Holmgren Wins Twice at Oakmont; Broin Eliminated

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OAKMONT, Pa. -- Van Holmgren beat two opponents and also the rain Thursday, as he earned a place in the Round of 16 at the 2021 U.S. Amateur Championship. 

The 2017 Minnesota state high school champion from Wayzata -- and 2018 State Amateur champ -- tied for seventh in the rain-plagued stroke-play qualifying over the course of three days by posting a 66 at Longue Vue Country Club and backing it up with a 70 at Oakmont CC. His first match, against the No. 58 seed, Maxwell Moldovan, was supposed to be played Wednesday at Oakmont (all matches are being played at Oakmont this week), but two lengthy rain delays during qualifying pushed everything back, and the Holmgren-Moldovan match didn't even get started until Thursday morning.

Although Holmgren never trailed, things got a little tense on the back nine. A birdie at the 609-yard, par-5 fifth hole and a par at the sixth gave Holmgren a 2-up lead, but he made a double bogey at the seventh (479 yards, par 4). A par at the ninth (477, par 4) and a birdie at the 10th (462, par 4) increased his lead to 3 up. But then Moldovan birdied the 379-yard, par-4 11th, the 667-yard, par-5 12th and won the 183-yard 13th with a par to draw even. 

Holmgren, who finished his senior year at Florida Gulf Coast University this spring, has played some great golf under pressure this year, most notably when he birdied the last two holes to win the Atlantic Sun Conference title by one stroke this spring. On Thursday, he came through when it really mattered once again. Having seen his 3-up lead disappear in a span of three holes, he proceeded to win the next three holes -- with a par a the 14th (358 yards, par 4), a birdie at the long par-4 15th (500 yards) and a par at the 231-yard, par-3 16th, for a 3&2 victory. 

His medal score for the 16 holes he needed to advance was 1 under.

He was 3 under in the afternoon for 15 holes as he dispatched the player with the longest name in the tournament, Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira, the No. 39 seed from Argentina. Not only did Holmgren not trail in that one, but he didn't lose a single hole. He won the 500-yard, par 4 sixth with a par and went 2 up with a par at the 10th. Two more pars at the par-4 12th and 13th doubled his advantage. He halved the 609-yard, par-5 14th with a par and the 382-yard, par-4 15th with a birdie to secure a 4&3 victory.

Holmgren did well to finish Fernandez de Oliveira off when he did, because the rain showed up again shortly thereafter, and his was the last match to be completed Thursday. Twelve matches were still in progress and will have to be finished Friday morning. 

So the Round of 16 will be delayed somewhat, but when it does get started, Holmgren will play the winner of the match between No. 55 Caden Fioroni and No. 23 Matthew Sharpstene. They were tied after 17 holes when play was suspended Thursday.   

Minnesota's other match-play qualifier, the No. 37 seed, Gunnar Broin, a Colorado State sophomore to be from Chanhassen, got off to a great start in his first match, with birdies at the second and fourth holes. That gave him a quick 2-up lead against Trent Phillips (No. 28). Broin was still 2 up after seven holes, but he lost the next four holes to pars, and when he doubled the 313-yard, par-4 17th, Phillips closed him out 3&1.  

You could also think of No. 5 seed Brian Stark as an adopted Minnesotan. He's from California and goes to Oklahoma State, but he was the medalist in the U.S. Am qualifier at Dacotah Ridge (65-68--133). So far this week, he has tied for fifth in stroke play (66-69--135) and, as the No. 5 seed, he made it through the Round of 64, beating Alabama wiz kid Gordon Sargent (the No. 60 seed) 1 up. Sargent, a two-time Alabana State Amateur champion who won't start his freshman year at Vanderbilt for another few weeks, led 2 up after birdies at the second and fourth holes, but he made four bogeys in a five-hole stretch from the ninth through the 13th. That enabled Stark to go 2 up. Sargent played the last five holes 2 under, but Stark played them 1 under and advanced.

There aren't really any big upsets at the U.S. Amateur, because you had to shoot 143 or better just to make it to match play. But it was a bit of a surprise on Thursday when  David Nyfjall of Sweden knocked off the No. 1 seed Mark Goetz, who finished 11 shots ahead of Nyfjall in stroke play (64-68--132 to (72-71--143). Nyfjall proved himself under pressure Wednesday by surviving a 12-for-1 playoff just to get the No. 64 seed.  He went birdie, par, par on three par 4's, all of them in excess of 470 yards, and he was great when it mattered against Goetz. 

After Goetz went birdie, par, birdie to win the 12th, 13th and 14th holes, Nyfjall won the 15th, 16th  and 17th with pars, and then birdied the daunting, 484-yard, par-4 18th to win 1 up.

As if that weren't enough drama for one day, he and Ricky Castillo (No. 33) played 20 holes in their second-round match on Friday afternoon and were still tied when rain brought play to a halt. Castillo had pulled even with Nyfjall by birdying the 15th hole, but Nyfjall went 1 up again with a par at the long par-3 16th. They both birdied the 17th, and Castillo forced Nyjfall into extra holes by making another birdie at the 18th. Both players parred the first two extra holes.   


U.S. Amateur 

At Oakmont Country Club 

Par 70, 7,206 yards

& Longue Vue Club

Par 70, 6,705 yards

(All matches will be played at Oakmont)

Stroke play qualifying (top 64 advance to match play)

1. Mark Goetz, Greensburg, Pa.                   64-68--132

2. Brian Ma, Milpitas, Calif.                           65-68--133

3. Michael Thorbjornsen, Wellesley, Mass.   65--69--134

T4. Brian Stark, Kingsburg, Calif.              66-69--135

T4. Travis Vick, Houston                                67-68--135

T4. Brad Reeves, Woodbridge, Calif.             65-70--135

T7. Van Holmgren, Plymouth                      66-70--136

T7. Jacob Bridgeman, Inman, S.C.               63-73--136

T37. Gunnar Broin, Chanhassen                   71-70--141

Missed cut (there was a 12-for-1 playoff for the No. 64 seed at 143)

Jacob Pedersen, Minnetonka                     70-74--144

Derek Hitchner, Minneapolis                       69-76--145

Cecil Belisle, Red Wing                                81-67--148

Jeremy Tetrault, Forest Lake                       86-79--165


Match Play

All matches at Oakmont

Round of 64

(7) Holmgren def. (58) Maxwell Moldovan, Uniontown, Ohio 3&2

(28) Trent Phillips, Boiling Springs, S.C.  def. Broin 3&1

(5) Stark def. Gordon Sargent, Birmingham, Ala., 1 up


Round of 32

Holmgren def. (39) Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira, Argentina 4&3

Stark leads Phillips 1 up thru 13 holes