. Amateur runner-up) after his father, Ivor, immigrated from communist Czechoslovakia in the late 1960s. Michel failed to advance to match play in 2024 but posted a T-4 finish in this year’s Australian Amateur and a T-13 finish in the Australian Master of the Amateurs.

Segundo Oliva Pinto, 26, of Argentina, is competing in his second U.S. Mid-Amateur after earning co-medalist honors alongside eventual champion Evan Beck in 2024. He has competed in two U.S. Amateurs, having reached the championship’s Round of 16 in 2020 at Bandon Dunes. Oliva Pinto finished tied for third in this year’s Latin America Amateur Championship in Argentina, which was his fifth appearance in the event and third top-10. He has twice represented his country in the World Amateur Team Championship (2022, 2023) and is poised to do so once again in a few weeks at Tanah Merah Country Club in Singapore. As a collegian, Oliva Pinto captured two different conference titles. He began his career at UNC-Wilmington and won the 2019 Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA) crown. He then transferred to Arkansas where he claimed the 2021 Southeastern Conference Championship and earned All-Central Region and All-SEC honors. Oliva Pinto is also the co-founder of a portable BBQ tool-kit company called Hangry King.

Matt Parziale, 38, of Brockton, Mass., won the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Capital City Club’s Crabapple Course. Parziale became the first Mid-Amateur champion to earn a full exemption into the following year’s U.S. Open. A former firefighter who now works for an insurance brokerage firm, Parziale shared low-amateur honors in the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. He has reached match play six times in 10 U.S. Mid-Amateurs. Parziale, who has competed in 22 USGA championships and two USGA Men’s State Teams for Massachusetts, reached the Round of 32 at the 2025 Massachusetts Amateur, was the runner-up at the 2025 New England Amateur and reached the semifinals of the 2024 Massachusetts State Amateur.

Brett Patterson, 33, of Oxford, Miss., reached the semifinals in his U.S. Mid-Amateur debut in 2023. Patterson, who has played in 15 USGA championships, including the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club, advanced to the Round of 32 with partner Payne Denman in this year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. Patterson, who holds a Ph.D. in accounting and is a certified public accountant, teaches cost and financial accounting at the University of Mississippi. A three-time all-conference selection at Middle Tennessee State University, Patterson won the 2024 Mississippi Mid-Amateur and was runner-up in both the Mississippi State Amateur and Mid-Amateur in 2023.

Colin Prater, 30, of Colorado Springs, Colo., teaches biology to ninth graders and is the boys’ and girls’ golf coach at Cheyenne Mountain High School. Prater, who advanced to the Round of 32 during last year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur, was one of 11 players to advance through both stages of qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club. A two-time Colorado Golf Association Player of the Year, Prater won the 2025 Colorado Match Play Championship, the 2024 Colorado State Amateur and has twice claimed the CGA Mid-Amateur (2022, 2023). Prater was a four-time NCAA Division II All-American at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

Josh Persons, 41, of Fargo, N.D., is competing in his 10th USGA championship and fourth U.S. Mid-Amateur. He advanced to the semifinals in 2022 at Erin Hills and made it to the quarterfinals last year. Persons is coming off a second-place finish at the North Dakota State Stroke Play and a tie for sixth at the 2025 Minnesota Golf Association Amateur. He regained his amateur status in 2018 after competing on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Canada. In high school, he won a state golf title and was a member of an undefeated state championship basketball team. He is employed as an insurance advisor.

John Sawin, 40, Pebble Beach, Calif., is the director of golf at Pebble Beach Golf Links, which will host its seventh U.S. Open in 2027. Sawin has competed in eight USGA championships, most recently with good friend Tug Maude in the 2024 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Philadelphia Cricket Club, where the duo advanced to the Round of 16. As a collegian, Sawin played at Princeton University. Sawin served as the general chair of the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open and played a role in the 2018 U.S. Amateur and 2019 U.S. Open Championships at the famed California golf course.

Jordan Utley, 39, of Richmond, Va., returns to the U.S. Mid-Amateur after advancing to the Round of 32 in his championship debut in 2024. Utley is coming off his third-place finish at the Valentine Invitational, a long-standing amateur golf event where he also serves as the tournament chair. From 2014-16, he was the finance director at Independence Golf Club, the stroke-play co-host course for last year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur. Utley won the 2024 Virginia State Golf Association Mid-Amateur and is a three-time runner-up in the Virginia State Golf Association Amateur. He earned All-Atlantic 10 Conference and All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors at the University of Richmond and now serves as a controller for a fund management group.