Sample Eliminated at U.S. Amateur
UPDATE (August 14, 2024) -- Luke Sample dropped his opening round match in the 124th U.S. Amateur Championship, falling to Bobby Massa of Dallas, Texas by a 2-and-1 margin at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
Related: U.S. Amateur Home | Scoring
Sample, 21, and Massa, 36, traded wins across the first nine, winning three holes apiece. Massa's win on No. 9 -- a birdie three -- sparked a run of five consecutive holes won for the mid-amateur competitor. Though Massa built a 4-up advantage, Sample battled back with three consecutive wins of his own to cut the deficit to just one hole. However, Massa won the par-3 17th with birdie to take the 2-and-1 victory.
Sample was the lone Met Area player to advance to match play.
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (August 13, 2024) -- Luke Sample of New York City advanced to match play in the 124th U.S. Amateur Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., firing rounds of 69-72 en route to a tie for 32nd over the two-days of on-site stroke play qualifying.
Related: U.S. Amateur Home | Scoring
Sample, a four-time MGA champion, posted a 1-under 70 in his opening round on stroke-play co-host Chaska Town Course, registering three birdies and an eagle. On day two, Sample opened with a pair of bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 of Hazeltine National, but bounced back with birdies on Nos. 12 and 15 to make the turn in even par. Though he had a bogey-double bogey sequence on Nos. 3-4, the rising Duke University senior once again rebounded well, responding with three consecutive birdies to move back to even for the round and 1-under overall. Two closing pars cemented his spot in the 64-player bracket. Sample will aim to put a similar run together as he did in The Amateur Championship in June, as he advanced all the way to the semifinal round at Ballyliffin in Ireland. He will square off against mid-amateur competitor Bobby Massa of Dallas at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.
It took even-par to get into a playoff for the final match play spots, leaving several Met Area players just off the pace for the two days. Met Amateur champion Donte Groppuso of Kingston, N.Y., who earned his spot in the field thanks to his victory at Somerset Hills, had a strong start with a 68 on day one at Chaska Town Course, but fell off the pace with a 4-over 76 at Hazeltine National for a 2-over total. Barnes Blake of Westfield, N.J., carded a 1-under 71 at Hazeltine in the first round, but a 3-over 73 at Chaska Town Course also left him at 2-over for qualifying.
Jack Wall of Brielle, N.J., matched Groppuso with an opening round 68 on Chaska Town Course, but had a similar fate on Hazeltine National with a 6-over 78 to finish at 4-over. Past MGA Player of the Year Stewart Hagestad of Newport Beach, Calif., (76-69); Matt Lowe of Farmingdale, N.Y., (74-74); Colin Summers of Westfield, N.J., (74-78); and Reed Greyserman of Short Hills, N.J., (79-80) all missed match play as well.
The Round of 64 begins Wednesday morning, with Golf Channel delivering live coverage from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT.