The 2nd U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship will be played May 21-25 at storied Winged Foot Golf Club, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. Here is a snapshot of the 128 teams (or sides) and 256 golfers that will begin play in the championship.
Oldest Competitors: Vance Antoniou (59, born 12-12-56), Mark Esposito (58, born 1-28-58), Gary Robinson (59, born 10-15-58), Randy Haag (57, born 1-9-59)
Youngest Competitors: Clay Seeber (15, born 10-3-00), Sean Maruyama (15, born 6-2-00), Alberto Martinez (16, 11-25-99), Shuai Ming Wong (16, born 11-14-99), Frankie Capan (16, born 11-9-99)
Average Age of Field: 32.24
Oldest Teams: Vance Antoniou (59) & Mark Esposito (58), Brian Haskell (50) & Harry Roberts (50)
Youngest Teams: Sean Maruyama (15) & Clay Seeber (15), Frankie Capan (16) & Shuai Ming Wong (16), Alberto Martinez (16) & Sachin Kumar (17), Cole Hammer (16) & Walker Lee (18), Justin Arcano (17) & Justin Ngan (17)
Largest Age Difference (Team Members): 32, Brett Sampson (53) & C.J. Lee (21); 29, Michael Stieler (48) & Danny Paniccia (19)
U.S. States Represented – There are 38 states represented in the 2016 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball: California (30 players), Pennsylvania (19), Georgia (14), Texas (12), Massachusetts (11), North Carolina (11), Ohio (11), Illinois (10), Maryland (10), New York (9), South Carolina (9), Arizona (8), Colorado (8), Florida (7), Alabama (6), Washington (6), Minnesota (5), New Jersey (5), Oregon (5), Utah (5), Virginia (5), Mississippi (4), Missouri (4), Tennessee (4), Connecticut (3), Kentucky (3), Nevada (3), Arkansas (2), Hawaii (2), Idaho (2), Indiana (2), Iowa (2), Maine (2), West Virginia (2), Wisconsin (2), Louisiana (1), Michigan (1) and Oklahoma (1).
International – There are five countries represented in the 2016 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball: United States (246), Canada (7), the People’s Republic of China (1), the Republic of Ireland (1) and Trinidad and Tobago (1).
USGA Champions (3): Scott Harvey (2014 Mid-Amateur), Nathan Smith (2003, 2009, 2010, 2012 Mid-Amateur; 2015 Amateur Four-Ball), Todd White (2015 Amateur Four-Ball)
USGA Runners-Up (4): Todd Mitchell (2008 Mid-Amateur), Brad Nurski (2014 Mid-Amateur), Andrew Orischak (2015 Junior Amateur), Garrett Rank (2012 Mid-Amateur)
Teams Played in 2015 Amateur Four-Ball: 13 (Drew Allenspach/Matthew Van Zandt; Christopher Baloga/Jeffrey Castle; Richard Berkmeyer/Brad Nurski; Sam Bernstein/Gregory Shuman; Sherrill Britt/Greg Earnhardt; Benjamin Day/Daniel Day; Michael Garcia/Ted Grassi; Matthew Giovannelli/David Griffin; Scott Harvey/Todd Mitchell; Josh Krumholz/Grant Skyllas; Brandon Matthews/Patrick Ross; Tim Mickelson/Jake Yount; Nathan Smith/Todd White)
Individuals Played in 2015 Amateur Four-Ball: 26 (Drew Allenspach, Christopher Baloga, Richard Berkmeyer, Sam Bernstein, Sherrill Britt, Jeffrey Castle, Benjamin Day, Daniel Day, Greg Earnhardt, Michael Garcia, Matthew Giovannelli, Ted Grassi, David Griffin, Scott Harvey, Josh Krumholz, Brandon Matthews, Tim Mickelson, Todd Mitchell, Brad Nurski, Patrick Ross, Gregory Shuman, Grant Skyllas, Nathan Smith, Matthew Van Zandt, Todd White, Jake Yount)
Played in 2015 U.S. Open: 1 (Cole Hammer)
Played in 2015 U.S. Senior Open: 1 (Randy Haag)
Played in 2015 U.S. Amateur: 19 (Sam Bernstein, Kyle Danford, Matthew Giovannelli, Will Grimmer, Cole Hammer, Scott Harvey, David Kocher, Todd Mitchell, Brad Nurski, Andrew Orischak, Caleb Proveaux, Garrett Rank, Nathan Smith, Brett Viboch, Aaron Whalen, Todd White, Dylan Wu, Cameron Young, Jake Yount)
Played in 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur: 26 (Joe Alfieri, Jason Anthony, Michael Christensen, Patrick Christovich, Scott Harvey, Reid Hatley, Adam Hofmann, John Kelly, Josh Lampley, Eric Lodge, Michael McDermott, Tim Mickelson, Nick Moore, Brad Nurski, Jeffrey Osberg, Darrin Overson, Glen Przybylski, Rob Simmons, Nathan Smith, William Snow, Benjamin Spitz, Travis Steed, Todd White, Brian Whitman, Justin Young, Jake Yount)
Played in 2015 U.S. Senior Amateur: 2 (Vance Antoniou, Randy Haag)
Played in 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur: 6 (Cole Hammer, Walker Lee, Alberto Martinez, Andrew Orischak, Rij Patel, Clay Seeber)
Played in 2015 Walker Cup Match: 1 (Scott Harvey)
Played in 2013 Walker Cup Match: 2 (Nathan Smith, Todd White)
TEAM NOTES:
Herbie Aikens, 34, of Pembroke, Mass., & Matt Parziale, 28, of Brockton, Mass.
Aikens, who owns an electrical contracting company, is competing in his 11th USGA championship. He reached the Round of 16 in the 2011 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. Parziale is a firefighter with the Brockton Fire Department. Parziale, whose father, Vic, has worked for the same fire department for more than 30 years, is playing in his fifth USGA championship and advanced to match play in last year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur.
Vance Antoniou, 59, of Barrington, Ill., & Mark Esposito, 58, of Chicago, Ill.
Antoniou and Esposito are the oldest team in this year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Antoniou, a real estate developer, is playing in his ninth USGA championship. He reached match play for the first time in a USGA event in last year’s U.S. Senior Amateur. Esposito, who works in insurance, is playing in his eighth USGA championship. He advanced to the Round of 64 in the 1998 U.S. Mid-Amateur.
Christopher Baloga, 32, of Baltimore, Md., & Jeffrey Castle, 32, of Parkville, Md.
Baloga and Castle, who both coach golf at the collegiate level, are playing in their second consecutive U.S. Amateur Four-Ball together. Baloga is in his sixth year as head coach at Loyola University in Maryland. Baloga, the 2014 and 2015 Patriot League coach of the year, advanced to the Round of 64 in the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur. Castle is a second-year assistant coach at his alma mater, Towson (Md.) University. He was a two-time Colonial Athletic Association player of the year for the Tigers. Castle reached the Round of 32 in both the 2006 U.S. Amateur and 2003 U.S. Amateur Public Links championships.
Richard Berkmeyer, 42, of St. Louis, Mo., & Brad Nurski, 37, of St. Joseph, Mo.
Berkmeyer and Nurski advanced to the first round of match play in last year’s inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. Berkmeyer is playing in his 27th USGA championship. He owns All-Star Distributing, which manufactures awards and recognition products. Nurski, a conductor and switchman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), was the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up. He has played in nine USGA championships and reached the Round of 32 in last year’s U.S. Amateur.
Derek Bayley, 20, of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, & Aaron Whalen, 19, of Ephrata, Wash.
Bayley and Whalen are members of the Washington State University golf team. Bayley, a sophomore, tied for 19th in the 2016 Pacific-12 Conference Championship after tying for 15th as a freshman. He reached match play in the 2012 U.S. Junior Amateur. Whalen, whose older brother plays at Northwestern University and is competing in this year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, advanced to the Round of 64 in last year’s U.S. Amateur. He owns three top-25 finishes during his current freshman campaign.
Brett Boner, 42, of Charlotte, N.C., & Stephen Woodard, 43, of Charlotte, N.C.
Boner is Woodard’s brother-in-law and married to his sister, Lindsay. Boner, a financial advisor who once played on the Hooter’s Tour, is competing in his first USGA championship. Woodard, who won on the Canadian PGA Tour, qualified for the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club. He works as a commercial real estate broker and is a board member for The First Tee of Greater Charlotte.
Sherrill Britt, 50, of West End, N.C., & Greg Earnhardt, 47, of Greensboro, N.C.
Britt and Earnhardt reached the championship match of last year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, losing to Nathan Smith and Todd White, 7 and 5. Britt, a self-employed building contractor, has played in three USGA championships and won the 2015 Carolinas Golf Association Mid-Amateur title. Earnhardt, an insurance agent, has competed in seven USGA championships, including two U.S. Amateurs. He was a member of the North Carolina squad that tied for second in the 2003 USGA Men’s State Team.
Alex Buecking, 43, of Columbine Valley, Colo., & Jason Enloe, 42, of Dallas, Texas
Buecking and Enloe were teammates at Southern Methodist University. Buecking, who has played in three USGA championships, is a senior vice president in banking and real estate and the vice chair of The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch. Enloe is in his second year as SMU’s head golf coach and was promoted following three years as an assistant. The Mustangs tied for first in NCAA Regionals and finished 14th in the NCAA Championship last year. Enloe reached the 1995 U.S. Amateur quarterfinals and was a member of the USA team in the 1996 World Amateur Team Championship.
Frankie Capan, 16, of North Oaks, Minn., & Shuai Ming Wong, 16, of the People’s Republic of China
Capan and Wong are the second-youngest team in this year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Capan, a high school sophomore, set a tournament scoring record in winning the 2016 Puerto Rico Junior Open. He advanced to the Round of 64 in the 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur. Wong, a high school junior, won the Shell Houston Open Junior last fall when he established the 54-hole scoring mark (205) and was 12 strokes ahead of his nearest competitor. Wong competed in the 2013 and 2014 U.S. Junior Amateurs.
Patrick Christovich, 37, of New Orleans, La., & Garrett Rank, 28, of Canada
Christovich, a realtor, is competing in his 11th USGA championship. He was a quarterfinalist in the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur and has claimed three Louisiana Mid-Amateur titles. Rank has officiated more than 30 National Hockey League games this year, but works primarily in the American Hockey League. He is playing in his 11th USGA championship. Rank, who overcame a cancer scare at age 23, was the runner-up in the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur and reached match play in the 2015 U.S. Amateur.
Chris Coleman, 32, of Dayton, Ohio, & Paul Day, 31, of Kettering, Ohio
Coleman, a dentist, and Day, a software support analyst, each played baseball on the collegiate level. Coleman, whose father, Dave, played for the Boston Red Sox in 1977, pitched from 2003-06 for Wright State University. The Raiders won the Horizon League and advanced to the NCAAs in 2006. Day was a first-team all-league shortstop at Alderson-Broaddus University in West Virginia. He currently works for Tyler Technologies in the tax and appraisal division.
Stephen Cox, 30, of Jonesboro, Ark., & Beau Glover, 31, of North Little Rock, Ark.
Cox and Glover, who were teammates at the University of Arkansas in 2006 and 2007, shot a 63 in the Little Rock, Ark., sectional qualifier and then won a playoff to earn medalist honors and the lone spot. Cox, a bank commercial loan officer, also played basketball at Arkansas. His father, Steve, was a kicker and punter in the NFL for eight seasons, playing for both Cleveland and Washington. He booted a 60-yard field goal in 1984 and was a member of the Redskins’ 1987 Super Bowl championship team. Glover advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2002 U.S. Junior Amateur.
Dan Crockett, 47, of Franklin, Tenn., & Parker Smith, 40, of Morristown, Tenn.
Crockett and Smith won consecutive Anderson Memorial Invitational Four-Balls, held at Winged Foot Golf Club, in 2011 and 2012. Crockett, who is the president and CEO of a mortgage banking company, has competed in three U.S. Mid-Amateurs (2002, 2004, 2011). Smith, who works as a financial advisor, reached the Round of 16 in the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur. He also won the 2013 Anderson Memorial Four-Ball with a different partner.
Benjamin Day, 35, of North Haven, Conn., & Daniel Day, 31, of Cheshire, Conn.
The Day brothers advanced to the first round of match play in last year’s inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. Benjamin, who attended Xavier University in Ohio, qualified for match play in the 1998 U.S. Junior Amateur and 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur. He works as a financial advisor. Daniel, an accountant, was a member of Guilford College’s 2005 NCAA Division III national championship team. He advanced to the Round of 64 in the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur.
Brian Dreier, 42, of Fayetteville, N.C., & Gary Robinson, 57, of Fayetteville, N.C.
Dreier is the son-in-law of his partner and married to Robinson’s daughter, Jennifer. Robinson, a building contractor, advanced to the quarterfinals of last year’s U.S. Senior Amateur and was chosen 2014 Carolinas Golf Association Senior Player of the Year. Dreier, who is competing in his first USGA championship, also works for his father-in-law, handling new construction sales.
Kenny Ebalo, 33, of Las Vegas, Nev., & Todd Roberts, 55, of Las Vegas, Nev.
Ebalo is vice president of a golf management company and has caddied professionally for U.S. Open champions Gary Player and Lee Janzen. He is competing in his fifth USGA championship and advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur. Roberts, who is president/CEO of a communications network, is competing in his first USGA championship since he qualified for the 1980 U.S. Amateur.
Clark Engle, 21, of Springfield, Ohio, & Will Grimmer, 19, of Cincinnati, Ohio
Engle and Grimmer are teammates on the Ohio State University golf team. Engle, a junior, earned All-Midwest Region and All-Big Ten Conference honors last year and recorded three top-10 finishes during the 2015-16 season. He won the 2011 Ohio Division II high school state title. Grimmer, a freshman, advanced to the Round of 32 in last year’s U.S. Amateur and qualified for the 2014 U.S. Open, where he was the youngest player in the field (17). Grimmer, who carded an 11-under-par 59 in the 2013 North & South Junior Amateur, tied for 12th in the 2016 Big Ten Championship.
Kevin Genzia, 18, of Corvallis, Ore., & Matthew Genzia, 27, of Corvallis, Ore.
The Genzia brothers finished with five consecutive 3s to earn medalist honors and card a 63 at Riverside Golf & Country Club at the Portland, Ore., sectional qualifier. Kevin, who is a senior at Crescent Valley High School, has captured consecutive Class 5A state titles. He signed to play at the University of Oregon in 2016-17. Matthew is a bioformatics scientist at Oregon State University and will earn his Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology in December 2016.
Mason Glinski, 18, of Oxnard, Calif., & Jacob Johnson, 18, of Ventura, Calif.
Glinski and Johnson, whose fathers were collegiate golfers, are both high school seniors. Glinski inked a national letter of intent to play at Loyola Marymount University in 2016-17. His father, Darin, played at Ventura College and San Diego State. Johnson signed with the University of California-San Diego last fall. His father, Jim, and uncle, Jeff, were members of the UCLA golf team in the 1980s. His uncle, John, played at Brigham Young from 1989-91.
Peter Griffith, 19, of Westlake Village, Calif., & Sam Triplett, 20, of Scottsdale, Ariz.
Griffith and Triplett are members of the Northwestern University golf team. They helped the Wildcats to a tie for sixth in the 2016 Big Ten Championship and a second-place finish in Big Ten Match Play in February. Griffith, a freshman, received all-county and all-league recognition at Oaks Christian High School. Triplett, a sophomore, was a member of Brophy Prep’s 2011 Arizona state championship team. His father, Kirk, has played in 25 USGA championships, including 17 U.S. Opens.
Tyler Gulliksen, 29, of Norfolk, Va., & Adam Horton, 32, of Portsmouth, Va.
Gulliksen and Horton are each playing in their first USGA championship. Gulliksen, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he was a member of the golf team, is a Navy explosive ordnance disposal officer. Horton, an assistant project manager for an electric company, won the 2015 Anderson Memorial Four-Ball Invitational, held at Winged Foot Golf Club, with partner Roger Newsom. Horton was a four-time NCAA Division III All-America golfer at Methodist University.
Nate Hair, 48, of Spokane, Wash., & Reid Hatley, 35, of Hayden Lake, Idaho
Hair, who is a cattle rancher who had knee-replacement two years ago, is playing in his first USGA championship. His wife, Wendy Ward, competed in 16 U.S. Women’s Opens and three Solheim Cups. Hatley, who advanced to the Round of 32 in last year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur, is competing in his sixth USGA championship. He owns RHI Golf, a golf accessory company.
Cole Hammer, 16, of Houston, Texas, & Walker Lee, 18, of Houston, Texas
Hammer, a sophomore on the Kincaid School golf team, became the third-youngest player to compete in the U.S. Open after playing at Chambers Bay last year. He also reached the Round of 32 in the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur and qualified for match play in the 2015 U.S. Amateur. Lee advanced to match play in last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur after carding career-best 64 in the first round of sectional qualifying.
Scott Harvey, 37, of Greensboro, N.C., & Todd Mitchell, 37, of Bloomington, Ill.
Harvey and Mitchell advanced to the semifinals of the 2015 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. Harvey was a member of the 2015 USA Walker Cup Team and won the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur. Harvey, who is a property manager for S&K Triad Properties, has competed in 19 USGA championships. Mitchell reached the Round of 16 in last year’s U.S. Amateur and was the 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up. He has competed in 21 USGA events. Mitchell, who did not play college golf, was a shortstop at Illinois State and chosen in the 14th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees.
Adam Hofmann, 27, of Pittsburgh, Pa., & Mitch Mercer, 28, of Wexford, Pa.
Hofmann and Mercer were added to the field as the first alternates from the Farmington, Pa., sectional qualifier. Hofmann, who played collegiately at Vanderbilt, is the son of Robbie Hofmann, the co-chair of this year’s U.S. Open, held at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. A 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur competitor, Hofmann received his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh earlier this month. Mercer, who earned first-team All-America honors at Susquehanna University and works as a financial planner, advanced to match play in the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur.
Sachin Kumar, 17, of Trinidad and Tobago, & Alberto Martinez, 16, of Weston, Fla.
Kumar and Martinez both attend Club Med Golf Academy in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Kumar represented his country in the 2015 Pan American Games. He won his second Trinidad and Tobago Open Amateur in March and claimed the 2015 South Florida PGA Junior. Martinez commutes to Club Med each week and studies online at Laurel Springs School. He advanced to the Round of 32 in last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur and won the 2015 Florida Boys Junior Amateur in the age 13-15 group.
David Lang, 28, of Canada, & Geoff Lang, 25, of Canada
The Langs are among seven Canadians in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball field. David is playing in his second USGA championship, having competed in the 2011 U.S. Amateur. David, who is a sales consultant for an insurance group, is a reinstated amateur after advancing to the second stage of 2013 Web.com Tour Q-School. Geoff, who works for an investment company, had a hole-in-one on the par-4 eighth hole in 2007 at Donalda Club, where he is a two-time club champion.
Trey Martin, 39, of Phoenix, Ariz., & McCain Schellhardt, 18, of Edmond, Okla.
Martin, who is playing in his fifth USGA championship, is Schellhardt’s uncle. Martin, a real estate agent, was selected in the eighth round of the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft by the Montreal Expos and pitched for three years in their minor league system. Schellhardt is competing in his first USGA event and tied for 15th in last year’s Oklahoma 6A state championship. A senior at Edmond Memorial High, he signed last fall to play at the University of Missouri-Kansas City for 2016-17.
Sean Maruyama, 15, of Los Angeles, Calif., & Clay Seeber, 15, of Newport Beach, Calif.
Maruyama and Seeber are the youngest team in this year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. Maruyama, a sophomore at Campbell Hall High School, won last year’s Southern California Junior Amateur title with rounds of 68 and 69. His father, Shigeki, owns three PGA Tour victories and tied for fourth in the 2004 U.S. Open. Seeber, a freshman at Corona del Mar High School, advanced to the Round of 64 in last year’s U.S. Junior Amateur. He finished sixth in the 2014 Callaway Junior Worlds.
Brandon Matthews, 21, of Dupont, Pa., & Patrick Ross, 24, of Dunmore, Pa.
Matthews and Ross played in the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship and were teammates on the Temple University golf team. Matthews became the first Temple player since 1988 to earn All-America recognition last year. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2013 U.S. Amateur. Ross, who transferred from the University of Hartford, had four top-15 finishes as a senior for the Owls in 2014-15. He reached the semifinals of the 2014 Pennsylvania Match Play Championship.
Paul McBride, 20, of the Republic of Ireland, & Cameron Young, 19, of Scarborough, N.Y.
McBride and Young are teammates on the Wake Forest University golf team. They helped the Demon Deacons tie for second in the 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. McBride, a sophomore, tied for the ninth at ACCs and posted a first-round 66. He helped Ireland to victory in the 2013 Home Internationals. Young, a freshman, advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2014 U.S. Amateur and reached the Round of 32 last year. His father, David, is the head professional at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, in Scarborough, N.Y., and his mother, Barbara, is a former golf professional.
Tim Mickelson, 38, of Tempe, Ariz., & Jake Yount, 29, of Danville, Calif.
Mickelson and Yount advanced to the Round of 16 in last year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. Mickelson is the head golf coach at Arizona State University and the brother of Phil Mickelson, who won the 1990 U.S. Amateur and is a six-time U.S. Open runner-up. Tim advanced to the U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinals in 2007 and 2010 and has played in 10 USGA championships. Yount was coached by Tim Mickelson at the University of San Diego, where he was the 2008 West Coast Conference player of the year. Yount, who advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2004 U.S. Junior Amateur, is a regional sales manager for a management technology company.
Andrew Orischak, 17, of Hilton Head Island, S.C., & Doc Redman, 18, of Raleigh, N.C.
Orischak was the runner-up in the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur, his first USGA championship, and competed in last year’s U.S. Amateur. He attends Hilton Head High School and was the 2014 Class 3A state runner-up. Redman, a senior at Leesville Road High, was the runner-up in last year’s North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A state championship. Redman, who reached the Round of 16 in the 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur, was named 2015 Raleigh News & Observer player of the year.
Caleb Proveaux, 18, of Leesville, S.C., & Cody Proveaux, 22, of Leesville, S.C.
The Proveauxs are one of five sets of brothers in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball field. Cody, who is a senior on the Clemson University golf team, has played in three U.S. Junior Amateur Championships and advanced to the Round of 16 in 2010. He also won the 2012 South Carolina Amateur. Caleb, who is a senior at Gilbert High School, claimed the 2015 Class 3A state scholastic championship. He has competed in four USGA championships and reached the Round of 32 in last year’s U.S. Amateur.
Nathan Smith, 37, of Pittsburgh, Pa., & Todd White, 48, of Spartanburg, S.C.
Smith and White won the 2015 U.S. Amateur Four Ball Championship with a 7-and-5 triumph in the final. Smith and White, who are one of eight teams fully exempt into this year’s championship, were also members of the victorious 2013 USA Walker Cup Team. Smith is a four-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion (2003, 2009, 2010, 2012). An investment advisor, he is playing in his 36th USGA championship. White, a high school history teacher, is playing in his 19th USGA championship. He advanced to the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinals and reached the quarterfinals in 2014 and 2015.
Benjamin Spitz, 32, of Boston, Mass., & David Spitz, 34, of Weymouth, Mass.
The Spitz brothers were teammates at the University of Rhode Island and helped the Rams win the 2004 Atlantic 10 Conference championship. Benjamin, who works in investment management, has played in four USGA championships and won the 2007 Massachusetts Amateur. David, who is a mutual funds wholesaler, has played in two USGA championships, including the 2004 U.S. Amateur, held at Winged Foot Golf Club.
Andrew Whalen, 22, of Ephrata, Wash., & Dylan Wu, 19, of Medford, Ore.
Whalen and Wu are Northwestern University teammates. They helped the Wildcats tie for sixth in the 2016 Big Ten Conference Championship and a second-place finish in Big Ten Match Play in February. Whalen, a senior whose brother plays at Washington State University, advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2011 U.S. Junior Amateur, losing to eventual champion Jordan Spieth, 2 and 1. Wu, a sophomore, reached the Round of 32 in the 2012 Junior Amateur and competed in last year’s U.S. Amateur. He tied for sixth individually in the Big Ten Championship with a 54-hole score of 3-under 213.