Oklahoma State Golfer Gaven Lane’s Run Ends at U.S. Amateur

Gaven Lane nearly completed the most grueling day of the U.S. Amateur with an invitation to the quarterfinals.

Gaven Lane. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Thursday is the most grueling day at the U.S. Amateur. Oklahoma State golfer Gaven Lane nearly got to the finish line with an invitation to the Round of 8.

Lane played two matches on Thursday at Merion Golf Club but lost his Round of 16 match on the final hole to Brandon Knight of Pleasanton, Calif., ending Lane’s hope of reaching the quarterfinals on Friday.

For players to get to the quarterfinals on Friday they had to win two matches on Thursday — a Round of 32 match and a Round of 16 match. Lane won his match in the morning and advanced to face Knight, who won 1 up.

It was a missed opportunity for Lane, who took the lead on the second hole with a par as Knight bogeyed. Lane then controlled the match nearly the entire afternoon. Lane pushed his lead to as much as 3 up on the ninth hole as he posted a par and Knight a bogey.

The lead shrunk on the back nine, but Lane never lost it. Knight tied the match on No. 12 with a par to Lane’s bogey. But Lane took the lead right back on No. 13 with a birdie. He kept the lead until No. 17 when Knight birdied and Lane parred, putting the match back into a tie. But it was still winnable for him going into No. 18.

But on the final hole both Knight and Lane had trouble on the par 4. Knight managed a bogey, but Lane had a double bogey and lost the match.

Gaven Lane Reaches U.S. Amateur Round of 16

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Lane started Thursday with a Round of 32 win over Japan’s Taishi Moto, 2 up.

Moto never led in the match, and it was tied for three of the first four holes before Lane won four of the next five holes to hit the turn at 4 up. Lane birdied two of those four holes and parred the other two.

That put him control but it didn’t win him the match. Soto got red hot on the back nine, as he birdied three of the first four holes while Lane parred. Then, on No. 14, Soto dropped a par while Lane bogeyed to tie the match.

But that was the last time it was tied. On No. 15 Lane parred while Soto posted a triple bogey on the par-4. The pair tied the next two holes before Lane won the final hole with a par to Soto’s bogey and clinched the victory.

In the Round of 64 on Wednesday the Argyle, Texas, product defeated Grady Brame Jr. of Hammond, La., 3 and 2. Lane played from behind for most of the front nine before Lane birdied No. 8 to complete a 2 down comeback to assume the lead. Lane had a 3-up lead by the 10th hole and maintained that edge the rest of the round. Soto, the No. 64 seeded player, beat No. 1 seed Joshua Ryan of Norristown, Penn., in a 19-hole match to set up his match with Lane.

Lane was the only one of seven current Oklahoma State players to get through stroke play qualifying, which include 36 holes for 316 players on two different courses, including Philadelphia Country Club. Lane finished one shot inside the cut line to get into match play.