Knost Leads Semifinalists At U.S. Amateur

San Francisco – Colt Knost of Dallas moved a step closer to putting his name on another USGA trophy when he advanced through Friday’s quarterfinals at the U.S. Amateur, being played at The Olympic Club’s par-70, 6,948-yard Lake Course.

Also advancing were Casey Clendenon, 23, of Beaumont, Texas; Michael Thompson, 22, of Tucson, Ariz.; and Jhonattan Vegas, 23, of Venezuela.

Casey Clendenon, driving off No. 2, seized control on the ninth hole and never look back. (John Mummert/USGA)

Knost never trailed in his quarterfinal match against Canadian Nick Taylor, 19, the 2007 Canadian Amateur champion. Knost won three consecutive holes, starting with a par 4 at the 498-yard fifth, to take control en route to a 5-and-4 victory.

For the 22-year-old Knost, consistency has been the key.

"I've just been keeping it in the fairway," said Knost, who is trying to match the feat of Ryan Moore, who won the Amateur and Amateur Public Links in 2004. "If you keep it in the fairway you really don't have that long of irons into these greens. The hard part is getting it in the fairway though. But once you do, you can attack, the greens are perfect. And my iron game has been pretty solid this week."

Knost will next face Vegas, the 2006 Venezuelan Amateur champion who advanced with a 3-and-1 victory over Cheng Tseng Pan of Chinese Taipei. Vegas, who is trying to become the first Venezuelan USGA champion, built a 3-up lead after six holes and held on to oust the 15-year-old Pan.

"I think that the deal with this golf course is the first five holes, they're extremely hard," said Vegas, who is playing in his first U.S. Amateur. "I've been really putting a lot of effort into getting into a really good start. If I can par every single one, [holes] one through five, I think I'm going to be in good shape. And I have been putting in a lot of effort to play really smart on those holes."

Thompson also never trailed against Derek Fathauer, 21, of Jensen Beach, Fla., and won four holes in a five-hole stretch to take control of the match. The highlight came at the par-4, 280-yard seventh hole, where Thompson drove the ball to within 2 feet of the hole, which was conceded for eagle.

Despite moving closer to claiming the U.S. Amateur Championship, Thompson said he wasn’t focusing on the trophy.

"Every once in awhile I'll think about it, but then I'll say, ‘Get that out,’" said Thompson. "Just stop thinking about that. Just enjoy your time now. So I'm trying to stay as much in the present as I can. This is all a learning experience for me, so I'm enjoying every minute of it and I hope I can go all the way."

Thompson’s semifinal opponent will be Clendenon, who advanced with a 4-and-3 win over Eddie Olson, 20, of Aptos, Calif. Olson twice held a 1-up advantage but Clendenon came back to square the match with a birdie on the seventh and took the lead for good with a birdie on the ninth.

Clendenon earned one of the last spots in match play Wednesday, surviving a 17-for-6 playoff to advance.

"It was a grind, the playoff," said Clendenon. "Once I got through that, I just told myself anything can happen in match play, so just kind of just stay patient and here we are."

After Saturday’s semifinals, the 2007 U.S. Amateur concludes with Sunday’s 36-hole championship final.

The semifinal winners earn berths into the 2008 U.S. Open and likely invitations to play in the 2008 Masters Tournament.

The Amateur is one of 13 national championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs. The USGA is the national governing body of golf in this country and Mexico, a combined territory that includes more than half the game’s golfers and golf courses.

Story written by Beth Murrison, a USGA Manager of Media Relations. E-mail her with questions or comments at bmurrison@usga.org.

Results

San Francisco – Results of the quarterfinal round of match play at the 2007 U.S. Amateur Championship, played Friday at the 6,948-yard, par-70 Lake Course at The Olympic Club:

Round of 8

Upper Bracket
Michael Thompson, Tucson, Ariz. (145) def. Derek Fathauer, Jensen Beach, Fla. (142), 5 and 4
Casey Clendenon, Beaumont, Texas (147) def. Eddie Olson, Aptos, Calif. (145), 4 and 3

Lower Bracket
Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela (144) def. Cheng Tsung Pan, Chinese Taipei (143), 3 and 1
Colt Knost, Dallas, Texas (144) def. Nick Taylor, Canada (146), 5 and 4

Pairings

San Francisco – Pairings for the semifinal round of match play Friday at the 2007 U.S. Amateur Championship, being played at the 6,948-yard, par-70 Lake Course at The Olympic Club:

Round of 4

Upper Bracket
8 a.m. -- Michael Thompson, Tucson, Ariz. (145) vs. Casey Clendenon, Beaumont, Texas (147)

Lower Bracket
8:15 a.m. -- Jhonattan Vegas, Venezuela (144) vs. Colt Knost, Dallas, Texas (144)