Jack Bigham’s bid to add another R&A title to his collection gathered pace as the Walker Cup player surged into the quarter-finals of The 129th Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin.
The 20-year-old Englishman, who won the R&A Boys’ Amateur Championship in 2021, stayed on course for a notable double with two contrasting match play victories over the Glashedy Links.
Bigham had been three-down at the turn in his second-round encounter with South Africa’s Jordan Burnand but reeled off four birdies on the back-nine to turn the match around and seal a hard-earned 3&1 victory.
The Florida State University student carried that momentum into his third-round duel with Ukraine’s Lev Grinberg in the afternoon and won four of the first five holes to forge a commanding lead on his way to a 5&4 victory.
Bigham’s compatriot, Dominic Clemons, also has another silver lining in his sights after sweeping into the last-eight with a 4&3 win over Walker Cup player James Ashfield of Wales.
Clemons, who has posted a series of impressive results on the US college scene this season, made a significant statement of intent earlier this month when he won the Scottish Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Muirfield by an extraordinary 17 shots.
Ashfield had won his opening two ties by a 6&4 margin, but he met his match in Clemons, who recorded a convincing win highlighted by a 40-foot birdie putt on the 9th hole which put him four-up.
Germany’s Laurenz Schiergen claimed the scalp of the top qualifier, Connor Graham, in round two before securing a quarter-final berth for the second time in three years with a win on the first extra hole against Charlie Forster.
In a closely fought joust, Schiergen was holding a slender one-hole lead after a steady run of 15 pars and one birdie but a bogey on the 17th, only his second in two matches during the day, allowed Forster to draw level.
The Englishman’s own bogey at the first extra hole proved costly, however, as Schiergen, aiming to become just the second German to reach the final after Christian Reimbold in 2000, set up a last-eight match with Clemons.
Walker Cup player Calum Scott continued his fine form to keep hopes of a first Scottish win since 2014 alive.
In a tight third-round encounter with Dylan Shaw-Radford, the 21-year-old, who was a quarter-finalist at his home course of Nairn in 2021, made a telling late thrust and birdied the 14th and 15th holes en route to a 3&2 victory.
Luke Sample’s excellent debut in The Amateur Championship was rewarded with a place in the last-eight as the New Yorker beat Harry Crockett 5&3.
Earlier in the day, Sample had thwarted the ambitions of Walker Cup player, Conor Gough, with a 3&2 win in the second round.
Sample is the last remaining player from the United States of America after the towering Tommy Morrison bogeyed the 18th to lose by one hole to England’s Matthew Dodd-Berry, who has his 15-year-old brother as his caddie.
Spain’s Marcel Fonseca, who beat Iceland’s Arni Gunnlaugur Sveinsson by one hole, and Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen, winner after two extra holes against Tom Osborne, make up an intriguing quarter-final draw.
The Amateur Championship is one of the biggest and most prestigious amateur championships in the world and features a starting line-up of 288 players.
The winner of Saturday’s 36-hole Final will secure exemptions into The 152nd Open at Royal Troon next month, the US Open, and, by tradition, an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament.
Spectators are welcome and can attend free of charge or people can watch the final two days live at home on R&A TV.
View match play scoring from The Amateur Championship here.
Jack Bigham, England
“I got off to a bit of a slow start in the morning match, but I wasn’t too worried because I played well on the back-nine in the second round of stroke play. I ended up getting it done on the 17th and then carried on playing well for the rest of the day.
“Obviously, what is at stake is at the back of your mind, but you just try to block it out and take one match at a time.
“There’s a bunch of great players in this field but I’ve been playing well and hopefully I can keep it going.
“I’m just building on the experience of the Walker Cup. I couldn’t tell you how many people were at that so when I come to something like this, it (the experience) calms the nerves when I get on the first tee.”
Dominic Clemons, England
“It’s nice to be in the quarter-finals but it doesn’t mean much unless you win it. Hopefully, I can have a good day tomorrow and put myself in position for a Saturday final.
“I think the key, especially in these match play games, is holing putts when you need to. When it’s not going your way, it can change the momentum.
“I’ve had a good year in America. So, I wasn’t surprised I won at Muirfield although I never expected to win by 17 shots. People on the outside looking in, they probably might be surprised but I’ve known for a while that I’ve been playing well. Success breeds success.”
Calum Scott, Scotland
“It’s been a long week but I’ve played some really nice golf. The match with Dylan was back-and-forth, one-up, all-square, one-down, that kind of thing. But I had two great birdies on 14 and 15 to go three-up with three to play.
“I’m playing off a lot of confidence right now, just with the run I’ve had in these last few weeks. So I’m excited for tomorrow.
“I feel like I’ve had a lot of experience of tournaments like this. Something like a Walker Cup, with a lot of nerves, has helped me and I think I’m handling the situation pretty well.”
Luke Sample, United States of America
“This is unlike anything I’ve ever played in. I’ve never played a proper links golf course, especially over here in Ireland. It’s just a special, special place and I’m looking forward to playing some more.
“It was always an event that I would see on social media and I knew how big of a deal this championship is and the history behind it.
“I wasn’t able to do it in the past, but this summer, we carved out some time and I was fortunate enough to be able to come over.
“It’s a very different type of golf but for me, my strengths still kind of shine through. You have to hit it well out here, and I trust myself as a ball-striker. I’m gaining more confidence with my short game too.”