Tyler Strafaci continues with the US Amateur, and he has the caddy to thank for his opponent.
Strafaci, a Georgia Tech star, was all square with Argentine Segundo Oliva Pinto entering the 18th hole of her round of the 16-game Thursday at Bandon Dunes in Bandon, Oregon.
Pinto hit his approach on the last hole in a greenside bunker, which he entered to check the lies of the ball before exiting to get the green better. While doing so, his caddy stepped into the bunker, lay down, and crafted it seven times with his hand.
Do this in violation of USGA Rule 12.2b, which describes restrictions on touching the sand in a bunker and states that a player may not “intentionally touch sand in the bunker with his or her hand, a club or hear or another object in an attempt to test the condition of the surface to obtain information for the next stroke. “
Rule 10.3c states that a player is responsible for the actions of his caddy.
The caddy, reporting a local runner named Brant Brewer, denied touching the sand, but video clearly showed otherwise.
It all came down to the 18th hole.
And then it happened.
The outcome? A 1 up win for Tyler Strafaci. #USAmateur pic.twitter.com/JFJcoSKfFQ
Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) August 14, 2020
The rules violation cost Pinto the hole, and thus the match.
Afterwards, Pinto said he was shocked when he was called by the rules officer and informed of what was happening. Asked if his caddy explained to him what happened, Pinto told Golf Channel: “He said nothing. But at this point it does not really matter. What happened, happened. He can say anything, but it will not change what happened.”
Strafaci’s 1-up win moved him to the quarterfinals, where he will take on Stewart Hagestad, the 2016 US Mid-Amateur champion from Newport Beach, California, who defeated Harrison Ott 4 and 3 in the round of 16. struck. The 29-year-old Hagestad is trying to go from 15th to the seventh top in the World Amateur Golf Ranking to get a US Open release. He is also pushing to create a third consecutive US Walker Cup team.
In the other quarterfinal of the top bracket, Aman Gupta will face Michael Thorbjornsen. In the round of 16, Gupta beat Sam Bennett 5 and 3, and Thorbjornsen edged Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira 3 and 2. In the lower bracket, Philip Barbaree will play Matthew Sharpstene, and Cameron Sisk will hit Charles Osborne.
In the round of 16, Barbaree William Mouw beat 3 and 1, Sharpstene topped Davis Chatfield 4 and 3, Sisk beat Davis Lamb 5 and 3, and Osborne beat Carson Lundell 7 and 5.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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