The 36-hole final match will be held Saturday, July 22, and will tee off the No. 1 tee at 7:30am for the morning round and 12:30pm for the afternoon round. An awards ceremony will be held immediately following the completion of the match.
Borgida had played in the PNGA Junior Boys’ Amateur a couple years ago, but that had been his only prior experience in match play.
“I love match play,” he says. “I find that try to play my own game. It’s super fun. I tell my brother I feel like we’re playing with house money this week. A great golf course, a great setting. I’ve had to hit all 14 clubs in my bag here. Just a great experience.”
His younger brother Sam caddied for Ben in today’s two matches. “He’s going off to summer camp, and then I head back to school, so this has been a great chance for us to spend some time together before we go our separate ways.”
Cantlay is the younger brother of PGA TOUR player Patrick Cantlay, who competed in the 2010 U.S. Amateur, held that year at Chambers Bay.
Borgida is a rising sophomore on the Washington State University men’s golf team.
Koo, the No. 12 seed, had defeated No. 4 seed Nicholas Watts in this morning’s quarterfinal match, 3&2, and then faced No. 41 seed Ethan Chung in the semifinal.
“It was a long day, and it’s been a long week,” Koo said. “But I had a game plan.”
Koo fell behind early against Chung, but tied the match at 12 and went 1-up on No. 13.
On No. 15, the par-3 with the Lone Fir in the background, Koo dropped a 6-foot putt to save par and halve the hole to maintain his lead, and immediately walked to the 16th tee and, hitting first, swung away with his driver, putting the ball on the green of the 323-yard par-4.
“In this morning’s round, I was debating about whether to hit driver there,” he said afterward. “But even if I lay up I still have to then hit a good pitch shot. So if I hit a driver good, it will put all the pressure on Chung. All I have to do is hit a good driver and it will work out in my favor.”
The two would halve 16 with birdies, and then Koo hit a 5-iron on the 208-yard par-3 No. 17, and proceeded to sink the 25-foot birdie to seal his 2&1 win.
Koo had competed in the U.S. Junior Amateur last year, but that was his only previous match-play experience. He competed one year on the University of Washington men’s golf team, but is transferring to play for Pepperdine University in the fall.