(Photo: UNC Golf, 247Sports)

 

Niall Shiels-Donegan is quickly building a reputation as the Bulldog of the Olympic Club this week at the U.S. Amateur Championship.

The incoming North Carolina Tar Heel junior went down to the last shot for the fourth straight match on Friday evening, and in the process eliminated Jacob Modleski in the quarterfinal match.    

Eighteen holes was not enough.  It took an extra playoff hole to do so.  The two golfers returned to the par four, 449 yard second hole.  Shiels-Donegan (No. 49) made par while Modleski was not able to do the same to keep the match alive. 

“I’m just swinging the golf club and seeing what happens,” the victorious golfer said after the match. “It’s just a lot of staying in the present, and not thinking what could happen if something goes wrong.  I’m hitting good golf shots and trusting the work that I’m putting in.”   

The Scottish native now advances to Saturday’s semifinal round which can be seen beginning at 3PM EST on the Golf Channel.  His opponent will be Jackson Herrington of Dickson, Tennessee who is the No. 37 seed. 

For awhile it looked as if Shiels-Donegan might not see Saturday action.  He trailed by two holes walking off the 12th green in the match play setting.  However, he would bounce back on the very next hole.  The Tar Heel hit an iron to 10 feet on the 160 yard par-3.  He walked in a difficult left to right bender to close the gap to one-down. 

Each of the next three holes were tied, but Shiels-Donegan finally got the big break he needed on the 17th hole which has been incredibly hospitable to him all week long.  He had played the 531 yard, par five in two-under par over three rounds, and had won the hole in two of the three matches.  Shiels-Donegan rolled in an eight foot putt for birdie to win the hole for the third time in four tries.  Neither could win the final regulation hole, so the match went to a playoff at the second hole.

Getting the breaks is a prerequisite to winning, and Shiels-Donegan got that with his approach shot on 18.  He one hopped a wedge over the back fringe that actually hopped into the rough.  But he had enough backspin for the ball to find its way back onto the putting surface and settle about 15 feet from the hole.    

The ability to execute under pressure has been a huge difference maker for Shiels-Donegan.  It has taken him 73 holes to win the four matches which include three straight full 18 holes affairs followed by 19 more on Friday.  

Much of winning golf is about closing down the stretch.  Shiels-Donegan has played holes 16 through 18 in six-under par through the four rounds.     

Herrington advanced to Saturday’s semifinal match against Shiels-Donegan with a 4 and 2 victory over Jimmy Abdo. 

On the other side, No. 11 Eric Lee of Oklahoma State will face the 18-year old Mason Howell who will enroll this year at the University of Georgia as a freshman. 

Lee held on to defeat Miles Russell 1-up.  Russell was the highest rated player remaining in the tournament at No. 3.  It appeared that Russell might take the 18th hole, and send the match into sudden death.  But with Lee in deep rough off the right side of the fairway, Russell air mailed a wedge over the green into ankle deep rough.  He could not get up and down to save par and extend the contest. 

Howell knocked off the red-hot John Daly II who was also probably the most well known player in the event in another match that went down to the final hole.  Howell led the final five holes, and won the match by making a birdie on 18 to halve the hole and win the match.  Â