SAN FRANCISCO – Scottish Neil Shields Donegan, who grew up in nearby Mill Valley, reached the American amateur semi-finals at the Olympic Club on Friday, delighting his big vocal gallery.
Donegan set his first season in North Carolina two years later at Northwestern – notre-dame junior Jacob Modreski lasted longer than the 19th hole in windy conditions.
“I feel like I’m with this crowd, I know a lot of them, it just feels very natural. …I can’t thank them enough for being here,” Donaghan said. “I’m just trying to enjoy the moment… It’s amazing how they give me so much support.”
Donegan even pulled a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th.
“You just have to stay that patient,” Donegan said. “You can’t go any further than you… One hole is its own event, and it’s just staying in the present, not thinking ahead.”
Donegan will face Jimmy Abdo of Gustavas Adolphus University in Minnesota against sophomore Jackson Herrington, a winner of four and two.
“I didn’t play very well today,” Herrington said. “I was pretty mad at myself for that. I felt like I was putting him in a bit longer, but I got the job done.”
Herrington and Donegan were among the 17 players who advanced from the 20-man playoffs Wednesday morning and decided the final 64 players in the game. Donegan’s father, Lawrence, was a longtime golf correspondent for the Guardian.
In the other semi-finals, Georgia teenager Mason Howell will face Oklahoma Junior Eric Lee. They each earned a match 1 Up by 18-year-old Howell defeating John Daly II to edging 16-year-old Mile Russell from Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
“I like the fact that it’s me and one other guy,” Lee said. “I don’t really need to worry about what I’ve filmed. I need to worry about defeating other guys.”
Howell qualified for the US Open this year in the Atlanta division’s 63-63 round. A senior Arkansas player, Daly is the son of two-time major champion John Daly.