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St. Peters, MO – Under bright, sunny skies at Old Hickory Golf Club, 25 golfers competed in the U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying Round for a chance to advance to the 126th U.S. Amateur Championship at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Play began at 7:30 a.m., with five qualifying spots and two alternate positions available in the championship field. The course played to a par 72.

Play began and Jake Moffitt of Ripley, MS set the pace early. He started his round with a whopping five birdies on the front. Despite a double bogey on hole 11, Moffitt quickly recovered with four more birdies on the back.  He came in with the lowest score of the day at six-under (-6), 66. 

Kristoffer L Kuvaas of Houston, TX, teed off after Moffitt and continued strong. Ready to compete with Moffitt, he shot six birdies on the front followed by one birdie on the back. Kuvaas finished at three-under (-3) par. Eager to potentially qualify, Kuvaas had to wait as the last half of the field finished to see if he secured a spot.  

Then, Cole Kirby of Jonesboro, AR teed off, having yet another impressive round. After opening with three consecutive pars, Kirby recorded three birdies on the front nine. On the back he shot four more birdies to finish out strong. Ending at an impressive five-under (-5) par, Kirby was looking comfortable sitting in second.

Chase Hughes of Oklahoma City, OK delivered a steady performance. Carding only one bogey his entire round, he started with three birdies on the front. Hughes kept it consistent with three more birdies on the back. Overall, he shot five-under (-5), scoring a 67 alongside Kirby just behind the leader. 

Lastly, Austin Krahn of Canada closed the qualifying round on a strong note while playing in the final grouping of the day. Even after seeing the competition, he maintained steady play throughout the day, shooting three birdies on the front followed by four more birdies on the back. He ended his round three-under (-3) par to match Kuvaas. With his finish, Krahn locked in the top golfers who would claim qualifying spots. 

As for those just outside the cutline, four golfers were tied at two-under (-2) par. Those four were Anson Munzlinger of Columbia, MO, Jordan Less of Lombard, IL, NaShawn Tyson of North Palm Beach, FL, and Leandro Mihaich of Argentina. Munzlinger, Less, and Mihaich were present for the playoff to determine who would get the alternate positions. In the playoff, Muzlinger secured the first alternate spot after the first playoff hole. Mihaich then claimed the second alternate spot after the second playoff hole.  

Jake Moffitt earned his place in the 126th U.S. Amateur field as the qualifying medalist at six-under. Also entering the championship field will be Cole Kirby and Chase Hughes after finishing at five-under, while Kristoffer L Kuvaas and Austin Krahn concluded their rounds at three-under. Sitting in the wings should a competitor withdraw are Anson Munzlinger as the first alternate and Leandro Mihaich as the second alternate.