CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. (AP) — Justin Thomas righted himself after nearly falling out of contention in stroke-play qualifying, and he carried his momentum into the first round of match play Wednesday at the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills.
The 19-year-old Thomas, a member of the golf team at the University of Alabama, beat Barry Dyche of Charlotte, N.C., 3 and 1 to advance to the round of 32.
Thomas will face Max Homa of Valencia, Calif., on Thursday. The two met this year when Homa, who plays for the University of California, beat Thomas in a match at the NCAA Division I tournament, though Cal lost to Alabama in the overall semifinal match.
The 17th-seeded Homa, playing in the amateur for the third year in a row, got past Canadian Corey Conners 5 and 4 to set up the rematch with his college rival.
