Foust advances, a few upsets at PNGA Men’s Amateur

Sam Foust, the No. 1 seed entering match play of the 116th Pacific Northwest Men’s Amateur, posted a 2 and 1 victory over Richie Mikesell of Bend, Ore. in today’s Round of 64 matches.

The championship, being held this week at Emerald Valley Golf & Resort in Creswell, Ore., will head into tomorrow’s play with two rounds – the Round of 32 and the Round of 16. Foust’s match will be the first one out tomorrow morning, with a tee time of 7:30 a.m. He will face Charles Sitton of West Linn, Ore.

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Foust is a rising junior on the men’s golf team at the University of Oregon, and will continue to rely on his local knowledge.

Edwin Yi, Foust’s teammate at UO and the No. 2 seed in the bracket, easily advanced through today’s play with a 3 and 2 victory over Mark Strickland of Mukilteo, Wash.

Derek Bayley, the rising senior at Washington State University, also advanced, defeating Hogan Arey of Corvallis, Ore. Bayley won the 2016 Idaho State Amateur and the Rosauers Invitational in which he played against the region’s professionals.

In one of the bigger comebacks on the day, Li Wang, who just graduated as the captain of the Yale University golf team, was three holes down with five to play to William Pollock of Eugene. But by the time the two players reached the 18th tee, Wang had squared the match. Wang then hit a 3-wood 279 yards on the par-5 to 18 feet from the hole and sank the putt to win the hole and the match.

Wang will face Bayley in tomorrow morning’s Round of 32 match. The pair tee off at 8:50 a.m.

In one of the surprising upsets of the day, Cole Madey of West Linn, Ore. lost to Logan Lowe of Grass Valley, Calif. in 21 holes. Madey, a standout on the UCLA men’s golf team and the No. 11 seed in the bracket, had been on a hot streak lately. Two weeks ago he won the Oregon Amateur (also a match-play event) and also qualified for the 2017 U.S. Amateur.

Also advancing is Reid Hatley of Hayden Lake, Idaho. Hatley, 36, is the reigning two-time recipient of the PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year Award. Hatley is the No. 4 seed in this championship’s match play bracket, and easily dispatched Sean Fitzpatrick of Mill Creek, Wash., 7 and 6.