Flemming, Williams, Hannah, and Wyatt Qualify for 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball
Chesterfield, MO - It was a beautiful and warm fall day at Forest Hills Country Club for the 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Qualifier. Fifty-two teams joined together in the hopes of capturing one of the two qualifying spots in the championship field. Play started at 7:30am and was completed by 5:50pm. Live scores were collected every six holes. The course was played to a par 70 at 6,708 yards.
As groups made their way around the course and began to come into the clubhouse, the leaderboard started to stack up. Despite the scores under par in the clubhouse, there were lower rounds still out on the course. The first two sides to play set the bar at four-under par, though this was not likely to hold with teams already matching that through 6 and 12 holes. Michael Becker and Andrew Pranger of St. Louis, Missouri played in the fourth group of the day. The pair sat at four-under par through 12 and were able to add two more birdies to their card. Becker and Pranger became the clubhouse leaders at six-under (-6) par. Then, they had to wait to see what the rest of the field would do. The side of Dan Willey Greenville, South Carolina and Alex Goss of Wilmington, North Carolina were the second group to come in at six-under (-6) par. In similar fashion, Willey and Goss were four-under through 12 and added two more to their score to tie the lead.
Jake Erickson of Chatham, Illinois and Brian Anderson of Rochester, Illinois were just two-under par through 12 holes. The side was determined to make their mark and carded four consecutive birdies on holes 14 through 17 to fly up the leaderboard. Erickson and Anderson made it a group of three tied at six-under (-6) par. Matthew Hines and Nick Budd of Woodstock, Georgia were closing in on the competition fast, sitting five-under through 12 holes. Knowing teams ahead of them were turning in low scores, Hines and Budd found one more birdie to join the pack at six-under (-6) par.
Then came Austin Hannah and Andrew Wyatt of Tulsa, Oklahoma at the halfway mark. The pair got off to a good start with a score of five-under par through 6 holes. Hannah and Wyatt remained there through 12, but rounded up two more birdies to come in as the new leaders in the clubhouse at seven-under (-7) par. Two groups back, Kennan Flemming and Joseph Williams of St. Louis, Missouri also got off to a fiery start. The duo were five-under par through 6 holes, including an eagle by Flemming on Hole 5. They kept pressing along, increasing their score to seven-under through 12. Flemming and Williams were not done yet, capping off their round with three more birdies to take over the clubhouse lead at ten-under (-10) par.
Nobody was able to better seven or ten-under par after that. This left the group of teams at six-under par to fight it out for the two alternate spots. Trenton Mierl of Austin, Texas and Reese Roberts of Dallas, Texas were the final group to join the sides at six-under (-6) par. When the time came for the playoff, only three of the five sides were present. The sides of Becker and Pranger, Willey and Goss, and Erickson and Anderson were the three ready to play. The playoff began on Hole 1. Erickson and Anderson made birdie to secure the 1st Alternate spot. Pranger and Becker made par, claiming the 2nd Alternate spot. Willey and Goss made bogey, getting knocked out and concluding the playoff on the 1st green.
Keenan Flemming and Joseph Williams earned the medalist honors as qualifiers for the 2026 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. Austin Hannah and Andrew Wyatt will join them at Desert Mountain Club next year as the second qualifying team. Dan Willey and Alex Goss will wait on the sidelines as the 1st Alternate, while Michael Becker and Andrew Pranger sit behind them as 2nd Alternate. The 11th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball will be at Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale, Arizona on May 16-20.