BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Chase Yenser played his last three holes in 5 over Monday. He signed for a 7-over-par 77, a Hail Mary from a U.S. Junior Amateur match-play berth.
| Scoring portal |
“Honestly, I was pretty mad about it because I felt like I didn’t even hit the ball that badly,” Yenser, 18, of Douglassville, Pa., said. “I played 15 holes of not great golf, but I was only 2 over and knew the course was playing super difficult. I felt like I was still in a decent spot. Then I finished bogey, double bogey, double bogey and was like, ‘Wow, that escalated pretty fast.’ I knew how well I was hitting it, and my score did not reflect that. I knew that if I could put it all together yesterday, which I did, then I would be completely fine. It all worked out.”
It sure did. Yenser carded a 5-under-par 71 at Saucon Valley Country Club (Old) Tuesday, thus earning the No. 30 seed. His round included an impressive nine birdies on the par 71, 7,089-yard layout. The RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve member called it a blackout phase. The brain feels unconscious as putts consciously pour over the edge. Yenser’s longest of the day: a 35-footer for birdie on No. 8 (par 4, 426 yards). Crisp wedges and tap-in birdies sprinkled his second nine, complete with a birdie-birdie finish.
“It felt like anytime we stepped up to a putt, if I picked my spot, (Miller’s) spot aligned perfectly. We fully committed to it,” Yenser, who will attend Baylor University as a business major in the fall, said.
We as in Yenser and his caddie/uncle/swing coach/mentor Andy Miller, the Director of Instruction at LedgeRock Golf Club. Miller is caddying for Yenser this week. The two exchanged texts following Yenser’s 77 on Monday.
“Let’s just have the most fun on the course tomorrow. We’re still very much in it, but putting pressure on ourselves is not going to help us one bit,” Yenser said. “Coming into [stroke-play qualifying on Tuesday], having no pressure and no expectations freed me up.”
Well, an unencumbered Yenser is making the most of his newfound weightlessness. He defeated Luke Smith, 2&1, in the Round of 64 Wednesday. He will face co-medalist Sohan Patel of Weston, Fla. in the Round of 32 tomorrow at 9 a.m.
“I just love competing,” Yenser, a two-time Pennsylvania Golf Association Junior Boys’ Champion (2025-26), said. “Down the stretch, I was fired up.”
Consider No. 17 (par 4, 423 yards) a temperature check. Yenser saw 4-up through seven transform into 1-up through 17 holes. With honors, he hit a 54-degeree wedge 115 yards to six feet. Smith, his hand forced, pulled his approach into the right greenside bunker. He failed to get up-and-down and conceded the match.
“We knew momentum was going to shift. That’s how match play is,” Yenser said. “I stayed tough and didn’t make many mistakes that cost me down the stretch. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 345 Member Clubs and 140,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
