U.S. Men’s Amateur Quarterfinal Preview
Niall Shiels Donegan and John Daly II each won twice Thursday at The Olympic Club to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur, a day that saw several of the world’s top-ranked amateurs eliminated.
Daly, a senior-to-be at Arkansas and son of two-time major champion John Daly, defeated Nate Smith 2 and 1 in the Round of 32 before beating South Africa’s Daniel Bennett 3 and 2 in the Round of 16. He will face Mason Howell, an 18-year-old Georgia commit who qualified for this year’s U.S. Open with rounds of 63 and 63 at the Atlanta sectional. Howell advanced with a 1-up win over second-ranked Ben James and a 2-and-1 victory over Max Herendeen, who earlier eliminated top-ranked Jackson Koivun 3 and 2.
Donegan, a University of North Carolina player who lives in the Bay Area and competes under the Scottish flag, posted back-to-back 1-up wins over ninth-ranked Christiaan Maas and fourth-ranked Preston Stout, the stroke-play medalist from Oklahoma State. Against Stout, Donegan birdied the par-3 15th to pull even and sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-5 16th to take the lead for good. He was one of 17 players who advanced from a 20-man playoff Wednesday morning to secure the final match-play spots.
The quarterfinal field also includes 16-year-old Miles Russell, a Florida State commit who beat Mahanth Chirravuri 2 and 1, and Eric Lee of Oklahoma State, who defeated Josh Duangmanee 2 up after Duangmanee lost his tee shot on the final hole. Jimmy Abdo, coming off his freshman season at Gustavus Adolphus, will meet University of Tennessee’s Jackson Herrington in the other matchup.
Quarterfinal Matchups:
Niall Shiels Donegan (University of North Carolina) vs Jacob Modleski (University of Notre Dame)
Jimmy Abdo (Gustavus Adolphus College) vs Jackson Herrington (University of Tennessee)
Mason Howell (University of Georgia commit) vs John Daly II (University of Arkansas)
Miles Russell (Florida State University commit) vs Eric Lee (Oklahoma State University)
Sources:
John Daly II among those winning twice Thursday to advance to quarterfinals of U.S. Amateur – NBC Sports
2025 U.S. Amateur Championship – USGA Scoring
