That’s certainly been the case with the 2012 U.S. Amateur that was hosted by Cherry Hills Country Club, with CommonGround Golf Course serving as the companion course for the stroke-play portion of the championship.

We’ve noted before how several competitors in that 312-man field have moved to the forefront in the world of golf, but the last few months have particularly reinforced the point.

And the PGA Tour’s SBS Tournament of Champions that concluded on Sunday in Maui really drove home the fact that Colorado spectators attending the U.S. Amateur 4 1/2 years ago were watching the budding of something special.

The top three finishers at the Tournament of Champions — winner Justin Thomas, runner-up Hideki Matsuyama and third-place Jordan Spieth — all competed at Cherry Hills and CommonGround in the 2012 U.S. Amateur. (Thomas is pictured above at Cherry Hills in 2012.)

But the Tournament of Champions is just the latest example of 2012 U.S. Am players thriving at the highest level of golf. In fact, four of the top eight players on this season’s PGA Tour money list competed in Colorado in August 2012: Matsuyama (No. 1 on the list), Thomas (No. 2), Cody Gribble (No. 7) and Daniel Berger (No. 8).

Some recent PGA Tour highlights from 2012 U.S. Am players:

— In his five official and unofficial starts on the PGA Tour during the current wraparound season, Matsuyama has finished no worse than sixth place. He’s won twice (HSBC Champions and the Hero World Challenge) and been runner-up twice.

— In five official and unofficial PGA Tour events this season, Thomas has notched two victories (CIMB Classic and SBS Tournament of Champions), a fifth and an eighth. And on Thursday at the Sony Open in Hawaii, he carded a cool first-round 59.

— Spieth won the Australian Open in late November, marking his third win worldwide in 2016.

— Gribble won the Sanderson Farms Championship in late October, marking one of two top-10s so far this season.

— Berger has posted a second in the HSBC Champions and a ninth in the Franklin Templeton Shootout in recent months.

— Former NCAA individual champion Thomas Pieters has recorded two top-15 finishes in two tournaments on the PGA Tour this season.

— Bryson DeChambeau, winner of the 2015 U.S. Am, posted two top-6 showings on the PGA Tour in 2016.

— Also recording top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2016 were Zac Blair (third in the Sony Open), Oliver Schniederjans (sixth in RSM Classic) and Cheng-Tsung Pan (also sixth in RSM Classic).

Career-wise in official PGA Tour events, Spieth owns eight wins, Thomas and Matsuyama three apiece, and Gribble and Berger one each.

And, mind you, all of the aforementioned players are still in their young to mid-20s. Spieth, Thomas, Berger, DeChambeau and Schniederjans are 23; Matsuyama and Pieters 24; Pan 25; and Gribble and Blair 26.

All told, five of the top 50 players in the world rankings — and three of the top dozen — competed in the 2012 U.S. Am: Spieth (fifth), Matsuyama (sixth), Thomas (12th), Berger (32nd) and Pieters (48th). Also currently in the top 200 in the world are DeChambeau (123rd), Patrick Rodgers (148th), Gribble (181st), Schniederjans (187th) and Pan (200th).

In case you’re wondering, here’s how some of these notable players fared at the 2012 U.S. Amateur:

— Spieth: The winner of two U.S. Junior Amateurs and the low amateur at the 2012 U.S. Open lost in the round of 64 in match play, 1 up to Pieters.

— Matsuyama: Japanese standout shot 73-72 and missed a playoff to advance to match play by two strokes.

— Thomas: Advanced to the match play semifinals, where he lost to eventual national runner-up Michael Weaver, 3 and 2.

— Gribble: Shot 75-69 and missed a playoff to advance to match play by one stroke.

— Berger: Shot 75-69 and missed a playoff to advance by match play by one stroke.

— Pieters: A round after defeating Spieth, lost 4 and 3 in the round of 32 to Canadian Albin Choi.

— DeChambeau: Three years before winning the U.S. Amateur, he lost in 19 holes in the match play round of 64 to Andrew Presley.

— Blair: The 2011 Colorado Open low amateur lost 2 and 1 in the match play round of 64 to Weaver, the eventual runner-up.

— Schniederjans: Lost 2 and 1 in the match play round of 64 to Adam Schenk.

— Pan: Lost in the quarterfinals 4 and 3 to Brandon Hagy, another current PGA Tour player.
 

For a guy who hasn’t competed in the HealthOne Colorado Open in a while, Brian Guetz certainly seemed to make a major impact on this year’s tournament, the 50th Open ever held.

Guetz, of course, grew up in Littleton and has won two Colorado Opens himself (1994 and 2008), with the former making him one of just two amateurs (along with Gary Longfellow) who has claimed the Open title outright.

Now Guetz is an assistant coach at his alma mater, Oklahoma State, and he played a big role in OSU product Ian Davis’ preparation for the Colorado Open — and subsequent victory on Sunday at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.

“I talked to coach Guetz earlier in the week before I started because obviously he’s won it twice and he knows how to go about it around here,” said Davis, who turned pro in late May immediately after Oklahoma State finished second in the NCAA Championships. “He kind of helped me out with the altitude and how that’s going to affect the ball. We went through a couple of holes, what he hit off certain tees. He’s great. He walked with me my whole junior year of college pretty much. He knows my game, so he’s a good one to talk to.”

Interestingly, in 2011 Guetz served as an assistant coach at Colorado State University, working with, among others, 2013 Colorado Open champ Zahkai Brown. Nowadays, Brian’s brother, Bret, is an assistant at CSU. And one of the Ram players Bret Guetz coaches is Cameron Harrell, who just happened to earn low-amateur honors in the Colorado Open on Sunday.

Davis (above celebrating with his caddie, and at left) put Brian Guetz’s advice to good use as he took the lead on Saturday and never relinquished it on Sunday in posting a five-stroke victory. The winning margin matched the second-largest at the Open since 1976.

Davis birdied his final two holes Sunday to post a 4-under-par 67 and a 14-under 270 total and earn his first tournament paycheck as a pro, good for $23,000.

Brandon Hagy, a first-team All-American at Cal last season who likewise is in the initial phase of his pro career, birdied No. 18 Sunday to claim second place outright at 275 after a final-round 69. He earned $13,500.

Nathan Lashley of Scottsdale, Ariz., the 2010 champion, tied for third at 276 with Brock MacKenzie of Yakima, Wash., as both players closed with 70s.

So, looking back, how much did Brian Guetz’s advice about the Open and Green Valley Ranch help Davis come out on top?

“A lot actually,” said the 22-year-old Davis, a former All-American at OSU. “The altitude here makes the ball go so much farther. He gave me a couple of different percentages to factor in when I was getting my yardages. Sometimes it’s hard to trust it when you’ve got 190 (yards) and you’re going to hit a 9-iron over water. I just tried to trust it all week. Fortunately it worked out.”

Davis, from Edmond, Okla., wasn’t challenged to any great extent on Sunday. He started the day at 10 under par and shot a 3-under-par 33 on the front nine in the final round. The only other competitor to reach 10 under par on Sunday was Hagy (left), who was 3 under par for the day through seven holes and again through nine. But Hagy pulled his approach on 10 and made bogey and three-putted from in front of the green on 11 for another bogey.

“I just kind of lost momentum on 10 and 11,” he said. “That sort of threw me out of it. I was feeling really good, then I had those few bad swings on 10 and 11. And (Davis) played really well. I wasn’t able to hit it close enough on the back nine to put pressure on.”

Interestingly, both of the top two finishers Sunday, Davis and Hagy, were playing in their first Colorado Open and had never seen GVR before the week began. By Sunday, Davis especially looked very comfortable on the layout.

“I was focused on getting off to a good start (on Sunday), and I did,” he said. “I parred the first three holes, then I told my caddie Ben it’s time to get going, and I birdied the next couple holes. That felt pretty good. After those two birdies, I felt pretty comfortable all day.

“I’ll tell you what: This is pretty special.”

Low Amateur, Low Coloradan for Harrell: About the only thing Cameron Harrell didn’t do Sunday was win the Colorado Open. The Colorado State University golfer not only captured low-amateur honors — by four strokes — but he tied for fifth overall and was the top Colorado finisher, pro or amateur.

Harrell (left), who grew up in Colorado Springs, also was one of just three players — along with professionals Nathan Lashley and Brock MacKenzie — to record sub-par rounds each day of the tournament. Harrell went 68-70-70-69 for a 7-under-par 277 total.

“I wanted to prove to myself in a pro tournament like this that I can definitely compete because this is what I’m going to be doing in a year (after completing his senior season at CSU),” Harrell said. “I’ll be in stuff like this competing and paying my own way. So it feels really good to finish this well, especially as an amateur right now. And I’ve still got another year to get better and see where I can go from there.”

Harrell, who started the day five behind leader Ian Davis, made an early surge on Sunday. He birdied the first three holes, making putts of 25, 5 and 5 feet, to get within two of Davis. And after a bogey on No. 6, he drained a tough 35-foot birdie putt on No. 8. But when Davis started to pull away, neither Harrell nor anyone else in the field could keep up.
 
“I closed the gap real fast, which I wanted to do early on,” the 20-year-old said. “It was just a bummer I couldn’t put any pressure on (Davis on the back nine). I was trying to do that by posting a 10 or 11 under. It was a little frustrating after such a great start to have a little drop-off. But I’ll take top five.”

Harrell’s finish was the best by an amateur at the Open since Gunner Wiebe was runner-up in 2010.

Cole Nygren of Longmont, who on Friday made a double-eagle at the par-5 ninth hole, took second place in the amateur competition, closing with a 67 for a 281 total.

Award Puts Chenoweth in Good Company: LindaSue Chenoweth, a key figure in the success of the HealthOne Colorado Open since the tournament was revived more than a decade ago, on Sunday received the Robert M. Kirchner Award, which is given to an individual who has contributed greatly to amateur golf, professional golf and/or tournament golf in the state of Colorado.

Chenoweth served executive roles for the Colorado Open from 2004-13, at different times holding the titles of executive director and chief operations officer.

“There’s no one better at the little things than LindaSue,” noted CGA executive director Ed Mate (pictured with Chenoweth), a recipient of the Kirchner Award in 2009.

Having played such an integral role in the tournament over the years, Chenoweth was all smiles in accepting the award.
   
“To be among that list of recipients, that’s about the coolest honor a girl in golf can get, particularly in this golf family,” she said.

Notable: Scott Petersen of Parker, winner of the Colorado Open in 2000, carded Sunday’s best round, a bogey-free 6-under-par 65, to post a 10th-place finish at 279. Another Coloradan cracking the top 10 on Sunday was fellow former University of Colorado golfer Luke Symons of Aurora, who tied for eighth at 278 after a 71. Two other former Buffs, Derek Fribbs and Kevin Kring, shared 11th place. … Speaking of former CU golfers, three of them were paired together in Sunday’s final round, with two-time Open champion Derek Tolan joining Pat Grady and Kane Webber. After all starting the day at 1 under par, Tolan and Webber (284) finished a stroke better than Grady.

Scores: For all the scores from the Colorado Open, CLICK HERE.

Barring something completely unforeseen, Ian Davis will earn his first paycheck as a professional golfer on Sunday at the 50th HealthOne Colorado Open.

And he’s in position to make it a substantial one.

Davis (left), who turned pro the day after his Oklahoma State team fell to Alabama in the title match at the NCAA Championships in late May, will take a one-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the Open at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver.

The former All-American could receive a cool $23,000 for his first professional payday if things go well Sunday.

“If you start thinking about the outcome and what it could do for your career to win and stuff, you’re not going to play very well,” Davis said after shooting an even-par 71 on Saturday. “I’m going to try to stay in the moment, keep hitting solid shots and I’ll see what happens.”

Perhaps not coincidentally, another big-time college player who just wrapped up his amateur career likewise will be looking for his biggest financial windfall from a tournament. That would be Brandon Hagy, a first-team All-American from Cal in the just-concluded season. Hagy, a semifinalist in the 2012 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club, shares third place at the Colorado Open, trailing only Davis and McKinney, Texas-based professional Chris Ward, who played his final 10 holes in 6 under par on Saturday.

Hagy turned pro less than a month ago, and his only check so far came in the Web.com Nova Scotia Open, where he placed 40th.

If Hagy and Davis are experiencing any problems transitioning into the professional ranks, they certainly aren’t showing it this week. Both are competing at the Colorado Open for the first time and each just had one practice round at GVR before their three-round runs to the top of the leaderboard.

“This doesn’t feel a lot different” than playing a high-level amateur event, Hagy said. “I think there was more pressure trying to beat my (Cal) teammates the last four years than playing for money.”

Davis, from Edmond, Okla., stands at 10-under-par 203 through 54 holes. Ward, 27, posted Saturday’s best score, a 5-under-par 66 and trails by one. Hagy, 2010 champion Nathan Lashley of Scottsdale, Ariz., Brock MacKenzie of Yakima, Wash., and Nick Killpack of St. George, Utah share third place at 206.

Former University of Colorado golfer Luke Symons (left), from Aurora, made a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Saturday to be the top Coloradan through three rounds. His 71 left him in seventh place at 207.

“With a good low score tomorrow, I still might have a chance. Who knows?” said Symons, who has twice shot 64 or under in competition this month.

Devin Schreiner of Durango, who led after each of the first two rounds, followed up scores of 64 and 66 with an 8-over-par 79 on Saturday, putting him in 11th place at 209. Schreiner double-bogeyed his first hole on Saturday and finished the day with two doubles, five bogeys and a birdie on No. 16.

Davis can attribute his lead, in part, to an amazing string of 43 consecutive holes without a bogey or worse. He started the tournament by going bogey, par, double bogey on Thursday, then didn’t make another bogey until No. 11 on Saturday.

“That’s got to be up there (near his personal best),” the 22-year-old said. “That might be the best. I really didn’t notice I wasn’t making any bogeys but I did pretty good there for a while. That’s not bad. It’ll work.”

In Sunday’s final tee time, at 9:36 a.m., Ward will be joined by Davis and Hagy, who not surprisingly have played in the same groups at college tournaments.

Given that at one point early in the back nine on Saturday, Davis led by five strokes, but that he ended up ahead by just one, nothing is near settled yet.

“I’ve played in a lot of tournaments and I’ve seen (advantages of more than three or four shots) vanish quickly,” Hagy said. “It’s obviously in (Davis’) hands. But if I can make a few birdies and play solid, I think I would be right there.”

Harrell 5 Ahead in Amateur Competition: The two previous times Cameron Harrell played in the Colorado Open, he missed the cut, albeit barely. This time around, the Colorado State University golfer is in considerably different position.

Harrell (left), who grew up in Colorado Springs, leads the amateur competition by five strokes heading into Sunday’s final round. After falling just a shot shy on Monday of qualifying for his second consecutive U.S. Amateur, Harrell has posted rounds of 68-70-70 for a 5-under-par 208 total. The next-best amateur after three days is Jacob Holt of Tooele, Utah (213).

Harrell capped his Saturday round in style after making four birdies and five bogeys through 17 holes, hitting a 3-wood from 265 yards on the par-5 18th to 15 feet and draining the eagle putt.

“That helps a lot to finish that way,” he said.

Harrell is one of just three players in the field — along with MacKenzie and Lashley — who have been under par each round this week.

“This is a tournament I’ve always wanted to play well in,” he said. “I’m an amateur, this is a pro tournament. That’s always fun to do.

“The last month or so I’ve been hitting the ball awesome. I’ve been very pleased with everything.”

The low-amateur honor is obviously on Harrell’s mind, but at five strokes out of the overall lead, he still has an outside shot at the championship.

“You never know,” he said. “You could shoot 6, 7, 8 under easily. Anything can happen.

“I’m looking to get the low amateur. That’s the first goal. The second goal is to see what I can do to this top field. I’m really looking up the leaderboard to the guys in front of me. I’m going to try to make as many birdies as I can to see how much I can chase those guys down.”

Hip-Hip Hooray? It’s a collossal understatement to say that former CU golfer Luke Symons has had some hip issues over the years.

After going under the knife in 2009, ’10 and ’11, the Aurora resident recently underwent additional surgeries in October and December of last year. For those keeping count, that makes five hip operations in less than five years — three on the right side, two on the left. Torn labrums are consistently the problem.

“If I knew (the issue) I probably wouldn’t have to keep having them done,” said Symons, who sits in seventh place after three rounds of the Open. “I feel a lot better about the last couple I’ve went through. “

Notable: The run of Colorado Opens with a Colorado winner is in jeopardy of coming to at end at three, with the top Coloradan four out of the lead heading into Sunday. Going back further, seven of the last eight Colorado Open champions have had major Colorado ties: Dustin White of Pueblo West (2006), former CU golfer John Douma (2007), former Coloradan Brian Guetz (2008), Derek Tolan of Highlands Ranch (2009 and ’12), Ben Portie of Westminster (2011) and Zahkai Brown of Arvada (2013). Only Arizonan Nate Lashley (2010) interrupted the streak. … The top two money winners in Colorado Open history — Jim Blair (5 over par after two rounds) and Bill Loeffler (6 over) — both missed the 36-hole cut. So Blair ($112,859) will remain about $15 ahead of Loeffler ($112,844) for the career money lead. … For Sunday’s final round, tee times will range from 7:30 to 9:36 a.m., with players going off both the first and 10th tees. The leaders will tee off on No. 1 at 9:36 a.m.

Scores: For all the scores from the Colorado Open, CLICK HERE.

Two players who barely snuck into match play at the U.S. Amateur will now square off for arguably the most prestigious title in amateur golf.

University of Tennessee-Chattanooga golfer Steven Fox and Michael Weaver of the University of California-Berkeley, who both needed a playoff to join the 64 players who advanced to match play, punched their tickets Saturday for the 36-hole final at Cherry Hills Country Club.

A day after knocking off the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, Fox, seeded 63rd, defeated Brandon Hagy of Cal in a back-and-forth semifinal, 2 up.

And Hagy’s Cal teammate, 60th-seeded Michael Weaver, toppled the college player of the year, Justin Thomas of the University of Alabama, 3 and 2, after being 5 up through 10 holes.

Weaver (pictured above with his dad/caddie) and Fox will face off in Sunday’s 36-hole final, which begins at 7:30 a.m.

Suffice it to say both 21-year-olds have come a long way since Wednesday morning’s 17 players-for-14 spots playoff. In that event within an event, Weaver made a birdie on the third extra hole to advance to match play, while Fox moved on with a par on the fourth — and last — additional hole.

“Whether you’re the No. 1 or 64 (seed), you always have a chance,” said Fox (pictured below). “It’s awesome how we survived a playoff and got this far. It’s really unreal.”

The stakes were definitely high on Saturday, when an estimated 4,500 spectators were on hand at Cherry Hills. By being U.S. Amateur finalists, Fox and Weaver will receive exemptions into the U.S. Open and probably the Masters, provided they’re still amateurs. The winner on Sunday also will get a spot in the British Open, again assuming he’s still an amateur.

“I’m excited about Merion (for the U.S. Open),” Weaver said. “I think I’m more excited about going to Augusta (for the Masters).”

Between being in the final of the U.S. Am, and gaining berths in some of the top events in golf, Weaver was overcome by emotion a couple of times following his victory over Thomas. When he sank the 6-foot birdie putt on No. 16 that secured his berth in the final, Weaver raised both of his fists in triumph, then gave his dad/caddie, Bill, a bear hug.

“That was pretty special,” Weaver said while fighting back tears. “I’ll remember that forever. I’m so excited. My dad caddies for me all the time. I’m so excited he could be here to be a part of this. I owe a lot to him. He’s supported me all along, and I wouldn’t be here without him.”

And Weaver will have even more family support on Sunday as his mother will return to Cherry Hills after leaving on Tuesday evening to help her daughter move into an apartment in San Diego. And Weaver’s sister and a couple of his dad’s friends are expected to be on hand, too.

Weaver started off his semifinal with three straight birdies. And the All-American who finished eighth in the NCAA finals made six birdies overall, including the clincher on No. 16.

“My start was incredible; it was awesome,” Weaver said. “To start like that in the biggest match I’ve ever played in, that was an awesome feeling.”

After Weaver made a birdie on No. 10 to go 5 up, Thomas rallied, as he had in his three previous matches. He won holes 12 and 14 with pars, and 15 with a birdie, to cut the deficit to 2 down. But Weaver’s short birdie on 16 ended the comeback.

“Although it hurts a lot to lose, especially this late in the tournament, it’s a lot better to get beat than to lose,” said Thomas, the fifth-ranked amateur in the world. “With 5 down through 10 against a player like Michael, when he was playing as well as he was, there’s just not enough holes.”

With Weaver and Hagy in separate matches, “Go Bears” was yelled on several occasions by spectators on Saturday. And though Hagy took a 1-up lead on No. 9 and kept it through No. 13, he couldn’t hold on.

“One out of two (Cal players in the final) is a little bittersweet,” longtime Bears coach Steve Desimone said. “It’s great to have one in (but we) would have loved to have had two.”

In Fox’s win over Hagy, no player led more than 1 up until after the 18th hole. After being 1 down, Fox won 14 and 15 with pars when Hagy missed par putts of 5 feet and 8 feet.

When Fox put his 4-iron approach on No. 18 to 4 feet from the cup, and with Hagy unable to make birdie from 40 feet, the match ended.

“The shot on 18 was unreal,” said Fox, winner of the 2011 Tennessee Golf Association Match Play Championship and a round-of-16 player at this year’s U.S. Amateur Public Links. “I was just trying to put it on the green or find a way to make par. It was the best shot of my life by far.”

Neither Fox nor Weaver are in the top 100 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, with Fox No. 127 and Weaver No. 149.

For match play results and pairings, CLICK HERE.

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U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials

What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.

When: Aug. 13-19. The 36-hole final on Sunday will begin at 7:30 a.m.

Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71). Cherry Hills is hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).

Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.

Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)

Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.

Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

Television: Sunday,  2-4 p.m., NBC.

It is, by several measures, an improbable final four.

Two University of California teammates earned semifinal berths in the U.S. Amateur on Friday, and so did two players who had to survive a playoff just to make match play.

In addition, four Americans advanced to the U.S. Am final four for the first time since 2004.

But one player who didn’t make the semis was the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, University of Washington golfer Chris Williams, who never trailed during his first three matches but never led in Friday’s quarterfinals at Cherry Hills Country Club.

Suffice it to say he was out-Foxed. University of Tennessee-Chattanooga golfer Steven Fox never gave the Idaho resident an opening in a 4 and 2 drubbing.

“This is by far the best thing I’ve done in my career,” said Fox, who didn’t lose a hole to Williams until making his only bogey, on No. 15. That’s not bad considering Williams had won his three previous matches 3 and 2, 5 and 3, and 3 and 2.

Joining Fox in Saturday’s semifinals will be Cal teammates Brandon Hagy and Michael Weaver, and college player of the year Justin Thomas from the University of Alabama.

Thomas, the No. 5-ranked amateur in the world, went to the 18th hole for the second straight match, defeating 18-year-old Australian Oliver Goss 2 up in the first quarterfinal. The the two Cal players won by 4 and 3 margins, Weaver over Ricardo Gouveia and Hagy over Cheng-Tsung Pan of Chinese Taipei.

The result is an all-American semifinals, which last happened in the U.S. Amateur eight years ago. Thomas will face Weaver at 8 a.m. on Saturday, while Fox will meet Hagy at 8:15.

Fox, seeded 63rd after barely making match play, is No. 127 in the world amateur rankings. He advanced to the round of 16 at this year’s U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and won the 2011 Tennessee Match Play title, and on Friday he was solid as a rock in beating Williams.

In 16 holes, Fox made three birdies and one bogey on a formidable Cherry Hills set-up. From holes 9 through 13, Fox went 4-for-4 in getting up and down from off the green.

“He played great,” Williams (pictured at left) said of Fox. “He didn’t make any bogeys (until 15). I didn’t win a hole until the 15th, so it’s hard to win a match when you do that. He didn’t make any mistakes and when he did he got up and down. He beat me. I didn’t play terrible (roughly even par); he just played great.

“Quarterfinals at the U.S. Amateur isn’t bad. Obviously you want to go all the way, but only one guy can win.”

Fox knew he had to perform very well to beat Williams, but he wasn’t intimidated by his No. 1 ranking.

“I give him a lot of respect,” the bearded Tennessean said. “I knew I had to bring out my ‘A’ game, and luckily I did. … I was nervous the first couple of matches, but for some reason this match I kind of felt at home. I was finally playing with the galleries and enjoyed myself out there and really just had fun.”

With Williams out, Thomas is the top remaining player in the world amateur rankings. On Friday, he prevailed over Goss despite putting two balls in the water and making a triple-bogey 8 on the 17th hole.

Goss won that hole with a bogey to cut his deficit to 1 down, but he three-putted No. 18 to assure Thomas of the win.

Thomas has rallied to win despite being 2 down in each of his last three matches.

“It’s good to know that I’ve done it before,” Thomas said of the comebacks. “But at the same time it would be a lot nicer if I wasn’t 2 down. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with that. Hopefully I can get off to a little better starts and I won’t have to worry about that.”

As for the two Cal players, they’re both hoping to set up an all-Bear final by winning on Saturday. Weaver, like Fox, had to survive a playoff to get to match play, and he was seeded 60th in the match play bracket.

Two Cal players in the final “would be very special,” said Hagy, a long-hitter who drove a ball pin-high Friday on the 411-yard seventh hole. “We’re definitely pulling for each other.”

Three of the semifinalists are 21-year-olds: Fox, Hagy and Weaver, while Thomas is 19. The U.S. Amateur is the first USGA championship for Hagy.

For match play results and pairings, CLICK HERE.

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U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials

What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.

When: Aug. 13-19. Semifinal matches on Saturday begin at 8 a.m.

Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71). Cherry Hills is hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).

Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.

Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)

Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.

Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

Television: Aug. 17 6:30-8:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 18 2-4 p.m., NBC; Aug. 19 2-4 p.m., NBC.