Cameron Tankersley hits his approach shot on the opening hole at The Olympic Club
photo by USGA/Chris Keane
Jackson Herrington tees off on No. 3 during the U.S. Amateur on Wednesday
photo by USGA/Eakin Howard
A misty fog enveloped The Olympic Club for much of the day on Wednesday as match play ensued at the 125th U.S. Amateur. But one thing was crystal clear – the Dickson duo of Cameron Tankersley and Jackson Herrington have no plans to head home from San Francisco any time soon.
Tankersley won his Round of 64 match as the No. 41 seed, earning a 3 & 2 decision over No. 24 Nate Graham of Albany, Ga. Herrington, seeded 37th, also advanced with a 1-up victory over No. 28 Chase Nevins of Great Falls, Va.
While the former Dickson County High School teammates march onward into Thursday’s Round of 32 matches, Payne Denman’s visit to the Bay Area ended in crushing fashion. The two-time Tennessee Amateur champion earned a spot into match play as the 52nd seed after emerging from a 20-for-17 playoff Wednesday morning, leaving him aligned to take on 13th-seeded Daniel Svard of Sweden in his opening match.
In a contest where neither player was able to gain more than a 1-up cushion, Denman was eliminated in 20 holes. The South Florida assistant coach birdied No. 16 to grab a 1-up advantage, but a bogey on 18 evened the match and another bogey on No. 2 – their 20th hole – allowed Svard to advance.
Tankersley took command of his match with by winning three straight holes starting at No. 6 to take a 3-up lead. Graham was never able to claw any closer than 2-down, and the Ole Miss senior birdied 14 to regain his 3-up margin before closing out the match with a par at 16.
“I didn’t have my best stuff today, but it was good enough to get the job done,” Tankersley said. "Winning those three holes was pretty crucial in the match. We were going back and forth and I got some momentum from those three holes and took it in. I’m happy with today’s result.”
Herrington’s match started with a win on the first hole, and the Tennessee sophomore was able to extend his lead to 4-up after 12 holes. However, things got interesting when Herrington bogeyed 14, 16 and 17 to allow Nevins to pull within one heading to 18. But he was able to secure the 1-up win with a par on the final hole.
The fact that two golfers who both grew up in Dickson are still alive in the U.S. Amateur is something that makes this week even more special for Tankersley in spite of them competing for rival SEC schools in college.
“It’s really cool seeing someone else from a small town like Dickson who you know well competing for something big like this,” Tankersley said. “I’m able to overlook the fact he plays for Tennessee. We’ve been friends since high school and always text each other ‘good playing’ and like to see each other do well.”
Thursday’s play will feature both the Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches. Tankersley takes on No. 56 Jacob Modleski in his match slated to begin at 8:30 a.m. PDT. Modleski defeated 9th seeded William Sides on Wednesday, 5 & 4.
Herrington goes off at 9 a.m. PDT against No. 60 Brady Siravo, who upset 5th seeded Bryan Kim by a 2 & 1 margin.
For complete results and live scoring, go to U.S. Amateur.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com