The members at The Country Club of North Carolina will get a chance to see their favorite son for at least one more day. Jackson Van Paris, 17, who is getting a rare opportunity to compete in a USGA championship on his home course, opened match play on Wednesday in the 73rd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship with a comfortable 4-and-3 victory over fellow North Carolinian Spencer Turtz, of Charlotte.
Van Paris, an incoming freshman at Vanderbilt University, will join medalist Kelly Chinn – along with 14 of the other top-16-seeded players – in Thursday’s Round of 32. The next opponent for Van Paris will be incoming Georgia Tech freshman Benjamin Reuter, 18, of the Netherlands, at 7:12 a.m. ET.
Jackson Van Paris hits his drive on the first hole during the Round of 64 at the 2021 U.S. Junior at The Country Club of North Carolina on Wednesday, July 21. (Chris Keane/USGA)
Reuter, competing in his first USGA championship and fourth event ever in the U.S., played the equivalent of 4-under-par golf (with concessions) in ousting the youngest player to make the match-play field, Matvey Golovanov, 14, of the Russian Federation, 6 and 5.
With a gallery of some 30 friends and family, Van Paris jumped out to a quick lead, going 5 up after 10 holes, including three in a row from No. 8. Van Paris said the par-5 fifth, where he got up and down from the drop zone to go 2 up, was a critical hole in the match.
“That was one of the biggest moments for me in the match,” said Van Paris, the runner-up in the North & South Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2 earlier this month. “Spencer and I are good friends, so you just hate … playing your friend in the first round of match play. It's unfortunate. But we had fun.”
Van Paris finished before the mercury creeped into the 90s on a typical sultry summer day in the Sandhills. Despite the sticky temperatures and humidity, few of the top players had to sweat out their Round-of-64 matches.
Spencer Turtz of Charlotte hits a drive from the second tee during the Round of 64 at the 2021 U.S. Junior at The Country Club of North Carolina. (Chris Keane/USGA)
Chinn, 18, of Great Falls, Va., had to wait until the last tee time (2:12 p.m.) before starting his contest against Brendan Valdes, 18, of Orlando, Fla., the last player to make the draw following Wednesday morning’s 13-for-10 playoff. But after a tight opening nine, the No. 39 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking®/WAGR® and incoming Duke University freshman cruised to a 3-and-2 win.
“I guess a little bit harder opponent than I would expect for the [Round of] 64, but at the same time, though, I've just got to play whoever I play,” said Chinn, who matched the 36-hole U.S. Junior Amateur stroke-play scoring record of 132. “We both played some really solid golf. I don't think we made a bogey on the front nine. I knew if I just continued to play my game … that eventually my lead would grow, which is what happened.”
No. 2 seed Andrew Goodman, 18, of Norman, Okla., headed to hometown University of Oklahoma this fall, won four holes in a row from No. 5 in his 5-and-4 victory over Rylan Wotherspoon, of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Both Ford twins, 18, from Peachtree Corners, Ga., also advanced. No. 4 seed David, a left-hander headed to the University of North Carolina next month, claimed five of six holes starting at No. 8 en route to a 5-and-4 win over Rylan Johnson, of Gilbert, Ariz. No. 7 seed Maxwell, a Georgia signee, built a 5-up lead through nine holes before settling for a 2-and-1 win over Connor Williams, of Escondido, Calif.
Maxwell Ford of Peachtree Corners, Ga., won his Round of 64 match in the U.S. Junior Amateur at the Country Club of North Carolina, as did twin brother David Ford. (USGA/Chris Keane)
And No. 3 seed Nicholas Dunlap, 17, of Birmingham, Ala., a former Punt, Pass & Kick national finalist, eliminated Jack Turner, of Orlando, Fla., 3 and 2.
The lone upset among the top-16 seeds was Jonas Appel, 17, of Encinitas, Calif., taking out No. 11 Benjamin James, of Milford, Conn., 2 and 1.
One of the wildest matches of the day saw No. 5 seed Caleb Surratt, 17, of Indian Trail, N.C., last week’s winner of the PGA Junior Championship, overcome an early 3-down deficit to defeat Daniel Choi, of Keller, Texas, the son of eight-time PGA Tour winner K.J. Choi.
What’s Next
Two rounds of match play are on tap for Thursday, with the Round of 32 starting at 7 a.m. EDT and the Round of 16 scheduled to begin at 1:15 p.m. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be contested on Friday, with Peacock streaming live from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Golf Channel re-airing the broadcast from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The 36-hole championship match is Saturday.
Notable
Six players from North Carolina, led by Country Club of North Carolina member Jackson Van Paris, qualified for match play. The others were Spencer Turtz (Charlotte), Owen Kose (Holly Springs), Hampton Roberts (Cary), Caleb Surratt (Indian Trail) and Sihan Sandhu (Pinehurst). Van Paris and Roberts were the only victors. California led the way with 11 competitors, followed by Florida with nine.
Besides the USA, six other countries were represented in the match-play draw: the Russian Federation (Matvey Golovanov); the Netherlands (Benjamin Reuter), England (Conor Gough); France (Martin Couvra); Canada (Hunter Thomson) and the United Arab Emirates (Arjun Gupta).
A pair of players produced 7-and-5 victories. Rowan Sullivan, of Charleston, S.C., won eight of his last nine holes in his win over Andrew Clark, while Carson Brewer, of Jacksonville, Fla., didn’t lose a hole in his triumph over Cole Ekert.
The 13-for-10 playoff for the final match-play spots lasted four holes and 1 hour, 49 minutes.
Two of the 32 matches went extra holes, the longest being Gupta’s 20-hole win over Jackson Koivun. Luke Clanton, of Miami Lakes, Fla., edged Ben Sluzas in 19 holes.
Six members of the 82nd Airborne Division Paratroopers from nearby Fort Bragg served as caddies this week. One, specialist Zachary Wells, made match play only to see his player, Brady Siravo, lose to Cohen Trolio. The others who caddied are Jacob Kirkpatrick, Nathan Krupin, Tanner Nelson, Travis Bryant and Larry Lofley.
Quotable
“Yesterday was kind of the same schedule in terms of waking up, eating and coming here. Kind of just stuck with that. Kind of took my mind off of golf this morning, just kind of relaxed. It wasn't too bad.” – Kelly Chinn on the wait to play his Round-of-64 match
“If you want to win the event you've got to beat them all anyways, so that's kind of the way I look at it. I don't look at it any differently even if I was playing a bunch of guys I've never heard of. You've just got to go out and try to play your game and play a little better than the guy you're playing against.” – Jackson Van Paris when asked about his potentially difficult draw
“It was a different type of pressure that I've never really been in, having to defend the [1-up] lead coming down 18, especially with a great player like Daniel [Choi]. It was a different level of intensity than I've had before, but I think it's great to put that under my belt for future play in match play.” – Caleb Surratt on the wild momentum swings of his opening-round match
“She was unreal at reading greens today. She was a huge help. I think she was a little tired out there and she kept going.” – David Ford on the assistance from caddie/girlfriend Amanda Sambach, a University of Virginia signee
“Coming back to the U.S. Junior, it's a little different, just the way guys play, period, the way junior golfers play and the way good amateurs play is different. But still, golf is golf and the grass doesn't know who's hitting the ball off of it.” – Cohen Trolio on playing his first U.S. Junior after two U.S. Amateur starts, including a semifinal showing in 2019 at Pinehurst
“We play a lot of match play in Europe. But on this level, I don't think there's a difference between match play or stroke play because you still have to make the best score you can.” – Benjamin Reuter, of the Netherlands on his experience with the format
“Every playoff is pressure, but especially to be in [match play] of the U.S. Junior Amateur. It was a lot of pressure and a lot of fun, actually.” – Brendan Valdes after surviving a four-hole playoff to get the 64th and final spot in the draw
VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. – Results from Wednesday’s Round of 64 of match play at the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, played at 7,088-yard, par-72 The Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood Course).
Round of 64
(Upper Bracket)
Kelly Chinn, Great Falls, Va. (132) def. Brendan Valdes, Orlando, Fla. (147), 3 and 2
Luke Clanton, Miami Lakes, Fla. (144) def, Ben Sluzas, Lockport, Ill. (144), 19 holes
Benjamin Reuter, Netherlands (141) def. Matvey Golovanov, Russian Federation (146), 6 and 5
Jackson Van Paris, Pinehurst, N.C. (142) def. Spencer Turtz, Charlotte, N.C. (146), 4 and 3
Gordon Sargent, Birmingham, Ala. (138) def. Kyle An, Aliso Viejo, Calif. (147), 2 and 1
Hampton Roberts, Cary, N.C. (145) def. Owen Kose, Holly Springs, N.C. (143), 5 and 4
Bryan Lee, Fairfax, Va. (138) def. Braeden Barnett, Galivants Ferry, S.C. (147), 5 and 3
Carter Loflin, Duluth, Ga. (146) def. PJ Maybank, Cheboygan, Mich. (143), 4 and 2
David Ford, Peachtree Corners, Ga. (136) def. Rylan Johnson, Gilbert, Ariz. (147), 5 and 4
Conor Gough, England (144) def. Baron Szeto, Moraga, Calif. (145), 2 up
Cohen Trolio, West Point, Miss. (141) def. Brady Siravo, Sacramento, Calif. (146), 4 and 3
John Broderick, Wellesley, Mass. (143) def. William Sides, Tulsa, Okla. (146), 3 and 2
Caleb Surratt, Indian Trail, N.C. (137) def. Daniel Choi, Keller, Texas (147), 1 up
Rowan Sullivan, Charleston, S.C. (145) def. Andrew Clark, Winter Park, Fla. (144), 7 and 5
Jonathan Griz, Hilton Head Island, S.C. (141) def. Martin Couvra, France (146), 5 and 3
Buck Brumlow, Cartersville, Ga. (146) def. Nathan Sampson, Temecula, Calif. (143), 1 up
(Lower Bracket)
Andrew Goodman, Norman, Okla. (135) def. Rylan Wotherspoon, Cincinnati, Ohio (147), 5 and 4
Gene Zeigler, Florence, S.C. (144) def. Sihan Sandhu, Pinehurst, N.C. (144), 2 and 1
Luke Potter, Encinitas, Calif. (141) def. Sam Davis, Jacksonville, Fla. (146), 2 up
Alexander Yang, Carlsbad, Calif. (142) def. Scotty Kennon, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (146), 2 and 1
Maxwell Ford, Peachtree Corners, Ga. (137) def. Connor Williams, Escondido, Calif. (147), 2 and 1
Aaron Pounds, The Woodlands, Texas (143) def. Jay Nimmo, Benton, Ky. (145), 1 up
Carson Brewer, Jacksonville, Fla. (140) def. Cole Eckert, Chatham, N.J. (147), 7 and 5
Joshua Stewart, Winter Springs, Fla. (143) def. Joe Wilson IV, West Chester, Ohio (146), 6 and 4
Nicholas Dunlap, Huntsville, Ala. (136) def. Jack Turner, Orlando, Fla. (147), 3 and 2
Hunter Thomson, Canada (145) def. Jackson Roman, Kensington, Conn. (144), 2 up
Matthew Comegys, Van Alstyne, Texas (141) def. Aidan Gutierrez, Valparaiso, Ind. (146), 3 and 2
Marshall Meisel, Chevy Chase, Md. (146) def. Anton Ouyang, San Jose, Calif. (142), 2 and 1
Rylan Shim, Centreville, Va. (137) def. Jackson Hymer, San Antonio, Texas (147), 3 and 2
Arjun Gupta, United Arab Emirates (145) def. Jackson Koivun, San Jose, Calif. (143), 20 holes
Jonas Appel, Encinitas, Calif. (146) def. Benjamin James, Milford, Conn. (141), 2 and 1
Robbie Higgins, Sarasota, Fla. (143) def. Dylan McDermott, Granite Bay, Calif. (146), 1 up
VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. - Pairings and tee times for Thursday’s Round of 32 of match play at the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, played at 7,088-yard, par-72 The Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood Course).
All Times EDT
Round of 32
(Upper Bracket)
7 a.m. - Kelly Chinn, Great Falls, Va. (132) vs. Luke Clanton, Miami Lakes, Fla. (144)
7:12 a.m. - Benjamin Reuter, Netherlands (141) vs. Jackson Van Paris, Pinehurst, N.C. (142)
7:24 a.m. - Gordon Sargent, Birmingham, Ala. (138) vs. Hampton Roberts, Cary, N.C. (145)
7:36 a.m. - Bryan Lee, Fairfax, Va. (138) vs. Carter Loflin, Duluth, Ga. (146)
7:48 a.m. - David Ford, Peachtree Corners, Ga. (136) vs. Conor Gough, England (144)
8 a.m. - Cohen Trolio, West Point, Miss. (141) vs. John Broderick, Wellesley, Mass. (143)
8:12 a.m. - Caleb Surratt, Indian Trail, N.C. (137) vs. Rowan Sullivan, Charleston, S.C. (145)
8:24 a.m. - Jonathan Griz, Hilton Head Island, S.C. (141) vs. Buck Brumlow, Cartersville, Ga. (146)
(Lower Bracket)
8:36 a.m. - Andrew Goodman, Norman, Okla. (135) vs. Gene Zeigler, Florence, S.C. (144)
8:48 a.m. - Luke Potter, Encinitas, Calif. (141) vs. Alexander Yang, Carlsbad, Calif. (142)
9 a.m. - Maxwell Ford, Peachtree Corners, Ga. (137) vs. Aaron Pounds, The Woodlands, Texas (143)
9:12 a.m. - Carson Brewer, Jacksonville, Fla. (140) vs. Joshua Stewart, Winter Springs, Fla. (143)
9:24 a.m. - Nicholas Dunlap, Huntsville, Ala. (136) vs. Hunter Thomson, Canada (145)
9:36 a.m. - Matthew Comegys, Van Alstyne, Texas (141) vs. Marshall Meisel, Chevy Chase, Md. (146)
9:48 a.m. - Rylan Shim, Centreville, Va. (137) vs. Arjun Gupta, United Arab Emirates (145)
10 a.m. - Jonas Appel, Encinitas, Calif. (146) vs. Robbie Higgins, Sarasota, Fla. (143)
*Round of 32 winners advance to the Round of 16 of match play on Thursday, beginning at 1:15 p.m.