Earlier this month, Christopher Newport University senior Alex Price went on an incredible run against some of the best golf competition in the 2022 United States Amateur Championship at the Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey. He recorded wins over No. 43 ranked Georgia Tech veteran Christo Lamprecht and No. 20 ranked Florida senior Ricky Castillo to advance to the 122nd U.S. Amateur Quarterfinals.

In the round of 32 match against Lamprecht, it was tied from the sixth to the fourteenth hole. The tie was eventually broken when Price birdied the fifteenth hole to take the lead. After Lamprecht tied the match with a birdie of his own, Price went on to birdie the par-5 17th hole to take a 1-up lead and then maintained the advantage with a par on the 18th hole.

In the round of 16 match, Price fired six birdies and nine pars with only one bogey. While it was close for the first nine holes, Price then took the lead in the tenth hole and went on to be four up by the 14th hole, earning him a 3-and-2 victory and a trip to the Quarterfinals.

With the win, Price became one of eight golfers left in the 312-player tournament. The Virginia State Player of the Year also became the first NCAA Division III athlete to reach the quarterfinals since the 1990’s, and continued one of the greatest runs ever by a DIII student-athlete.

Unfortunately, Price fell short of winning the U.S. Amateur tournament. In the Quarterfinal match against Carr, he was behind at the end of the first hole and was four down by the ninth hole. While Price did shrink the lead to one at the sixteenth hole, he was unable to take the lead and took a 2-and-1 loss. Carr was ranked No. 70 by the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and led Price throughout the entire match.

Although Price did not win the U.S. Amateur tournament, it was still exciting to see someone from a Division III university compete with players from more well-known schools. It was even more surprising that it was someone from Christopher Newport showcasing their talent at a national level. What we witnessed from Alex Price this past month is something we may not see for a very long time. Because of this, we should take a moment to enjoy what was displayed on the course instead of being disappointed by the end result.