Matthew Sharpstene toppled a match-play giant to start U.S. Am and hasn’t looked back since
BANDON, Ore. – Matthew Sharpstene still uses his West Virginia golf bag, but his yardage book is from Charlotte.
The 21-year old from Asheville, North Carolina, is spending his summer between those two colleges trying to win the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes, a golf destination on the Oregon coastline. Sharpstene defeated LSU’s Philip Barbaree, 4 and 2, Friday evening to advance into Saturday’s semifinal against SMU’s Charles Osborne.
Sharpstene won the opening hole and never trailed while stretching his lead to 3 up after five holes. He bounced between a 2-up and 3-up lead for most of the afternoon, like when he dropped a hole with bogey on No. 12 then followed with an eagle on No. 13. Sharpstene hit his second shot 153 yards with a pitching wedge there and followed by making a 12-footer.
“I hit a bad shot on 12 and on 13, I knew if I won that hole, I had a good chance,” Sharpstene said. “That eagle kind of put it away for me.”
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The two players halved the next two holes before Sharpstene got a birdie on the 16th hole to end the match.
Sharpstene, ranked No. 394 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, is playing in his first U.S. Amateur. He made the cut in qualifying by one stroke and then opened match play with a 1-up victory over John Augenstein, last year’s runner-up.
“In that first match, John is one of the best players in the world and I knew I was on TV and had never been in front of a camera before,” he said. “That helped me a lot for these last couple matches. It calmed me down and let me know I can do this. It has been an unreal experience.”
Sharpstene’s father, Jeff, is his caddie this week.
“He’s been a huge help this week,” Sharpstene said. “He’s helping me get my yardages right and read greens.”
Sharpstene played three years at West Virginia before transferring to Charlotte for next season.
“I wanted to get out of the cold and be closer to my family,” he said. “My dad loves watching me play so it was big for me to stay close to home.”
Sharpstene explained why he still carries the West Virginia bag.
“I don’t have another bag,” he said. “My coach is trying to get me one. Nothing against West Virginia, I loved all my teammates and coaches, but I’ve got to support Charlotte too.”
After the college golf season was halted due to COVID-19, Sharpstene returned to competition at the North & South Amateur in June when he set the course record on Pinehurst No. 4 with a 6-under 64 in the first round.
“That was my first competitive round after everything stopped,” he said. “I didn’t really know what to expect, but I went out and played well and that calmed me down.”
Sharpstene will be back on national television when he faces an unfamiliar foe in Osborne for a spot in the final.
“I’m still playing golf, I treat it as any other round whether I am going out with my friends or playing in the semis of the US Amateur,” he said.
