Maridoe Amateur down to Elite Eight, end of grueling week nears
Chris Gotterup (Photo via Rutgers Athletics)
Eight players remain after two rounds of Friday matches at the Maridoe Amateur. The day began with 32 hopefuls playing under the watchful eye of Walker Cup captain Nathaniel Crosby in advance of next spring's matches.
The Maridoe Amateur was added to the schedule this year in large part to assist Crosby in evaluating players, and he's had plenty to watch this week. 54 holes of stroke play qualifying set the match play bracket for 64 players, and by the time the week is done the winner will have played ten rounds, more than any other major tournament in amateur golf.
Following an exciting slate of morning matches, the field was chopped in half once again following the Round of 16 Friday afternoon. Will Holcomb, Jonathan Brightwell, Ryan Grider, Preston Summerhays all highlighted the afternoon session.
Holcomb, who took medalist honors earlier in the week, took on Oklahoma Sooner senior Logan McAllister following a 1 up victory against Zach Taylor in the morning session. The Sam Houston State fifth-year senior took care of McAllister 4&3 to face Arizona State signee and former U.S. Junior champion Preston Summerhays.
Summerhays took care of SMU’s Mac Meissner who has had quite the year at Maridoe winning both the Southern Amateur and the East-West Cup. After a 1 up win against Patrick Welch (Oklahoma) in the morning, Summerhays cruised to a 4&3 win over Meissner.
A pair of East Coast players match up Saturday as Rutgers senior Christopher Gotterup and NC State’s Benjamin Shipp face off early in the morning. Gotterup knocked off medalist contender Frankie Capan (Florida Gulf Coast) in the Round of 16, 1 up. Shipp’s road to the Elite Eight included a 3&2 win over SMU’s Noah Goodwin.
Following the biggest upset of the event, Baylor’s Ryan Grider steadied his sights and stayed the course against Texas’ Parker Coody, 6&5 to secure a match against New Mexico junior Sam Choi.
Related: Maridoe Amateur: Ryan Grider pulls off upset in Round of 32
Despite being the youngest remaining player in the field, Luke Potter, a high school junior and an Arizona State commit drew a big test for Saturday. Potter, who picked up wins over Baylor’s John Keefer 2&1 and Auburn’s Graysen Huff 3&1, gets Oklahoma’s hottest player, Jonathan Brightwell.
Play resumes at 8:00 am local time with semifinal matches set for the afternoon.
ABOUT THE Maridoe Amateur
This tournament was introduced in 2020 to provide
top-ranked players a
chance to contend for a Walker Cup berth. The
original format was grueling, a U.S.
Amateur-style competition with 54 holes of stroke
play followed by a 64-player match-
play bracket and a 36-hole championship match. In
2021 the format changed to 54
holes of stroke play. The top 102 players in the World
Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR)
will be invited, with the rest of the field based off the
rankings.
View Complete Tournament Information