PARAMUS, N.J. -- Using clutch putting and an overall gritty effort to match one of the world's best amateur players in the 122nd U.S. Amateur Round of 64, Christopher Newport University rising senior
Alex Price continued to make history on Wednesday by advancing to the Round of 32 with a 1UP victory against Wenyi Ding in a marathon 23-hole match. Price is the first NCAA Division III golfer to advance to the Round of 32 since 2014 and accomplished the feat in the longest individual match at the U.S. Amateur in the last four years.
With his Round of 64 victory, Price is the first Division III player to advance in match play since Justin Tereshko (Transylvania) did so in 2014 two years after his graduation. He is the first active Division III player to advance to the Round of 32 in over at least 20 years. Nathan Smith (Allegheny) in 2005, Greg Peterson (Gustavus Adolphus) in 2004, and Chad Poling (Ohio Wesleyan) in 2004 each advanced following graduation from Division III programs.
Price led by as many as three before Ding rallied to win four holes on the back nine; the CNU veteran forced extra holes with thrilling back-to-back pars on 17 and 18 against the 2022 US Junior Amateur Champion, the first Chinese men's player to win a USGA Championship event. As the match continued into the playoff, the duo battled shot for shot, notching four straight pars before a decisive 23rd hole.
Taking on one of the most challenging holes on the course -- a 437-yard Par 4 fifth hole that was playing as the fifth most difficult hole this week -- Price used a dynamite second shot to put himself in position for a 12-foot birdie putt. Ding's second shot was on the green, but in a much more precarious position; he would two-putt to open the door for Price to win the match with a make. As he had multiple times down the stretch, the Hillsboro, Va. native confidently knocked in the mid-range putt to win the match.
Price was on fire early, leading by three after the first five holes. He sank his tenth birdie of the week on the first hole of the day to take a quick 1UP advantage before adding to that lead with pars on four and five. Ding answered with winning holes on nine and ten but Price answered by picking off another hole on the monster 248-yard Par 3 11th hole. Trailing two down with just four holes to go, Ding picked up pivotal par wins on 15 and 16 after Price found himself in trouble behind a tree. With the match all square, the two took on the final two holes of regulation.
With live coverage starting on Peacock and moving to the Golf Channel, the match took center stage for fans with a dramatic finish. On the Par 5 17th, Ding knocked in a par putt from distance that put pressure on Price to match with his seven- or eight-footer. With ice in his veins, the lefty sank the putt and moved onto 18. The theatrics continued on the final green in regulation as both players made phenomenal shots to within feet of eachother well away from the hole. First up, Price found a near-perfect line that just barely snuck past the cup on the right side for what would have been a phenomenal finishing and almost sure win. Ding then stepped in and followed the same line, but didn't put enough on the putt to force a longer putt for par -- unfortunately for Price, the teen sensation stuck the seven-foot putt to again, put tremendous pressure on Price to force overtime. Calmly, the Captains' veteran rattled it in for par and paced back to the first tee box for more.
Continuing play as the only Division III golfer to reach match play in the 122nd U.S. Amateur hosted by The Ridgewood Country Club, Price will take on South African amateur Christo Lamprecht in Thursday's Round of 32. Lamprecht faced a back-and-forth battle with Garrett Wood on day three before capturing a 1UP victory after 18 holes of action. The Georgia Tech junior is ranked No. 46 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and earned an exemption into the 2022 event.
Fans that cannot attend live will be able to follow all the action live online at USGA.org and live coverage courtesy of the Peacock streaming service will begin at 11:00 a.m. for the first hour. Starting at Noon, the Golf Channel takes over with two more hours of coverage with trips to the quarterfinal round on the line.
Price and Lamprecht will tee off at 9:40 a.m. as the 11th match of the day. Follow @CNUGolf and @CNUathletics on social media for updates.
