From Junior PGA to Western Amateur, Oklahomans chasing titles

It’s a big tournament week across the country and players with Oklahoma ties are having their say.

At the Junior PGA Championship at Purdue University, Lisa Herman of Jenks is four shots off the pace and tied for fifth after two rounds in the girls division, while Chase Hughes of Oklahoma City is 3-under and tied for 30th. They were the only two of six Oklahoma competitors to advance as Chase Blaser, Harlow Gregory, Juliana Hong and Megan Kalapura did not advance. Follow live scoring here.

At the prestigious Western Amateur at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe, Ill., Tulsan Will Sides is tied for the lead through the first 36 holes at 7-under par.

Wells Williams and Sides are matching each other shot-for-shot at the 123rd Western Amateur, sitting tied atop the leaderboard at 7-under par after 36 holes at Skokie Country Club.

The decorated amateurs followed up their first-round 64s with matching 1-under 69s on Wednesday, leading the way as the field was cut to the low 44 players and ties. Williams is a Vanderbilt senior ranked No. 14 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). Sides, a senior at SMU, is ranked No. 50.

The cut fell at even-par 140, with 51 players advancing to the final two rounds of stroke play on Thursday.

The top 16 players after 72 holes will move on to the match play portion of the championship. Third-round tee times begin at 7 a.m., with the fourth round scheduled to start at 12 p.m.

Resources: Full Leaderboard | Third- and Fourth-Round Pairings

Three members of Oklahoma State’s NCAA championship starting team made the cut as Eric Lee is tied for fifth at 5-under, Preston Stout tied for 11th at 3-under and Ethan Fang tied for 16th at 2-under. Two Oklahoma Sooners advanced as Jace Summy is 2-under and Clark Van Gaalen is tied for 40th at even par.

Nine players ranked inside the top 20 of the WAGR – including five from the top 10 – advanced past Wednesday’s cut and remain in contention to reach match play, which begins Friday.

First held at Glen View Club in 1899, the Western Amateur is the third-oldest amateur golf championship in the world – trailing only the British Amateur (1885) and the U.S. Amateur (1895). It consistently draws elite amateur talent from around the globe, with past champions including legends like Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.

The Western Amateur is one of golf’s most demanding events, combining grueling stroke play with intense match play. A field of 156 players will compete in 72 holes of stroke play over three days to determine the Sweet 16 for match play.

Live streaming coverage of the match play rounds will be available on ESPN+, with over 12 hours of broadcast scheduled for Friday, Aug. 1, and Saturday, Aug. 2. Coverage will be available to ESPN+ subscribers via the ESPN app, ESPN.com and connected TV devices. Coverage will also be available in Canada on TSN+, and the Caribbean and Latin America on Disney+.

Meanwhile, at a qualifier for the upcoming 125th U.S. Amateur Championship held at Rockwall Golf & Athletic Club in Rockwall, Texas, Mike Hearne of Edmond and Christian Johnson of Oklahoma City each earned spots. Hearne shot a 5-under 67 and Johnson a 4-under 68.

And finally, at a Annika All Pro Tour stop, the Colorado Open at Todd Creek outside of Denver, Jenni Roller of Jenks was the only amateur to make the cut, shooting rounds of 71-74 to rank tied for 31st through 36 holes. Roller, who will go straight from this event to the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes, earned an exemption in this event for winning a collegiate event last spring.  Follow live scoring here.