"To say it was one of the best match in the 116-year history of the competition would be hyperbole, but it certain was entertaining."

Without television covering the finish, most of us were left to track the all-star U.S. Amateur match between UCLA's Patrick Cantlay and Georgia's Russell Henley via Twitter, and based on the accounts and enthusiasm, it was one for the ages.

Ryan Herrington with some of the highlights:

* Over the course of 21 holes, the two made 13 birdies and two eagles, offset by just four bogeys.

* Three different times they halved holes with birdies, the two shooting matching 68s before going to extra holes.

* Just three times all day did a par win a hole.

"It was the craziest match I have ever been a part of," said Cantlay, a 19-year-old from Los Alamitos, Calif., who'll start his sophomore year at UCLA next month. "If you told me all that stuff would have happened the way it did, I wouldn't have believed you."

Sean Martin said the emotions of the match were summed up by the sight of the normally stoic Cantlay fist-pumping, as caught by J.D. Cuban's camera (above).

Cantlay’s run at Erin Hills looked like it was going to end Thursday. He was 2 down with two to play after Henley holed a 16-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th. Both players came up short on the par-4 17th. Cantlay holed his straightforward chip, and Henley was unable to match.

Henley found trouble with his tee shot on the par-5 18th and had to hack out of the fescue. Cantlay had just 6-iron for his second shot, two-putting from 20 feet to extend the match.

When Cantlay won the 21st hole, it was the first time he led the match since the fourth hole.

Randall Mell said it was a heavyweight fight.

Walking to the 11th tee, Henley’s nose started bleeding. He looked like he needed a cut man more than a caddie. He played five holes with a napkin stuffed into his right nostril.
“I got hit in the nose twice in high school playing basketball and ever since, when it gets dry, it seems to start bleeding,” Henley said.

This match was everything it was hyped to be even if it felt as if it came too early in the week as a second-round showdown.

Friday's Round of 16 includes another standout match: Cantlay vs. England's Tom Lewis. Bill Nichols notes that in the final 16 are defending champion Peter Uihlein and Dallas's Jordan Spieth.