JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – Two Canadians who qualified for match play at the U.S. Amateur have advanced to Thursday morning’s Round of 32 at Atlanta Athletic Club. Two did not.
No. 31 seed Corey Conners won his Round of 64 match Wednesday against Scottie Scheffler of Dallas 1-up. The Listowel, Ont. native had five birdies on the day, including a timely two on the par 3 15 hole, which gave him a 2-up lead. Scheffer, seeded 34th, would win No. 16 with a par, but Conners would hold on for the victory.
Conners now faces Jesse Heinly of Bend, Ore. Thursday morning.
Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont. beat fourth-seeded Jimmy Beck of Columbus, Georgia, 1 up. Rank, a 26-year-old hockey referee, made a 6-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the match.
“I knew going into 18, if I could put two good swings on it, or at least give myself a chance to go for the green, that I could make birdie,” Rank said.
Rank, who earned his spot into match play via a 17-for-4 playoff early Wednesday morning, will face Kyle Jones of Taylor, Ariz.
Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., seeded 42nd, lost 2&1 to 23 seed Zachary Olsen of Cordova, Tenn.
Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., Canada’s highest seed at No. 11, fell 4&2 to 54 seed Jonathan Chang of Corona, Calif.