This week, 156 of the best junior golfers from all over the world came to Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., to tee it up in the U.S. Junior Amateur. After Friday morning's quarterfinal matches, the field has been narrowed down to four semifinalists. We caught up with each of them after their quarterfinal victories.
Cole Hammer (won, 2 and 1, over Shuai Ming (Ben) Wong)
"It was unbelievable. It was not a very good match golf-wise. I mean, we were pretty even but we just played poorly for most of the round. To finally get an edge on 16 by making a 30-foot slider downhill was huge. I hadn't made a putt all day, and to see that one go in was really huge for me. Kind of gave a pretty big fist pump because it was big for the match."
The first #USJuniorAm semi finalist is @cole_hammer6765! He defeats @ben_wong99, 2 and 1. pic.twitter.com/vsUlEDriDK
— USGA (@USGA) July 20, 2018
Michael Thorbjornsen (won, 4 and 3, over Joe Highsmith)
"I mean, it’s my first time playing in this tournament I so feel like it's a great accomplishment. I'm just taking it one shot, one round at time and really looking forward to it."
Our second #USJuniorAm semifinalist is Michael Thorbjornsen! He defeats Joe Highsmith, 4 and 3. He’s closed out all four of his matches so far before the 17th hole 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/Mzz2cK1j69
— USGA (@USGA) July 20, 2018
Akshay Bhatia (won, 1 up, over Alejandro Madariaga)
"Man, it was a very, very tough battle today. He hit some shots that were great; he made a lot of putts. It's great. I still have a match to go, so hopefully I'll get that done. Cole Hammer is a phenomenal player, as everyone knows. But to be here right now is pretty special."
The third #USJuniorAm semifinalist is Akshay Bhatia! He defeats Alejandro Madariaga, 1 up. pic.twitter.com/hfhH7hptp6
— USGA (@USGA) July 20, 2018
Cameron Sisk (won, 2 and 1, over Thomas Ponder)
“I'm excited. It feels great. I can't wait to get out there again. My game feels good. I’m going to give it my all and see what happens. I think I had total belief in myself that I could get this far. I've been on the winning side of it so far. Pretty excited about it."
Cameron Sisk is the fourth and final #USJuniorAm semifinalist! He tops Thomas Ponder, 2 and 1. The semis begin at 12:18 p.m. EDT and airs live on @FS1 at 2 p.m. EDT. pic.twitter.com/uVgxaZi6tm
— USGA (@USGA) July 20, 2018
