U.S. Am semis set: Tyler Strafaci advances again on 18, Aman Gupta rallies to meet him
BANDON, Ore. – Tyler Strafaci clinched a victory on the 18th green for the second day in a row.
This time, he was able to celebrate.
After a bizarre victory that garnered national attention on Thursday, Strafaci defeated Stewart Hagestad, 1 up, in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur Friday evening at Bandon Dunes. The Georgia Tech star advanced to face Aman Gupta of Oklahoma State in Saturday’s semifinal.
Strafaci was tied with Segundo Oliva Pinto heading to the 18th hole in the round of 16 when Oliva Pinto’s caddie touched the sand, a rules violation that cost his player the hole and match as Strafaci won, 1 up. Television cameras caught Strafaci’s surprise when he was told the penalty was not just a stroke, but rather a loss of hole before he consoled Oliva Pinto.
“Yesterday, I had a weird feeling leaving the course because that has never happened to me before for something to end that quickly,” said the 22-year old from Davie, Florida. “Today, I told myself that I was going to have to play one of the best rounds I’ve ever played and I think I did that.”
U.S. Amateur: Leaderboard | Photos
The match was tied before Strafaci made a par on the 17th hole to take a 1-up lead. Strafaci left a birdie putt about four feet short on No. 18, but made that putt to halve the hole and win the match.
“It would have been nice to lag that first one up closer, but making that four-footer gives me confidence,” Strafaci said. “If I have that putt tomorrow to win the match, I know I can do it.”
Hagestad, the oldest quarterfinalist at age 29 and competing in his 10th U.S. Amateur, won the first hole before Strafaci won the next hole. Strafaci got up and down from a bunker on the third, fourth and fifth holes to keep the match tied before he knocked his tee shot on the par-three sixth hole to within five feet and made the birdie putt to take his first lead.
Strafaci went 2 up with a birdie on the 13th hole before he bogeyed the next two holes as Hagestad made two pars to tie the match.
“I gave up a two-hole lead, but I had a good mindset and it didn’t bother me at all,” Strafaci said. “Yesterday, I was leaking down the stretch and felt tired, but today I felt really solid.”
Strafaci will face a familiar foe in Gupta as the two contended at a collegiate tournament in Hawaii during the spring and paired up for a practice round last week.
Gupta was 2 down to 18-year old Michael Thorbjornsen through 10 holes before he won the 11th and tied the match with a birdie on No. 14. Gupta took his first lead with a par on the 15th hole.
“It was a dogfight,” Gupta said. “We were both hitting it good all day but struggling on the greens. When I got it back to even on No. 14, that birdie was huge and gave me the momentum because I had a tough up-and-down on No. 13.”
Gupta went back ahead with a par on the 17th hole and won the match, 1 up, when he and Thornbjornsen each made par on No. 18.
“I started to hit my stride the last six or seven holes,” Gupta said. “I was down one or two, but I knew I was still in it so I gave myself a little kick and off I went.”
SMU’s Charles Osborne will face off against Matthew Sharpstene of Charlotte in the other semifinal.
Osborne appeared to have an easy trip to the semis when he took a 4-up lead through eight holes against Arizona State’s Cameron Sisk. But Sisk won four straight holes to tie the match through 14 before Osborne rebounded to win the 15th and 16th holes.
Osborne cinched the 2-and-1 victory when he and Sisk each parred the 17th hole.
“You are pretty upbeat and excited and then it gets back to even and all that work is gone,” Osborne said. “I am thankful I was able to hold him off. I had some bad lies and hit some poor shots coming in so it was nice to win 15 and 16 to get it back.”
Sharpstene never trailed during a 4-and-2 victory over LSU’s Philip Barbaree.
