SCOTTSDALE – Each of the top four seeds, in addition to each of the previous champions remaining in the field, advanced to the Round of 32 after winning their respective matches Thursday in the 99th Arizona Amateur Championship at Desert Highlands. View each of the Nicklaus, Palmer, Watson and Player Brackets by clicking here. The names of the brackets pay homage to the four players who competed in the very first Skins Game, held at Desert Highlands in 1983.
“I was lucky I was able to make some putts and keep the ball in front of me, and hit some fairways and greens and that worked out,” said Brad Wayment, a 2 & 1 winner today who has qualified for two USGA Senior Championships in 2023. “At the end of the day you have to hit those golf shots, you have to find the fairway and you have to find the greens – then hope you can make some of those putts.”
Stroke Play Qualifying Medalist Tyler Spielman, second-seeded Jonathan Curran, three-seed Nick Kling and fourth-seeded Will Evans all cruised in their respective Round of 64 matches. Nine of the top 10 seeds advanced, with only three of the 32 matches needing extra holes to be completed.
2018 and 2020 Champion Jake Chanen, 2021 Champion Kris Marshall, and 2022 Champion Joe Neuheisel all earned dates in the Round of 32 as well. Neuheisel defeated 17-year-old Camden Braidech in a rematch of the Championship Match last year at Desert Mountain Club’s Outlaw Course. For many of the top seeds, wiping the slate clean for match play was a positive difference.
“Right out of the gate he had me one down, and then I threw a bunch of birdies at him and a bunch of steady pars with no bogeys,” said Marshall, a 6 & 5 winner over Jimmy Albright of Phoenix. “He made a couple of little slip-ups and it made for a pretty simple day.”
“I just kind of kept it in front of me – white on green is my strategy out here – I only had one ball in the desert, but I was able to play it,” said eight-seeded Brian Blanchard, a 2 & 1 winner over Scottsdale’s Stephen White. “It was a close match all day – my opponent was tough, making a lot of great putts. But I just kept it in front of me and that ended up being enough.”
Both the Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches are scheduled for Thursday, while Friday sees the Quarterfinal and Semifinal matches played. The last two players remaining in field square off in Saturday’s Championship match.
For more information on the 99th Arizona Amateur Championship, please click here.
