PARAMUS, N.J. -- Despite trailing 4 down with just seven holes left to play in the Quarterfinals of the 122nd U.S. Amateur hosted by the Ridgewood Country Club, Christopher Newport University senior Alex Price never shied from the pressure and rallied for an improbable comeback that would fall just short on Friday afternoon. Price's magical run through the grueling U.S. Amateur schedule came to an end at the hands of Ben Carr, 2 & 1, despite winning four of the last seven holes played. 

With just eight players remaining at the most prestigious amateur event in golf, Price already made history as one of the very first Division III golfers to advance to the quarterfinal round. Likely the first active Division III golfer to reach the final eight, Price followed in the footsteps of Allegheny College alum Nathan Smith who also reached the quarterfinal round in 2014 just over 13 years after his graduation. 

Heading into Friday's quarterfinal round, Price finished tied for 21st in stroke play over two rounds on Monday and Tuesday to make the match play cut. On Wednesday, the CNU senior disposed of one of the top amateurs in the world, Wenyi Ding, in 23 holes, the 11th longest match in US Amateur history. He then followed up that performance with a stunning pair of wins on Wednesday against a pair of highly-ranked Division I opponents in Christo Lamprecht and Ricky Castillo, setting up Friday's bout with Carr. 

In his first three matches of the week, Price was able to jump out to an early lead, but it was Carr who took advantage of the course early on Friday. After making the turn, the Division I All-American from Georgia Southern had accumulated a 4UP lead on Price with just nine holes to go. Price snagged a win at 10, but Carr re-took a 4UP advantage on the Par 3 11th hole, making a comeback effort a Herculean effort for Price. 

Fortunately for Captains' fans, he was nothing short of Herculean all week long. Taking on the course's wildly popular driveable Par 4 nicknamed the "Five and Dime", Price and Carr each laid up off the tee but on the second shot it was Price who absolutely dialed in a perfect wedge that spun back from the center of the green to within inches of the hole with one of the best shots of the tournament. Carr conceded the hole and momentum shifted in favor of the CNU senior. 

The pair halved the next hole after Price read a 40-footer from the fringe perfectly, putting it center of the cup before the ball bounced off the flagstick to be denied birdie. On the next hole, Price was short off the tee and forced to lay up on the Par 4, but another terrific wedge shot put him in good position to at least push the hole. Carr wound up in the rough and failed to convert the up and down, opening the door for Price to steal the hole and pull within two with four to go. 

Next up was the shortest hole on the course, a 135-yard Par 3, which saw Price's tee shot just trickle onto the green after a brush against the rough on the front lip. Carr's tee shot flew into the greenside bunker on the right, putting Price back in the driver's seat. He struggled out of the bunker but it didn't matter because Price, whose putter had been phenomenal all week, buried the birdie putt from between 12-15 feet. The putt was his 17th birdie in four rounds of match play (with regular match play concessions), and his 26th in his first ever appearance at the U.S. Amateur.

Now just one down with three to go, the gallery continued to grow. On the 415-yard Par 4 16th hole, both players drove it down the fairway and stuck solid irons onto the green for two-putt pars to halve the hole. That would set up what proved to be the match-winning 17th hole for Carr, who answered the late pressure by Price with a solid play to close out the match. Price battled the rough on three consecutive shots on the lengthy par 5, giving Carr the chance to play conservatively into the green. 

As he tipped his cap to his opponent, Price was all smiles, accomplishing something very few have had the opportunity to do coming out of the Division III ranks. He qualified for the event by finishing third at the James River CC Sectional Qualifier in Newport News just three weeks prior. Heading into the 2022-23 campaign at CNU, the three-time Division III All-American will add U.S. Amateur Quarterfinalist to his resume. 

All eight quarterfinalists earn an exemption into the 2023 U.S. Amateur, which will be played at Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colo. next summer.