Two-time U.S. Amateur Four-Ball runner-up and 2008 U.S. Amateur runner-up Drew Kittleson, 35, of Scottsdale, Ariz., Connor Doyal, 25, of Charleston, S.C., a caddie at the Kiawah Island Resort, former Clemson All-American Stephen Behr Jr., 31, of Atlanta, Ga.; 2022 semifinalist Josh Persons, 40, of Fargo, N.D., and 2024 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball semifinalist Will Davenport, 31, of Palm City, Fla., joined the aforementioned five competitors in the last eight.

Beck likely had the craziest day of the group, while Davenport produced one of the biggest victories, taking out defending champion and three-time winner Stewart Hagestad, of Newport Beach, Calif., 3 and 2, in the Round of 32 on Tuesday morning.

Beck, also the runner-up in the 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur and a former standout at Wake Forest University, knocked an 82-yard wedge approach to a foot to eliminate North Carolinian Jackson Spires, 1 up, in the morning. Then in the afternoon against Buttacavoli, who just recently regained his amateur status, he executed a brilliant pitch from just left of the 18th green that hit the flagstick and stopped inches away. That putt was eventually conceded to force extra holes.

“I hit some good ones in there,” said Beck of his 18th-hole heroics on Tuesday. “I got pretty lucky. That one this afternoon was really good. I was standing in the bunker, I choked way down on it and chopped it. I tried [both] feet in the bunker and then put [my left foot] out. It took a couple of hops, checked and hit the pin, and stopped six inches past.”

Another birdie on the third extra hole, the par-5 12th at Kinloch, sealed the match and kept Beck’s hopes alive for a second consecutive berth in the championship match.

“Michael (Buttacavoli) played so well,” said Beck, the No. 32 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR®. “It was one of the best matches I have ever played [in] as far as back and forth and quality of golf shots. He didn’t really make any mistakes. He drove it unbelievably well.”

Speaking of driving, few in this field can match the power of Massa, who was routinely ripping past players 18 to 20 years younger than him at the U.S. Amateur. With a swing speed between 125 and 130 mph, and a ball speed that has been clocked between 188 and 190 mph, Massa has PGA Tour-quality distance. It’s one reason he has advance to the quarterfinals in his third straight USGA championship (he made the final eight a year ago at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, in Scarborough, N.Y.).

But a few leaky shots coming in and fine play by 32-year-old software engineer Brian Blanchard, the 2024 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion (with fellow Scottsdale, Ariz., resident Sam Engel), saw Massa go from 3 up to tied after 15 holes. Then on 17, he executed a perfect 120-yard, sand-wedge approach to 7 feet and made the left-to-right sliding birdie putt for a 1-up advantage. He looked to have the match secured on 18, despite getting a mud ball in the fairway. Purposely aiming right, Massa found a greenside bunker in two on the 586-yard finishing hole. A nicely executed bunker shot left him a 6-foot downhill putt for birdie to tie the hole and end the match. The ball did a complete 360-degree horseshoe, and Blanchard, who had reached in two shots, converted his 2-foot birdie to force extra holes.

Massa hit another good birdie putt on the 19th hole, only to see it veer off just inches from the hole. But Blanchard gave him a gift on the par-4 20th, hitting a wayward drive and then failing to get up and down for par. Massa’s 8-foot birdie putt was then conceded.

“It's been a fun run,” said Massa, who works out of SandersFit Performance Center in the Dallas Metroplex, a gym founded by former professional basketball player Melvin Sanders. “These things are stressful. You kind of have to get a few good breaks here and there.”

Harvey, who also was the runner-up in the championship in 2016, knows a thing or two about grinding your way through matches. After a 3-and-2 win in the morning over Torey Edwards, of Long Beach, Calif., he got a tough tussle from 2022 runner-up Hugh Foley, of the Republic of Ireland. Birdies on 17 and 18 closed out a challenging match.

For Harvey, who has dialed back his summer competitive schedule to spend more time with his teenage-golfing son, Cameron, and 5-year-old son, Gavin, it’s more about conserving energy and making sure he’s physically strong enough to grind through matches, especially during the 36-hole days.

“I just got a rest,” said Harvey, a property manager. “That's all it is. I have to take ibuprofen and [eat] Jersey Mike's [subs] and [drink] Propel water. That's the secret sauce. That's what I'm doing.”

Davenport, a former Ivy League Freshman of the Year at Yale University who also has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, learned a lot about himself five years ago when he lost in the opening round to Hagestad at Colorado Golf Club and then picked up Australian Lukas Michel’s bag. Davenport had befriended Michel while briefly living Down Under and trying to qualify for the Australian Open.

The duo bonded in suburban Denver and Michel became the first international U.S. Mid-Amateur champion. Then in May, Davenport and partner/fellow Floridian Michael Smith advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Philadelphia Cricket Club, losing a tough 1-down match to Blanchard and Engel. That was a quasi-home game for Davenport, who keeps a membership at nearby Whitemarsh Valley Country Club, and several club members came out to support him.

It also provided some added confidence that he could compete against the top mid-ams.

Beating Hagestad, the No. 20 player in WAGR and a player seeking a record-tying fourth Mid-Am title, was a huge victory for Davenport. He then consolidated that win with a 2-up triumph over Parker Edens, of Brookings, S.D., the men’s golf coach at South Dakota State University who was a quarterfinalist a year ago. Holding a precarious 1-up lead thru 17 holes, Davenport adroitly laid up on the par-5 18th, knocking a 9-iron from 154 yards to 12 feet. Needing to convert an uphill 15-footer to force Davenport to convert, Edens watches as his putt came up inches short of the hole. Edens dropped his putter, put his hands over his face and stared into space for a good 20 seconds, incredulous that the ball didn’t fall into the hole.

With the pressure now off, Davenport, needing two putts to win, promptly made his birdie to advance.

“Really hard,” said Davenport when asked how difficult it was psychologically to play an afternoon match after upsetting Hagestad. “Stewart actually said to me afterward, ‘You know, lock in at lunch, because Parker's gonna give you everything he's got.’ It was tough, and it was a quick turnaround. We had, I think, 45 minutes between the matches. Got some delicious meatloaf and tried not to look at my phone too much, and then went [and played].”

Persons and Kittleson had the two quickest matches in the afternoon as neither were extended past the 15th hole; the former eliminated Will Minton, of Raleigh, N.C., 5 and 3, while the latter took out Derek Busby, of Choudrant, La., 5 and 4.

“I think [my putting] has bailed me out a few times,” said Persons, who defeated Adam Barkow, 1 up, in the morning. “And you always need that no matter what if you are going to win matches. I have hit a few good shots here and there and got away with some other ones that weren’t so good.”

Minton, meanwhile, saw his magical run end after taking out co-medalist and top seed Segundo Oliva Pinto, of Argentina, in 19 holes. It was his second consecutive extra-hole win. Oliva Pinto, a 2023 University of Arkansas graduate who just turned 25 three weeks ago, claimed the 2021 Southeastern Conference title.

What’s Next

The quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be staged on Wednesday, beginning at 7:10 a.m. EDT, with the first of the two semis set to commence at 12:30 p.m. Thursday’s 36-hole final will start at 7:10 a.m., with the resumption at noon. Admission is free, and spectators are encouraged to attend. The champion earns an exemption into the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club and a likely invitation to The Masters Tournament in April.

Notable

- All eight quarterfinalists are exempt into the 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Troon Country Club, in Scottsdale, Ariz. The dates are Sept. 13-18.

- After dropping his Round-of-32 match to Parker Edens, 2022 champion Matthew McClean picked up the bag for good friend and fellow Irishman Hugh Foley. McClean defeated Foley in the 36-hole final at Erin Hills to become the second international champion in U.S. Mid-Amateur history after 2019 winner Lukas Michel.

- Connor Doyal, 25, of Charleston, S.C., is the only player remaining from Monday’s 14-for-12 playoff for the final match-play spots. Doyal needed 21 holes to eliminate Steele DeWald in the Round of 16 on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier on Tuesday, he defeated Zach Lassetter, 3 and 2.

- Stephen Behr Jr. rallied from 2 down with three to play to take out Trent Leon, a member of Oklahoma State’s 2006 NCAA title team, in 19 holes. Behr rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole to reach the quarterfinals for a second consecutive year. Earlier in the day, Behr eliminated 2023 U.S Open qualifier Christian Cavaliere, 3 and 2.

- Local favorite Jordan Utley, of Richmond, was eliminated in the Round of 32 on Tuesday by Bobby Massa, 4 and 3. Evan Beck (Virginia Beach) is the lone player remaining from the Commonwealth still alive.

- Scott Harvey now has 27 match-play victories, moving him into a tie for eighth all-time with 2013 champion and 2015 USA Walker Cup teammate Mike McCoy.

- Through three rounds, there have been 13 extra-hole matches, which is just one off the championship record. A total of 14 extra-hole matches were played in 1985 at The Vintage Club (Mountain Course), in Indian Wells, Calif., and 2004 at Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside Course), in St. Simons Island, Ga. Three matches this week have gone 21 holes, and another has lasted 20 holes.