U.S. Amateur features 3 Canadians in quarterfinals

ARDMORE, Pa. -- Kent State senior Ryan Yip and fellow Canadians Mark Leon and J.C. Deacon each won two matches Thursday at historic Merion Golf Club to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur Championship.

Yip beat Brett Stegmaier 2-up in the second round and edged U.S. Walker Cup player Brian Harman 1-up in the third round on Merion's East Course. Yip, carrying his own bag in the tournament, beat Harman with a 5-foot bogey putt on No. 18.

"I have a lot of fuel left," Yip said. "In college we work out a lot. I feel like I'm in great shape. I don't think it will be a disadvantage at all."

Yip will face Northwestern senior Dillon Dougherty in the quarterfinals.

"I'm just taking it one step at a time and one match at a time," Yip said. "Hopefully that will happen, but I'm not looking that far ahead. I'm looking at my match tomorrow, how I can prepare and be ready for that match tomorrow."

Dougherty beat longtime Britain and Ireland Walker Cup player Gary Wolstenholme 4 and 2 in the second round and defeated Dane Burkhart 2 and 1 in the third round. Burkhart beat qualifying medallist James Lepp of Canada 2 and 1 in the second round.

Leon, a senior at Penn State, will face Deacon, a senior at UNLV, in the other upper-bracket quarterfinal. Leon beat Billy Hurley and Kevin Chappell, both 1-up, and Deacon edged Nathan Smith 3 and 2 and 52-year-old George Zahringer 1-up.

"It's pretty awesome," Leon said. "If you would have said there would be three Canadians I would have thought one of them would be James Lepp. Unfortunately, I have to play one of them tomorrow."

In the lower bracket, South Africa's Dawie Van Der Walt will face Italy's Edoardo Molinari, and Anthony Kim will play Austin Eaton III. In the third round, Van Der Walt beat Korey Mahoney 5 and 4, Molinari defeated Matthew Swan 3 and 2, Kim edged South Korea's Jay Choi in 19 holes, and Eaton beat Wales' Rhys Davies 1-up.

"It feels great, but it's not exactly where I want to be," said Van Der Walt, a sophomore at Lamar. "I want to be playing on Sunday. I mean, it feels good, but know there's still a lot of work left."

The semifinals are Saturday and the 36-hole final is Sunday.