News
Pikulthong, Goyen and Lewis Punch Tickets to 122nd U.S. Amateur
By: Brandon Genson, AGA Communication Manager
MESA, Ariz.- After two rounds at Longbow Golf Club, Anawin Pikulthong, Brock Goyen and Trevor Lewis prevailed from a field of 70 to punch their tickets to the 122nd U.S. Amateur next month. Pikulthong and Goyen posted the field’s best round two scores to finish -10 and -9, respectively. Lewis made birdie on a playoff hole to earn the third and final qualifying spot.
Coming into day one, Pikulthong and Goyen were in a three-way tie for third place. Throughout the qualifier, each of them kept to just a pair of bogeys. With back-to-back birdies on his final two holes, Pikulthong avoided a tiebreaker and eked out the one-stroke victory.
Neck-and-neck until the final hole, it is no surprise that the pair found similarities in their success at Longbow. On a course lined with a lot of desert and shrubbery that can easily ruin a round, they both cited the importance of staying on the fairway to come out on top.
“I struck it really well and drove it really well,” Pikulthong said. “I hit a lot of fairways, which is pretty clear out here because you don’t want to go into those bushes and desert. I struck it well, gave myself some good birdie looks and a couple of them dropped.”
Goyen credited good club selection with helping him stay on course throughout the qualifier.
“I didn’t really hit my driver a whole ton. I wasn’t feeling super confident with it, but I knew that I could get my 3 wood and 3 iron in play and that’s really all that is needed out here,” Goyen said. “The ball is going to roll, it’s firm, so just getting yourself on the fairway is the biggest thing and staying consistent.”
Lewis was the clubhouse leader after one round, shooting –6 despite record-setting temperatures on Monday. After qualifying for the U.S. Amateur last year, Lewis had high expectations for himself and admitted that nerves and some unlucky putts got the better of him in a +2 round two. That sent him to a playoff with Jeffrey Guan for the final qualifying spot and when it mattered the most, he regrouped and sank a birdie on the first hole.
Pikulthong, Goyen, Lewis- all Arizona natives- now look ahead to the U.S. Amateur in Paramus, N.J., beginning on August 15 at The Ridgewood Country Club.