Overview
- John Daly II advanced to the Round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur after defeating former PGA Tour player Nate Smith 2-and-1 in match play at The Olympic Club.
- He opened match play with a composed 1-up victory over Cooper Claycomb, birdieing the 11th hole and halving the remaining 17 holes.
- His father, John Daly Sr., posted “LFG! My Boy!!” on Instagram to celebrate his son’s back-to-back match-play wins.
- Five of the world’s top-10 amateur golfers moved on from the first round; Nos. 5 and 6 seeds were eliminated in extra holes.
- Dramatic swing matches included Tim Wiedenmeyer’s five-hole comeback for a 2-and-1 victory; Niall Shiels Donegan birdied the final two holes to upset Luke Poulter 1-up.