John Daly II and Niall Shiels Donegan powered through two matches Thursday at The Olympic Club to reach the U.S. Amateur quarterfinals, while more highly-ranked players saw their tournaments end.
Daly, son of two-time major champion John Daly, defeated Nate Smith 2 and 1 in the morning’s round of 32 before taking down South Africa’s Daniel Bennett 3 and 2 in the afternoon round of 16.
The Arkansas senior now faces 18-year-old Mason Howell of Georgia in the quarterfinals. Howell, who turned heads earlier this year by shooting back-to-back 63s at the Atlanta sectional to qualify for the U.S. Open, continued his impressive play by knocking off second-ranked Virginia senior Ben James 1 up and then defeating Max Herendeen 2 and 1. Herendeen had earlier eliminated top-ranked Jackson Koivun 3 and 2 in the morning session.
Donegan, who competes under the Scottish flag but calls the Bay Area home, pulled off two nail-biting 1-up victories. He first toppled ninth-ranked Christiaan Maas of South Africa before upsetting fourth-ranked Preston Stout, the Oklahoma State junior who had earned medalist honors in stroke play.
Against Stout, Donegan squared the match with a clutch birdie on the par-3 15th before taking the lead with a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-5 16th. What makes Donegan’s run even more remarkable is that he barely made it into match play, advancing from a 20-man playoff Wednesday morning that determined the final spots in the 64-player bracket. His father, Lawrence, has deep golf connections as a longtime golf correspondent for The Guardian.
Donegan will next face Jacob Modleski, who defeated China’s Paul Chang 2 up. At No. 15 in the world amateur ranking, Modleski is now the highest-ranked player remaining in the field.
Sixteen-year-old Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, also secured his quarterfinal spot with a 2-and-1 victory over Mahanth Chirravuri. Russell, ranked 16th globally, will face 29th-ranked Eric Lee, who advanced 2 up when Josh Duangmanee lost his ball off the tee on the final hole.
The remaining quarterfinal will pit Jimmy Abdo against Jackson Herrington to round out the elite eight.
