Wednesday, August 15, 2018

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Two of the most picturesque courses in the country provided the setting for the biggest stage in amateur golf this week, a stage that didn’t prove to be too large for the GNAC’s four representatives at the U.S. Amateur Championship.

Graduates Jake Koppenberg (Western Washington) and Chris Crisologo (Simon Fraser) put together the most complete rounds of the foursome, staying right around the cut line for the duration of the event’s first two days.

Crisologo carded a 78 in Monday’s opening round at Pebble Beach Golf Links before answering with a one-under-par 71 at Spyglass Hill to put him in the mix of advancing to match play. No stranger to big moments (he tied for 45th place earlier in August at the RBC Canadian Open), the Simon Fraser product dug deep when he needed to.

A strong start on the front nine featured birdies on the first two holes, and a back side that included a stretch of three straight birdies at one point put him at 6-over-par for the championship.

Koppenberg would ultimately finish highest among the four GNAC exports.

In similar fashion, the former Viking and Bellingham, Wash. native posted a 76 at Pebble Beach on Monday prior to going low on Tuesday at Spyglass Hill. Consistently solid from the start of the day, a round of 36-36 added up to an even-par 72.

Koppenberg’s heroics put him at 5-over-par overall, a number that fell one stroke shy of putting him in what would turn out to be a massive 24-man playoff for the final match play spot.

Clan junior Sy Lovan finished the championship at +11, the highlight of his two-day stint coming via a round of 76 on Monday at Pebble Beach. Former Western Washington standout Chris Hatch rounded out the GNAC’s representatives at +16.

The championship continues through the rest of the week with a match play format to determine the top amateur golfer in the country.

This was the fourth appearance at the U.S. Amateur for Koppenberg, the 2008 and 2009 GNAC Men's Golf Player of the Year, and the second for Crisologo, who won GNAC Player of the Year honors in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Both Hatch and Lovan made their first U.S. Amateur appearance.