Semifinals set at U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes

August 14, 2020 | by Pete Wlodkowski of AmateurGolf.com

Tyler Strafaci will face Aman Gupta in the first match, while Ollie Osborne will play Matthew Sharpstene in the other match

The final four are set at Bandon Dunes.

Who is going all the way is anyone's guess. As we have seen throughout the week, momentum shifts quickly during windy afternoon matches, when players have to factor wind on even the shortest of putts.

One player who has done a great job of managing the wind is Ollie Osborne of Reno, Nevada. Osborne was 4-up against Cameron Sisk before losing four-straight holes on the back nine. Facing a huge shift in momentum, Osborne flighted down an iron on the windswept par-3 15th to the back of the green and two-putted to win the hole and take back control of the match. He will play Matthew Sharpstene in the semifinals.

Tyler Strafaci, the recent North & South Amateur champion, is in the process of chasing his grandfather's golf legacy. Should he win here, the Georgia Tech product will join his grandfather Frank as not only a North & South champion but a USGA Champion as well (Frank won the Public Links).

After a strange ruling caused by a caddie touching the sand on 18 gave Strafaci a win yesterday, he took no chances today against mid-am standout Stewart Hagestad. After Hagestad left his par putt "just short" on No. 17 to go 1-down, Strafaci's match again went to No. 18. But this time he knocked it on the par-5 in two and two putted for birdie. To his credit, Hagestad made one of the best runs by a mid-am in recent U.S. Amateur history. Strafaci (by far the highest ranked player remaining at No. 22) will play first-alternate Aman Gupta of Oklahoma State in the other semi-final match.

Here's a look at the four semifinalists:

Tyler Strafaci, 22, of Davie, Fla.

At this point in the summer, it's hard to look away from the storylines created by this rising star, with a deep family golf history. “I always dreamed as a kid of being in the same conversation as him," Strafaci said when discussing his grandfather Frank. "Now to be there is unbelievable.”

No. 22 in Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Amateur Ranking
Playing in his fourth U.S. Amateur and reached Round of 32 in 2017
Competed in 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills and two U.S. Juniors
Won 2020 North & South Amateur
His grandfather, Frank, won two North & South Amateurs (1938, 1939) and 1935 U.S. Amateur Public Links
Will return to Georgia Tech for a fifth year in 2020-21
Looking to become the third Georgia Tech player to win the U.S. Am (Matt Kuchar, Andy Ogletree
Two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection
His mother, Jill, played golf at the University of Florida from 1976-79

Road to the Semirfinals

Shot 71-72 in stroke play to earn No. 41 seed
R64: Def. Kelly Chinn, 4 and 2
R32: Def. Julian Perico, 2 and 1
R16: Def. Segundo Oliva Pinto, 1 up
Qtr: Def. Stewart Hagestad, 2-up

Aman Gupta, 21 -- Concord, North Carolina

Gupta got into the field when No. 2 ranked Ricky Castillo withdrew due to worry about Covid. He's certainly making the most of his week in Oregon. Gupta went through all the Covid-19 protocols in order to be ready should he get the call. And he did. "I came out here as the first alternate. I wasn't 100 percent sure I was going to get in, "said Gupta." It's worked out pretty good."

No. 216 in Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Amateur Ranking
Playing in his fourth USGA championship and competed in last year’s U.S. Amateur
Advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur at Flint Hills National
In 2010, he tied for seventh in Palmetto Amateur and tied for 13 in Southern Amateur
Posted three top-10 finishes as a sophomore at Oklahoma State University in 2019-20
Won Southern Plains Intercollegiate as a freshman with a 54-hole score of 211 (5 under)

Road to the Semifinals

Shot 64-73—137 in stroke play to earn the No. 5 seed
R64: Def. Van Holmgren, 3 and 2
R32: Def. Jonathan Yaun, 1 up
R16: Def. Sam Bennett, 5 and 3
Qtr: Def. Michael Thorbjornsen, 1-up

Charles "Ollie" Osborne, 20 -- Reno, NV

"I grew up in Reno where wind doesn't really touch the ball. But going to school in Texas definitely prepared me for this week," said Osborne, before adding that he was heading off to have a Bandon Dunes brownie, and then to bed.

No. 264 in Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Amateur Ranking
Played in the 2019 U.S. Amateur, his first USGA championship
Won Royal Oaks Intercollegiate as a sophomore at SMU in 2019-20
Twice chosen American Athletic Conference Golfer of the Week
Competed in 11 events as a SMU freshman
Reached quarterfinal round of match play in 2019 NCAA Championship
Qualified for the PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship via two stages last year

Road to the Semirfinals

Shot 77-64 in stroke play to earn No. 27 seed
R64: Def. William Walker III, 1 up
R32: Def. Noah Norton, 2 up
R16: Def. Carson Lundell, 7 and 5
Qtr: Def. Cameron Sisk, 2 and 1

Matthew Sharpstene, 21, of Asheville, N.C.

Sharpstene is one of three underdogs in the final four, being ranked outside of the top-200 like Osborne and Gupta. But his game is solid and Justin Leonard was impressed with his ability to flight the ball in the Coastal Oregon wind. Today in the quarterfinals, he took out a former USGA Junior champ in Phillip Barbaree. More about Matthew Sharpstene:

* No. 241 in Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Amateur Ranking
* Competing in his second USGA championship and first U.S. Amateur
* Reached Round of 64 in 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur at The Honors Course
* Advanced to Round of 32 in the 2020 North & South Amateur
* Set the course record at Pinehurst No. 4’s (6-under 64) at 2020 North & South
* Three top-10 finishes as a junior at West Virginia University
* Will transfer to Charlotte University for 2020-21

Road to the Semifinals

Shot 69-75 in stroke play to earn No. 58 seed
R64: Def. John Augenstein, 1 up
R32: Def. Andrew Kozan, 2 and 1
R16: Def. Davis Chatfield, 4 and 3
Qtr: Def. Phillip Barbaree, 4 and 2

Results: US Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts
Win	Tyler Strafaci	Davie, FL	2000
Runner-up	Charles (Ollie) Osborne	Reno, NV	1500
Semifinals	Aman Gupta	Concord, NC	1000
Semifinals	Matt Sharpstene	Asheville, NC	1000
Quarterfinals	Stewart Hagestad	Newport Beach, CA	700

View full results for US Amateur

About the US Amateur

Semifinals set at U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes

The U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship, was first played in 1895 at Newport Golf Club in Rhode Island. The event, which has no age restriction, is open to those with a Handicap Index of .4 (point four) or lower. It is one of 15 national champ...