Niall Shiels Donegan, the Scot who grew up in nearby Mill Valley, advanced to the U.S. Amateur semifinals Friday at The Olympic Club, thrilling his large, vocal gallery of hometown supporters.
Donegan outlasted Notre Dame junior Jacob Modleski in a tense match that required extra holes, winning with a par on the 19th in windy conditions. He forced the playoff by draining a clutch 6-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th to pull even.
It’s been quite a journey for Donegan, who’s headed to North Carolina this fall after two years at Northwestern. What makes his run even more remarkable? He was among the 17 players who barely made it into match play, advancing from a 20-man playoff Wednesday morning to determine the final spots in the 64-player bracket.
Donegan’s semifinal opponent will be rising Tennessee sophomore Jackson Herrington, who dispatched Jimmy Abdo of Gustavus Adolphus College 4-and-2. Herrington’s path mirrors Donegan’s – he also survived that Wednesday playoff to reach match play.
Golf runs deep in Donegan’s family. His father, Lawrence, was a longtime golf correspondent for The Guardian.
The other semifinal features Georgia teen Mason Howell against Oklahoma State junior Eric Lee. Both won their quarterfinal matches 1 up, with the 18-year-old Howell defeating John Daly II, and Lee edging 16-year-old Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
Howell’s no stranger to big moments. He qualified for the U.S. Open this year by firing back-to-back 63s at the Atlanta sectional – impressive firepower from the young Georgian.
Daly, a senior-to-be at Arkansas, carries one of golf’s most recognizable names. He’s the son of two-time major champion John Daly, though his impressive run at Olympic came to an end against Howell’s steady play.
