Buchanan Advances to Semifinal Round at 124th U.S. Amateur

CHASKA, MINN. – Fighting Illini men’s golf rising senior Jackson Buchanan, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, is headed to the semifinals at the 124^th U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club as one of the final four competitors vying for the prestigious Havemeyer Trophy.

Buchanan, who entered the week as the No. 17 player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), will now face Noah Kent, a rising sophomore at Big Ten foe Iowa. The winner will advance to Sunday’s championship match where they will go head-to-head with either Jose Luis Ballester, a rising senior at Arizona State, or Luis Masaveu of Spain.

Buchanan’s tee time for Saturday’s semifinal is set for 1 p.m. CT. Live scoring is available on the USGA website. Golf Channel live coverage of the semifinal matches begins at 2 p.m. CT.

Buchanan’s Path to the Final Four

STROKE PLAY: Playing in his second consecutive U.S. Amateur, Buchanan was one of three Fighting Illini to make the stroke play field of 312 players – along with teammates Max Herendeen and Ryan Voois. After carding a two-round tally of 1-under 141 (72-69), Buchanan finished T32 in stroke play and entered the 64-player match play bracket as the No. 53 seed.

ROUND OF 64: Buchanan’s path to the weekend has been the most difficult in the field. In the Round of 64, he outlasted WAGR No. 6-ranked Preston Summerhays, 2UP. Buchanan faced a 2-hole deficit through 13 before claiming victories on 14, 15, 16 and 18 to advance in thrilling fashion.

ROUND OF 32: Following his win over Summerhays, Buchanan then downed the WAGR No. 1-ranked player, Luke Clanton, 1UP, with yet another thrilling finish. After taking a 2-hole lead through No. 7, Buchanan dropped three holes over the next seven to fall behind by one after 14. However, Buchanan rallied with wins on Nos. 15 and 16, and matched Clanton’s par finishes on 17 and 18 to advance.

ROUND OF 16: Like his first two matches, Buchanan’s Sweet 16 win over Tyler Mawhinney went the distance before he secured the victory, 1UP. After exchanging blows on Nos. 1 and 2, the competitors remained deadlocked through eight holes when momentum swung in Buchanan’s favor for wins on Nos. 9 and 10. Mawhinney answered, however, with wins on 11 and 12, then took one-hole advantage late in the match with a win on No. 16. Buchanan rallied again, however, with…