PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - Stanford rising junior Maverick McNealy of Portola Valley, California, advanced to the finals of the 112th NCGA Amateur Match Play Championship with a pair of victories Thursday at Spyglass Hill Golf Course. The 2015 NCAA Player of the Year will face Matt Cohn of San Francisco in Friday’s 36-hole title match starting at 7 a.m. PT.
McNealy, the second-ranked amateur in the world, defeated San Jose State golfer Matthew Ashley, 7 and 5, in the quarterfinals on Thursday morning. McNealy was 4-under through 13 holes and recorded two birdies and an eagle, the latter at the par-5 11th hole.
In the afternoon, he downed UNLV sophomore Shintaro Ban, 4 and 3. McNealy, who was 3-under through 15 holes, fell behind for the first time in the tournament.
After halving the first four holes with pars, Ban won the 162-yard par-3 fifth with a par. The duo tied the par-4 sixth with pars before McNealy captured four of the next five holes. He won the par-5 seventh with a par, the par-4 eighth with a birdie, the par-4 10th with a birdie and the par-5 11th with a par.
McNealy increased his advantage to 4-up with a par at the par-4 13th hole, but lost the par-5 14th hole to a birdie. He closed out the match with a birdie at the 122-yard par-3 15th hole.
Cohn, who reached the semifinals last year, advanced with a 4 and 2 win against Scott Mitchell. He was 2-under through 16 holes.
On Monday, McNealy was named to the U.S. Walker Cup team.