Met Area Players Conclude Play in U.S. Amateur Four-Ball

DiFiore and Dolezal used rounds of 64-69 to advance to match play. Photo: USGA/Jonathan Ernst

UPDATE (May 28, 2024) -- Seventeen-year-olds Matthew DiFiore and Joseph Dolezal ended up standing as the lone Met Area players advancing to match play in the 9th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship over Memorial Day weekend, but dropped their Round of 32 match at Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown, Pa.

Related: U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Home

DiFiore of Malverne, N.Y., and Dolezal of Old Westbury, N.Y., came out firing on day one of stroke play qualifying, posting an 8-under 64 on the Militia Hill Course. A 1-under 69 at Philadelphia Cricket's Wissahickon Course then placed them tied for 15th and earned the Long Island duo the No. 19 seed.

DiFiore and Dolezal had a challenging matchup in the Round of 32, squaring off against 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up Evan Beck of Va., and Dan Walters of N.C. While the sides tied the first four holes, Beck and Walters took five of the next seven holes to take a commanding lead. The teens won the par-3 15th with par to trim the deficit to three, but pars on the next hole finished the match, 3 and 2.

ELMSFORD, N.Y. (May 23, 2024) – This weekend the Met Area will be well represented in Pennsylvania, as the 9th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship takes place at the nation’s oldest club, Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown, Pa. A champion will eventually be decided on the Wissahickon Course, with the Militia Hill Course serving as the stroke play qualifying co-host over the weekend.

Related: U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Home

A few of the region’s notable players will compete in the national championship, such as Mark Costanza, the MGA’s reigning and three-time Player of the Year; Nick Taylor, a two-time WGA Mid-Amateur champion; past Met Junior champion Jack Boatwright, and past MGA International Team competitor Tyler Cline, who recently regained his amateur status.

On Saturday and Sunday, 128 sides will compete for 32 match play spots. On Monday, May 27 match play with the Round of 32 will begin. On Tuesday, May 28 Round of 16 and Quarterfinal matches will be played, and on Wednesday, May 29 the Semifinals and Championship rounds will take place. In back-to-back years, the championship has received a record number of entries, with 2,638 sides applying to play this year.

W - Wissahickon Course
MH - Militia Hill Course