How They're Doing: Minnesotans on Pro Tour Money Lists -- March 25
March 26, 2024
BIRMIINGHAM, Ala. -- A first-round 70 had Tim McKenney and Will Strickler on the edge of elimination at the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. A second-round 63 at the Country Club of Birmingham on Sunday got them into a 10-for-9 playoff, which they survived by making a par on the first extra hole.
The former University of Florida teammates entered the first round of match play on Monday as the No. 28-seeded team, and once again they put themselves in jeopardy right away, losing the first two holes to pars by the No. 5 seeds, Evan Beck and Dan Walters. Undaunted, Mckenney, who now lives in Minnesota, and Strickler, who lives in Dallas, rallied again. They birdied the third hole, and after losing the seventh to a par, they won the eighth with a birdie and leveled the match by making an eagle at the 564-yard, par-5 10th.
But then Beck and Walters, applied the match play version of a chain saw to the McKenney/Strickler combo. The two Wake Forest almuni rattled off four birdies in a row, beginning with the 349-yard, par-4 12th, and ending with the 613-yard, par-5 15th. That capped off a 5&3 victory and propelled Beck/Walters into Tuesday's Round of 16.
The three teams that tied for medalist honors in stroke-play qualifying with 36-hole totals of 128 all won on Monday. Torey Edwards and Bret Parker had the closest match of those three teams, a 4&2 victory. Chad Wilfong and Davis Womble won 5&3, and Carter Loflin and Wells Williams needed only 14 holes in a 6&4 victory.
There was a second team besides McKenney and Strickler that qualified for the Four-Ball last fall in Minnesota, at Golden Valley G&CC -- Ryan Conn, a former Minnesota State Four-Ball champion (with Hunter Rebrovich), and Josh Persons, a former North Dakota state high school champ who played for the Gophers and then spent time on the Nationwide (now Korn Ferry) Tour before regaining his amateur status.
Conn and Persons shot a pair of 67's at the CC of Birmingham, but their 134 total was one too many to make the 10-for-9 playoff.
U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship
At The Country Club of Birmingham
East Course (par 70)
& West Course (par 71)
Birmingham, Ala.
(Qualifying was played at both courses, but all matches will be played on the West Course.)
Stroke play (the top 32 teams advanced)
T1. Torey Edwards/Bret Parker 65-63--128
T1. Chad Wilfong/Davis Womble 65-63--128
T1. Carter Loflin/Wells Williams 61-67--128
T4. Matthew McLaughlin/Christian Vozza 64-65--129
T4. Evan Beck/Dan Walters 62-67--129
T4. Zach Kingsland/William Sides 64-65--129
T24. Tim McKenney/Will Strickler 70-63--133
Missed cut (10 teams at 133 played off for nine spots)
T34. Ryan Conn/Josh Persons 67-67--134
Match play
Round of 32
(1) Edwards/Parker def. (32) Chad Branton/Kyle Hosick 4&2
(5) Evan Beck/Dan Walters def. (28) Tim McKenney/Will Strickler 5&3
(2) Carter Loflin/Wells Williams def. (31) Trey Diehl/Tyler Diehl 6&4
(3) Chad Wilfong/Davis Womble def. (30) Joseph Lloyd/Drew Mabrey 5&3
March 6, 2024
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