Smith advances to Quarterfinals at U.S. Mid-Amateur

Nate Smith of Tetonia, Idaho, is marching through the bracket at the 2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, being held this week on The Lido course at Sand Valley Resort in Nekoosa, Wisc.

A home builder who lives among the Grand Tetons in eastern Idaho, Smith, 43, prepped himself for the firm and fast conditions this week at Tributary Golf Course, in Driggs, a David McLay Kidd design that is very bouncy. 

Reinstated as an amateur nine years ago, Smith has captured two of the last three Idaho State Amateurs, and in 2025 was named the PNGA Men’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year, helped in part by winning that year’s PNGA Master-40 Amateur.

Smith advanced to the championship’s match-play bracket as the No. 45 seed, and has had no problem knocking off some of the finest amateurs in the game in this week’s bracket.

(Click here to follow live scoring.)

When he had a chance to face Stewart Hagestad, one of the most decorated mid-amateurs of the last decade, in the Round of 32 on Tuesday morning his adrenaline level rose. Hagestad has won three U.S. Mid-Amateurs and competed on six USA Walker Cup Teams. Smith was up for the challenge, defeating the Southern Californian, 5 and 4, before taking out No. 4 seed and Calusa Pines caddie Matt Paradis, 3 and 1.

Smith admitted to having an emotional letdown in his afternoon match, but he finally pulled away from the former Southern New Hampshire University All-American with winning pars on Nos. 16 and 17. This is the first time he’s been to the quarterfinals in any USGA event.

“I was pretty fired up to play Stew,” said Smith, a home builder for Mountain Creative Construction. “Been wanting to play him for a long time. He’s obviously the standard in mid-amateur golf, so I was just fortunate to win that match. We had kind of a pillow fight out there [in the afternoon]. That’s match-play tournaments. It’s kind of just about surviving, and I was able to get through thankfully.”

In his quarterfinal match on Wednesday morning, Smith will face Parker Edens, the bracket’s No. 12 seed out of Brookings, S.D.

It’s not uncommon for people to mistake Nate Smith with four-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Nathan Smith, who also just captained the last two USA Walker Cup Teams. That is why the ex-Duke University standout truncated his first name. At one time, he was known as Nathan J. Smith, while the 5-time USGA winner was Nathan T. Smith.

“The USGA would mess us up. I think my picture ended up in the Masters media guide one year actually,” Nate said. “Then I figured, hey, this guy, he’s done quite a bit in the game. Let’s just make it easy. I’ll be Nate.”

Well, this Nate Smith can play, as well.