CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. — It’s extremely difficult to make the cut at the U.S. Amateur. So much so, only one in five golfers make it to match play.
What started Monday morning with 312 players across two sites is down to 64 at the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club. The cut came in at 1 over, but that doesn’t mean the match play bracket is set.
For a while, it looked as if there would be a 15-for-1 playoff on Wednesday morning, but some late score adjustments resulted in exactly 64 players making the cut, meaning match play will begin at 11 a.m. ET Wednesday at Cherry Hills.
Those 1 over and worse are packing their bags. Meanwhile, there was a three-way tie for medalist honors, including the youngest to win the U.S. Amateur medalist honors.
U.S. Amateur: Photos
Here’s a look at which notable amateurs didn’t make the cut at the U.S. Amateur.
Kazuma Kobori (1 over)
The Elite Amateur Series Cup winner and Western Amateur champion was victim to a late cut-line shift and will miss match play.
Stewart Hagestad (1 over)
Hagestad, the famous 32-year-old Mid-Amateur, had an insane back nine and got up-and-down from 200 yards on the final hole to get in at 1 over after a 66 at Cherry Hills, but unfortunately he will miss match play, where he had been a quarterfinalist in two of the past three years.
Mac McClear (3 over)
McClear came into the U.S. Amateur on somewhat of a hot streak. He won the Illinois State Amateur and made it to match play at the Western Amateur, but rounds of 72-74 were enough to send him home early.
Frederik Kjettrup (3 over)
Florida State senior Frederik Kjettrup didn’t play poorly in Colorado, carding rounds of 72-74, but it wasn’t enough to move on to match play.
Barclay Brown (4 over)
Brown, who’s ranked 25th in WAGR, had a poor Monday at Cherry Hills, shooting 77. He bounced back Tuesday, shooting 70 at Colorado Golf Club, but it wasn’t enough.
Bryan Kim (4 over)
Kim, the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur winner, shot 4 over on Friday at Colorado Golf Club to end up missing the cut after an even-par opening day at Cherry Hills.
Michael Brennan (6 over)
Brennan, who’s ranked 18th in WAGR, shot rounds of 76 and 73 and didn’t help any last-minute case to make the Walker Cup team.
Harrison Crowe (9 over)
Crowe, who won the Asian-Pacific Amateur last fall, shot rounds of 77-75 and will miss match play.
John Gough (11 over)
Gough, ranked 11th in WAGR, is the highest-ranked player heading home early after struggling in the Mile High City. He shot 79 on Monday at Cherry Hills before a 75 at Colorado Golf Club.
Christiaan Maas (12 over)
The runner-up at the Western Amateur couldn’t find his stride in Colorado. The rising sophomore at Texas shot rounds of 74-81.
