Don’t be surprised to see a few more PTO requests on Wednesday from the Sand Valley Resort staff and especially the 200-plus caddies still on the property.
Matt Hutchins, a caddie at the central Wisconsin facility hosting the 45th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship this week, has given a sense of pride to everyone involved. Even the longtime caddie master, Vinny Lacerra, snuck away for a few hours to see the 29-year-old from Naples, Fla., deliver a pair of victories on Tuesday at The Lido, including a 1-up decision over former Texas A&M standout Jordan Russell in the Round of 16 while nursing a calf injury.
Playing hurt for the final seven-plus holes and after receiving a medical timeout on the 13th tee for treatment from a Lido member who also happens to be a physical therapist, Hutchins managed to gut out a hard-fought victory to reach the quarterfinals of his first-ever USGA championship.
Joining him in the final eight is 2025 U.S. Open qualifier Matt Vogt, 35, of Indianapolis, Ind.; Mikel Martinson, 42, of Throckmorton, Texas; Nate Smith, 43, of Tetonia, Idaho; Andrew Bailey, 34, of Cleveland, Ohio; 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball champion Grady Brame Jr., 34, of Hammond, La.; 2024 semifinalist Drew Kittleson, 37, of Scottsdale, Ariz.; and South Dakota State men’s golf coach Parker Edens, 36, of Brookings, S.D.
Edens, who needed 23 holes to outlast Sean O’Donnell in the Round of 16, has advanced to the quarterfinals in three of the last four years.
Hutchins, a 2-and-1 winner over Ben Greve earlier on Tuesday, was the equivalent of 3 under par – with the usual match-play concessions – and 3 up through 10 holes when he jumped in the air to see if his approach shot had found the 11th green. That’s when he felt something pop in his left calf.
“It just felt like someone threw a ball off the back of my calf,” said Hutchins, who has previously never been injured while playing golf or carrying clubs the past six years. “Just thankfully a member was here – they're both sports therapists, physical therapists – so [I received] a little bit of a massage. I don't know just a little thing in my shoe to help it.”
Consecutive bogeys on 15 and 16 tightened Hutchins’ margin to just 1 up when he finally figured out how to swing with the malady. Two-putt pars on 17 and 18, the last a 3-footer, enabled Hutchins to close out Russell, who is no stranger to making a deep run in a USGA event held in Wisconsin. Fifteen years ago in the U.S. Amateur held at Erin Hills, he defeated future two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (5 and 3) and defending champion Peter Uihlein (2 and 1) to reach the semifinals, where he was eliminated by Patrick Cantlay.
Russell had also defeated medalist and top seed Bobby Massa, 4 and 2, in the Round of 32 earlier on Tuesday.
But Hutchins had a healthy gallery of 60-plus people consisting of resort caddies, staff and Lido members cheering every shot. A loud applause went up around the 18th green when he closed out Russell.
“It's just been awesome,” said Hutchins, who has fellow Sand Valley caddie Arshan Mahjoubi on his bag as well as his parents, Don and Sherry Hutchins, up from Naples, Fla. “Yeah, just to be my home course and to be able to play some good golf, too. It's just been a treat.”
It’s been a fun week for Smith as well. A home builder who lives among the Grand Tetons, prepped himself for the firm and fast conditions this week at Tributary Golf Course, in Driggs, a David McLay Kidd design that is very bouncy. Reinstated nine years ago, Smith, who changed his name to Nate to avoid confusion with four-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Nathan Smith, has also captured two of the last three Idaho State Amateurs.
And when he had a chance to face Stewart Hagestad, one of the most decorated mid-amateurs of the last decade, in the Round of 32 on Tuesday morning his adrenaline level rose. Hagestad has won three U.S. Mid-Amateurs and competed on six USA Walker Cup Teams. Smith was up for the challenge, defeating the Southern Californian, 5 and 4, before taking out No. 4 seed and Calusa Pines caddie Matt Paradis, 3 and 1.
Smith admitted to having an emotional letdown in his afternoon match, but he finally pulled away from the former Southern New Hampshire University All-American with winning pars on Nos. 16 and 17. This is the first time he’s been to the quarterfinals in any USGA event.
“I was pretty fired up to play Stew,” said Smith, a home builder for Mountain Creative Construction. “Been wanting to play him for a long time. He's obviously the standard in mid-amateur golf, so I was just fortunate to win that match. We had kind of a pillow fight out there [in the afternoon]. That's match-play tournaments. It's kind of just about surviving, and I was able to get through thankfully.”
Like Smith, Vogt, a practicing dentist, had never reached the final eight in a USGA competition. A year ago, he was bounced in the first round by eventual champion Brandon Holtz. In May, he failed to qualify for match play in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with good friend Kevin O’Brien.
With his dental practice partner, Maria Summers, holding down the fort in Indiana, Vogt has successfully navigated three matches this week, including a 3-and-2 victory in the Round of 16 over former Youngstown State star Brandon Pulchinsky. Earlier in the day, he eliminated Elijah Turner, 2 and 1.
A year ago, Vogt made national headlines by qualifying for the U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club, where he caddied before going off to Butler University, a school where he also earned his dental degree. This summer, he won the Indiana State Amateur to get into last month’s U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club and while he didn’t make the match-play cut, the experience was invaluable.
“It's great,” said Vogt. “I'm just super excited. Trying to have fun. Trying to keep it as light as possible and just enjoy the moment.
“I feel like Mid-Am field just gets stronger every year somehow.”
Kittleson, a three-time USGA runner-up, probably would like all of his remaining matches to be exclusively on The Lido’s front nine. Through three rounds, he’s won 10 holes and lost just one, while on the back nine, he’s won just four holes against eight losses.
On Tuesday, he survived a 23-hole marathon against Zach Foushee in the Round of 32 before taking out Floridian Jonathan Fricke, 3 and 1.
Could this finally be the week Kittleson, a three-time USGA runner-up and 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist, gets the gold? Three silvers and a bronze are nice, but the former Florida State standout wants the ultimate prize.
“I just feel like I'm in control of the ball a little bit,” said Kittleson. “Putting is fine. Pace of play or pace of the greens is fine. And I do love that you have a variety off the tee.”
Brame Jr., looking to win a second USGA title this year, had a wild Round-of-16 match against lefty Ethan Hagood. The two did not have a tied hole through the first 10. Then the two halved Nos. 11 and 12 before Brame Jr., who has his father and 13-time U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier Grady Brame Sr. on his bag this week, won No. 13 to take a 3-up lead and closed out his 4-and-3 victory with a birdie on No. 15.
Bailey, a former three-time Horizon League Player of the Year (2012-14) at Cleveland State and a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame, is returning to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2021 at Sankaty Head on Nantucket Island (Mass.). A member at two-time U.S. Open venue Canterbury Golf Club, which is hosting next year’s U.S. Girls’ Junior, Bailey built a 3-up lead through eight holes against John Eades and cruised home from there, losing only the ninth hole when he failed to get up and down from a bunker behind the green and his opponent did.
Martinson, the No. 9 seed, played collegiately for two seasons at Wayland Baptist University in Texas before trying professional golf for a few years. Now an oilfield salesman who got reinstated last year, the West Texas native ended the run of 2025 semifinalist Christian Cavaliere, 2 up. Cavaliere was coming off a Round-of-16 run in last month’s U.S. Amateur, the best by a mid-amateur.
What’s Next
The quarterfinal and semifinal matches will be staged on Wednesday, beginning at 7:30 a.m. CDT and 12:30 p.m., respectively. Thursday’s 36-hole championship match is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. and will continue following the lunch break at a time to be determined. Admission is free and spectators are encouraged to attend.
Notable
All eight quarterfinalists are now exempt into the 2027 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Jupiter Hills Club, in Tequesta, Fla.
Four Round-of-32 matches went extra holes, including the longest match in five years that saw 2024 semifinalist Drew Kittleson outlast No. 2 seed Zach Foushee on the fifth playoff hole. Foushee birdied his last two holes to force extra holes. In the afternoon, Parker Edens also won a 23-hole marathon, the lone extra-hole match in the Round of 16.
NHL referee Garrett Rank saw his run end in 19 holes to John Eades after the latter gave away the 18th hole with a double-bogey 6. Rank’s first game of the regular season is Saturday. Texan Mikel Martinson knocked out former University of North Carolina-Wilmington baseball player David Shambley in 19 holes, and Ethan Hagood outlasted Tyler Cline in 20 holes.
Stewart Hagestad’s loss in the Round of 32 to Nate Smith leaves the three-time champion just four victories behind all-time leader Jerry Courville (36) and two behind four-time champion Nathan Smith and two-time winner Tim Jackson, both of whom have 34. Hagestad, 35, has never missed a match-play cut in 10 starts.
Zach Foushee, who carried his own bag in stroke play, had fellow Lake Oswego, Ore., resident Harrison Moir on his bag for the Round of 32. Moir was eliminated in the Round of 64 on Monday.
It’s not uncommon for people to mistake Nate Smith with four-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Nathan Smith, who also just captained the last two USA Walker Cup Teams. That is why the ex-Duke University standout truncated his first name. At one time, he was known as Nathan J. Smith, while the 5-time USGA winner was Nathan T. Smith.
Mike Keiser Jr. and his brother, Chris, were on property on Tuesday showing USGA Chief Championship Officer John Bodenhamer and USGA president Kevin Hammer around the property that was the brainchild of Mike Keiser Sr., who also is responsible for developing Bandon Dunes in Oregon. Keiser Sr. was the recipient of the 2025 Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the USGA. Sand Valley Resort is set to host three future USGA championships, the 2029 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 2030 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and the 2034 U.S. Girls’ Junior.
Quotable
“I played unbelievable through the first 11 holes. I think I was 3 under and bogey free. I played really, really solid. Good enough to get it done.” – Matt Hutchins
“There is just so much golf to be played. You just have to control what you can control. It's golf.” – Matt Vogt when asked about staying focused and not thinking about the big prizes for the champion
“I have an awesome partner (Maria Summers) that works with me and she's holding down the fort. Everyone is taken care of. My phone is on do not disturb. They're all handling things. I'll be back [in the office] next Monday.” – Vogt on being away from his dental practice
“The USGA would mess us up. I think my picture ended up in the Masters media guide one year actually. Then I figured, hey, this guy, he's done quite a bit in the game. Let's just make it easy. I'll be Nate.” – Nate Smith on why he truncated his first name to avoid confusion with five-time USGA champion Nathan Smith
“I've never been in that situation before. Anything can happen out here is kind of what we were thinking…At the end I hit two good 9-irons pretty close to get it to extras, and then it was a battle the last five holes we played. He drained a great [25-foot birdie] putt at the end.” – Zach Foushee on his 23-hole defeat to Drew Kittleson in the Round of 32
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