Spencer Tibbits’ run in the 2020 U.S. Amateur ended this morning when he was defeated in the round of 32 by Stewart Hagestad, 3&1.
Tibbits, the 21-year-old rising senior at Oregon State University, was the lone Northwest player who made it into match play at the championship, which is being held this week at Bandon (Ore.) Dunes Golf Resort.
He won his first match, yesterday in the round of 64, but faced a tough challenge this morning, going against Hagestad, who won the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur, was the low amateur in the 2017 Masters, and qualified for the 2017, 2018 and 2019 U.S. Open.
Hagestad controlled the match from the outset, winning the first hole, and building a 4-up lead over Tibbits after 10 holes. But Tibbits began chipping away at the deficit, and was only 1-down after 14 holes. Hagestad then birdied holes 16 and 17 to close out the match.
Tibbits earned the No. 48 seed in the match-play bracket after shooting rounds of 70-74 in the two qualifying rounds held earlier this week. Hagestad is the No. 16 seed.
For more information and to follow along with live scoring, visit usamateur.com.
Tibbits, from Vancouver, Wash., played in the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and reached match play in the 2019 U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2. As a junior at Oregon State University, he posted five top-5 finishes, including a tie for third in the Bandon Dunes Invitational. Tibbits, who was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 Conference selection as a sophomore, won last year’s Oregon Amateur.
Tibbits was selected the 2016 PNGA Junior Boys’ Player of the Year and claimed three Washington Class 3A state high school championships.
The only other player with a Northwest connection to make it to match play is Hugo Townsend, who is originally from Sweden but is a rising junior on the men’s golf team at Boise State University. Last month, Townsend won the Idaho State Amateur. In this morning’s round of 32, Townsend lost to Michael Thorbjornsen of Wellesley, Mass., 4&2.
Of the 264 players who began the two days of stroke-play qualifying, 64 advanced to the match-play bracket. The two rounds of qualifying were held on the resort’s Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails courses. All the matches are being held on the Bandon Dunes course.
