Michigan's Nick Carlson reaches US Amateur quarterfinals

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. (AP) - Michigan sophomore Nick Carlson won two matches on the 19th hole Thursday at Oakland Hills to advance to the U.S. Amateur quarterfinals.

Carlson, from Hamilton, Michigan, beat British Amateur champion Scott Gregory of England in the morning round of 32, and topped Thailand's KK Limbhasut in the afternoon round of 16.

"It was unreal," Carlson said. "I can't even describe it. There were so many people on this last hole. I was feeding off them on 18. ... I didn't really realize how amazing it was to have this big of a crowd until that last putt went in. Just to look out and see people three-deep all around the green, it was pretty special."

Carlson will face Illinois junior Dylan Meyer of Evansville, Indiana, on Saturday on the Donald Ross-designed South Course that Ben Hogan dubbed the "The Monster" in his 1951 U.S. Open victory.

"I can't even put it to words," Carlson said. "Sure, everyone is trying to win this, but I was just trying to get to match play, and now I'm in the elite eight."

Meyer beat Alex Smalley, the Duke sophomore from Wake Forest, North Carolina, who led stroke-play qualifying, 4 and 3 in the morning and outlasted England's Sam Horsfield in 19 holes in the afternoon.

Against Horsfield, Meyer made a 10-foot par putt on the 18th hole to extend the match, and won with a par on the first extra hole. Meyer also beat the Florida player, in the Western Amateur final.

"It was pretty stressful," Meyer said. "I knew that there was a lot of heat on it, and I knew that I had to make it to extend the match. As Coach (Illinois' Mike Small) preaches, we own 10-footers, we own 6-footers, we own these putts that put us in these positions, and as a good player, you're going to be in these positions. You have to be clutch, and it's how you respond."

In the other upper-bracket quarterfinal, Pepperdine's Sahith Theegala of Chino Hills, California, will face Australia's Curtis Luck. In the round of 16, Theegala beat Chile's Joaquin Niemann 3 and 1, and Luck routed Cameron Young of Scarborough, New York, 6 and 4.

In the other quarterfinals, Southern California's Jonah Texeira of Porter Ranch, California, will play LSU's Luis Gagne of Orlando, Florida, and former Stanford player David Boote of Wales will face Oklahoma's Brad Dalke of Norman, Oklahoma.

Texeira beat Kyler Dunkle of Denver 6 and 5; Gagne topped Jimmy Stanger of Tampa, Florida, 3 and 1; Boote edged Collin Morikawa of La Canada, California, 2 and 1; and Dalke beat Bryan Baumgarten of Granite Bay, California, in 19 holes.