Nick Lyerly advanced in the U.S. Junior Amateur in Ooltewah, Tenn., on Wednesday, surviving a tough match in the Round of 64.
Seeded 25th after shooting 74-72 — 146 in stroke-play qualifying, Lyerly, a rising senior at East Rowan High, won 1-up against 45th-seeded Jack Parrott of Columbia, S.C.
Lyerly went up two holes early, taking No. 1 with a birdie and No. 3 with a par. But Parrott reeled off wins on 6, 7 and 8 in succession to go 1-up. Lyerly got the match even again with a par on No. 9.
The match stayed even until Lyerly won the 12th hole with a birdie. A par on 16, gave Lyerly a two-hole edge, but Parrott birdied to take 17 and stayed alive. Lyerly halved the 18th with a par 4 to win the match.
Lyerly has an early tee time today. He’ll play in the Round of 32 at 7:50 a.m. His opponent will be Chile’s eighth-seeded Joaquin Niemann, who cruised to an easy 7 and 5 win on Wednesday.
If Lyerly wins against Niemann, he would play a second match today, as the field is whittled down to eight golfers.
Medalist Travis Vick, a 16-year-old Texan who shot a course-record 64 on the first day of stroke play, won 2 and 1 to advance to the Round of 32.
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Lyerly is the defending champion and the automatic No. 1 seed for the Horace Billings Rowan County Amateur at Corbin Hills. Match play in that event starts on Friday afternoon and continues Saturday and Sunday.
Lyerly is listed in the bracket, opposite No. 32 seed Pete Kuld. Kuld would move on to the second round if Lyerly is unable to play in the tournament.
As the defending champ, Lyerly didn’t have to qualify for the Rowan Amateur. Keith Dorsett led qualifying with a 1-under 71 that included four birdies and three bogeys. Dorsett, who won the Rowan Amateur in 2007 and 2012, is seeded second.
Sean Kramer shot 72 in qualifying for the No. 3 seed. Ross Brown and Kevin Lentz carded 73s.
The field includes former champions such as Ronnie Eidson and Gary Miller.