SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Niall Shiels Donegan, the Scot who grew up in nearby Mill Valley, advanced to the U.S. Amateur semifinals Friday at The Olympic Club to the delight of his large, vocal gallery.
Donegan — set for his first season at North Carolina after two years at Northwestern — outlasted Notre Dame junior Jacob Modleski with a par on the 19th hole in windy conditions.
“I feel like with this crowd, I know so many of them, it just feels very natural. ... I can’t thank them enough for being here,” Donegan said. “I’m just trying to enjoy the moment. ... It’s amazing they’re giving me so much support.”
Donegan pulled even with a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th.
“You’ve just got to stay so patient,” Donegan said. “You can’t get ahead of yourself… one hole is its own event, and it’s just all about staying in the present, not thinking ahead.”
Donegan will face rising Tennessee sophomore Jackson Herrington, a 4-and-2 winner over Jimmy Abdo of Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota.
“I didn’t play too well today,” Herrington said. “I was pretty mad at myself for that. I felt like I kept him in it a little too long, but I got the job done.”
Herrington and Donegan were among the 17 players who advanced from a 20-man playoff Wednesday morning to determine the final 64 for match play. Donegan’s father, Lawrence, was a longtime golf correspondent for The Guardian.
In the other semifinal, Georgia teen Mason Howell will face Oklahoma State junior Eric Lee. They each won their matches 1 up, with the 18-year-old Howell beating John Daly II, and Lee edging 16-year-old Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
“I like the fact that it’s just me and one other guy,” Lee said. “I don’t really need to worry about what I shot. Just need to worry about beating the other guy.”
Howell qualified for the U.S. Open this year with rounds of 63-63 from the Atlanta sectional. Daly, a senior-to-be at Arkansas, is the son of two-time major champion John Daly.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
The Associated Press
