U.S. Am Match To Keep Eye On: Smith v. Wedel

I know that Smith v. Wedel sounds like a dreary precedent-setting tax law case, but it's actually the most intriguing U.S. Amateur quarterfinal match at Atlanta Athletic Club Friday.

Alex Miceli writes about mid-Amateur legend Nathan Smith reaching his first U.S. Amateur quarters and while the focus will be on the most famous remaining player, Pepperdine's Frederick Wedel is a superb story in his own right. You may recall this spring's post recounting the emotional visit paid by Wedel's dad with photos posted on Pepperdine Golf's Facebook page. Fred, who started his son in the game but had not been able to watch him play for years because of severe health issues.

Anyway, about old geezer Smith, who faces Wedel at 11 a.m. ET, with Golf Channel showing tape delayed coverage from 8:30-10:30 ET:

At that point, Smith looked tired walking from the 18th green to the first tee, but in the three playoff holes he hit the ball where he wanted, giving himself easy two-putts.

After a solid 19th hole, Meth had to scramble out of the trees on the 20th hole to save bogey, but missed a 20-foot downhill par putt on the 21st hole, sending Smith into Friday's quarterfinals, where he will face Frederick Wedel of The Woodlands, Texas, at 11 a.m.

“I haven't thought about it a lot, but it's nice to have some success in this tournament,’ Smith said of his 21-hole marathon. “I haven't had too much through the years. It's nice to win a few matches and get deep and see you guys and just be here. It's exciting for me and everybody back home. It's been fun.”

USAmateur.org has a nice "meet the quarterfinalists" roundup here.