The four remaining golfers in the U.S. Amateur field at Merion includes a longtime local caddie
Carter Loflin, who has Merion caddie Jack Hopkins carrying his bag this week, will face Jack Whaley, while Jay Leng, Jr. will take on Logan Reilly during Saturday's semifinal matches.
The field at the 126th U.S. Amateur Championship is down to four.
Eight golfers competed in the quarterfinal round of match play on Friday afternoon at the Merion Golf Club.
All four of Friday’s matches were decided before hole No. 18. The first pairing of the day, Brandon Knight and Carter Loflin, made it the furthest before Loflin closed out Knight on hole 16.
Loflin will tee off against Jack Whaley at 2 p.m. on Saturday, while Jay Leng, Jr. will face Logan Reilly at 2:15 p.m. for a place in Sunday’s final.
» READ MORE: Golf fans admire the Merion Golf Club at the U.S. Amateur: ‘It’s a beautiful place, with such deep history’
In addition to a place in the final match, the four remaining golfers will also be playing for an exemption to the U.S. Open and the Masters. The winner and the runner-up from the Amateur will gain entry into both tournaments in 2027.
Michael Lugiano, the only Pennsylvania native to make the U.S. Amateur quarterfinals, had the biggest following of the day, but he dropped his match to Reilly, 6 and 4.
Reilly won five of the last six holes to beat Lugiano, who hails from Jackson Township, Pa. and plays golf collegiately at Liberty University.
“I actually really enjoyed it,” Reilly said of playing in front of the crowd supporting Lugiano. “I loved how many people there were out there. Just gave me a little extra motivation, honestly. Thank God I got a couple of my friends that came out, so they were trying to get loud. But yeah, it was great. Unbelievable atmosphere.”
Loflin, a Duluth, Ga. native who played his collegiate golf at the University of Georgia, won six holes in his match against Knight. Birdies on holes nos. 7, 8, 10, and 13 helped Loflin close down his match early.
Loflin is the last player remaining with a local caddie. Jack Hopkins has 35 years of experience caddying at Merion and has carried Loflin’s bag at the Amateur this week.
Loflin hopes that gives him an advantage on Saturday.
“[Hopkins] knows this place so well,” Loflin said. “He’s an incredible green reader, and he’s a very calming influence. He doesn’t talk very much. He’s very quiet, which I like because I talk a lot. … Whenever he says stuff, it really means something. If he tells me no, then I’m not going to do it. It’s been a lot of fun.
Leng, who plays at Stanford, was the first golfer off the course Friday, winning his match over Jack Turner, 6 and 5.
» READ MORE: At the U.S. Amateur, Merion Golf Club caddies know the course like few others
After a tie on hole No. 9, Leng, a San Diego native, made four consecutive birdies, including hitting a near-perfect drive on 13th hole with a sand wedge, to cement his spot in the semifinals.
“I knew since I was pretty far up, I didn’t want to do anything stupid,” Leng said. “Hit a full sand wedge and it was the perfect number, spun back nicely.”
Leng is two weeks removed from winning the Western Amateur in Chicago. If he can put together two more winning efforts, he will become the 10th player since World War II to win both the Western Amateur and the U.S. Amateur in the same year.
Other players to accomplish the feat include Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
After his round on Friday, Leng said improved putting has unlocked some extra confidence this summer.
“Just knowing that I have a chance, no matter where I am on the green,” Leng said. “It’s really helping me free my game up a little bit.”
Whaley beat Adam Bresnu, 5 and 4, to secure a place in the semifinals. Whaley, an Englishman who golfs at Florida State, did not drop a hole to his Moroccan opponent Bresnu.
Whaley, a rising senior, is two seasons removed from playing at NAIA school Dalton State in Dalton, Ga. Now, he’s one win away from earning a place in two major tournaments.
“Obviously it would be a huge thing to go and play in those prestigious events,” Whaley said. “I’m trying not to think about it as much as I can because obviously it can add a little bit more pressure, but at the end of the day, I’ve still just got to go out and play my own game, and if that comes at the end of it, then I’ll be very, very pleased.”