Chambana Sun

CHASKA, MINN. – Fighting Illini men's golf rising senior Jackson Buchanan, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, has advanced to the semifinals at the 124th U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club. He is one of the final four competitors vying for the prestigious Havemeyer Trophy.

Buchanan, ranked No. 17 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), will face Noah Kent, a rising sophomore at Iowa. The winner will advance to Sunday's championship match against either Jose Luis Ballester from Arizona State or Luis Masaveu of Spain.

Buchanan's semifinal tee time is set for 1 p.m. CT on Saturday. Live scoring is available on the USGA website, and Golf Channel coverage begins at 2 p.m. CT.

In his second consecutive U.S. Amateur appearance, Buchanan was one of three Fighting Illini to make the stroke play field of 312 players, alongside teammates Max Herendeen and Ryan Voois. Buchanan finished T32 in stroke play with a two-round tally of 1-under 141 (72-69) and entered the match play bracket as the No. 53 seed.

In the Round of 64, Buchanan defeated WAGR No. 6-ranked Preston Summerhays, overcoming a two-hole deficit through 13 by winning holes 14, 15, 16, and 18 to advance.

In the Round of 32, Buchanan downed WAGR No. 1-ranked Luke Clanton with another thrilling finish. After leading by two through seven holes but falling behind after dropping three holes over seven more holes, he rallied with wins on Nos. 15 and 16 and matched Clanton's par finishes on Nos. 17 and 18 to secure victory.

Buchanan's Sweet Sixteen win over Tyler Mawhinney also went down to the wire before he secured a victory by one hole after rallying late with wins on Nos. 17 and 18.

In his quarterfinal match against Jacob Modleski, Buchanan took an early lead with a win on the first hole and maintained control throughout, ultimately winning by four holes with three remaining (4&3).

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