Charleston, South Carolina, United States: Due to multiple weather delays, the 36-hole championship match of the 75th US Junior Amateur could not be completed on Saturday. American Bryan Kim holds a one-up lead on New Zealander Joshua Bai through 25 holes. Play will resume at Daniel Island Club’s Ralston Creek Course on Sunday at 8 am local time.
It is the first US Junior Amateur final to be extended a day due to weather since 2002 at Atlanta Athletic Club. Before that, one must go back to 1991 at Bay Hill when Tiger Woods claimed the first of three consecutive titles.
The start of the final was delayed 3½ hours on Saturday morning, moving the scheduled 8 am start to 11:30 am. The competitors managed to complete the first 18 holes without interruption with Bai taking a one-up advantage into the lunch break. The afternoon round began at 4:05 pm with seven holes getting completed when the horns blew at 5:36 pm. With storms continuing into the early evening, USGA officials decided to halt play for the day.
Kim, an incoming Duke University freshman competing in his third US Junior Amateur, rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the 21st hole to tie the match and then one hole later, he converted from 15 feet on the 135-yard par-three to take his first lead since the 12th hole of the morning round.
“It's awesome,” said Kim when asked about playing in front of a gallery and television cameras. “This is the first time I've played on TV with all these fans. It feels awesome, and Josh is such a great competitor always, but especially today. This is such a fun match. Just trying to live up to it.”
Bai, playing in his second US Junior Amateur, made a nice 10-foot par save on the 23rd hole to tie the hole, but squandered a chance to square the match on the par-five 24th when he three-putted from 40 feet after a nice approach shot from the left rough.
“I still feel good,” said Bai, who is seeking his fourth victory in the US after winning age-group titles in the IMG Junior World (2018, boys 11-12 division) at Morgan Hill in the San Diego area and a pair of US Kids titles in 2017 (boys 11) and 2018 (boys 12) in the Pinehurst area. “It's not like I'm playing bad. Bryan has just been dropping putts from everywhere. I think if I just keep playing my game and then have a good finish tomorrow, 10 holes left, I'm only one-down, so I'm still in a good spot.”
In the morning 18, Bai and Kim put on quite a display, combining for nine birdies and an eagle. With the usual match play concessions, Bai posted a five-under 67 and Kim shot 68. Only five holes were tied.
Both players took two-up leads at various points until Kim hit a 60-degree wedge to four feet to set up a winning birdie on the 17th hole to trim the margin to one-down. They tied the par-five 18th hole with Bai converting from 13 feet after missing the green to the right with his 112-yard wedge approach. Kim two-putted from 45 feet.
Bai, who trailed by two holes after Kim claimed three consecutive holes from number nine, rattled off four holes in a row with three birdies and an eagle-two on the 284-yard, par-four 14th hole. He crushed a three-wood to 26 feet and converted the putt. Bai also converted putts from 16 and 15 feet, respectively, on 12 and 13 and finished the run with an eight-iron to six feet on the par-three 15th.
Of his three-wood into 14, Bai said: “My caddie (Eric Strom) asked me: ‘Do you want to leave it out to the right, have a good angle to chip it, or do you just want to go for it?’ I said: ‘I'm feeling pretty good, just going to cut it off that bunker, just go straight for it,’ and it worked out.”
The winner of the match earns an exemption into the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2 next June. The two finalists have already earned spots in next month’s US Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club, in suburban Denver, while the champion gets a spot in the 2024 US Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club, in Chaska, Minnesota.
Bai is hoping to follow in the footsteps of two Kiwis who won USGA titles at Pinehurst, his idol Michael Campbell (2005 U.S. Open) and Danny Lee (2008 US Amateur). He would be the fourth player from New Zealand to claim a USGA title. Lydia Ko is the last Kiwi to accomplish feat at the 2012 US Women’s Amateur.
Kim, the number 52 seed from stroke play, would be the lowest seed to win the title since Charlie Beljian (56 seed) in 2002. He would also be the second Duke golfer to claim a US Junior Amateur crown, joining 1988 winner Jason Widener, who competed in this year’s US Senior Open. Other Duke players to win USGA titles include Amanda Blumenherst (2008 US Women’s Amateur), Brittany Lang (2016 US Women’s Open), Erica Shepherd (2017 US Girls’ Junior and 2019 US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball), and Megan Furtney (2019 US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball).
“I've had a few matches like that earlier this tournament,” said Kim of the tight battle. “But just to have it in the finals especially because I knew Josh was going to play really well. We've both been playing really well this week to get this far. I knew I just needed to put the pedal down and focus on my game, and it's been working pretty well. Hopefully I can keep it up.”
