Predicting the finals at the U.S. Amateur

(left to right) David Chung, Byeong-Hun An, Patrick Cantlay and Peter Uihlein advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur.

• Complete Coverage | Amateur Blog | Twitter: @GolfweekSMartin, @Golfweek_Lavner

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – The U.S. Amateur Championship was absolutely amazing on Friday. To say the spectators at Chambers Bay saw great golf would be an understatement.

Here are my semifinal predictions:

Photo Gallery

U.S. Amateur (Quarterfinals)

Peter Uihlein, David Chung, Byeong-Hun An and Patrick Cantlay remain at Chambers Bay.

David Chung vs. Byeong-Hun An: After an impressive summer with wins at the Porter Cup and Western Amateur, Chung has continued to play well at Chambers Bay. Every aspect of his game seems to be in fine tune, and the confidence he has with his putter is pro-like. Chung hasn’t been intimidated to go at pins or settle for pars at Chambers Bay. He knows where to find birdies and knows when to go after them.

An, however, couldn’t be more different. The defending U.S. Amateur champion is old-fashioned when it comes to match play. If An could guarantee himself 18 pars in a match, he would take it. Unfortunately, this isn’t Southern Hills. Chambers Bay has birdie opportunities. Big Ben has played safe all week, but his conservativeness is gong to cost him.

Prediction: Chung over An, 5 and 4.

• • •

Patrick Cantlay vs. Peter Uihlein: Pick a headline for this one that hasn’t already been used: “The Known vs. the Unknown,” “David vs. Goliath,” “Favorite vs. Underdog,” or “Vet vs. Up-and-Comer.” The point is, Peter Uihlein will be a heavy favorite in this semifinal matchup against the UCLA freshman. It’s tough to see this one being a short match, though. People seem to forget Cantlay finished second in the stroke-play portion of the Championship. He’s clearly he’s doing something right.

Although it seems each year a player surprises us at the Amateur, I don’t think that will happen in the semifinals this time. It will be close, but Uihlein has too much power.

Prediction: Uihlein over Cantlay, 1 up.