Photo by: USGA
Sheils Donegan Wins Again To Reach U.S. Amateur Semifinals
August 15, 2025 | Men's Golf
Niall Sheils Donegan, an incoming transfer on the Tar Heel men's golf team, rallied from two holes down to beat Notre Dame's Jacob Modleski on the first extra hole in the quarterfinals of the 125th United States Amateur Friday at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.
It was the fourth win in match play for Sheils Donegan, and he has won all four on the final hole of the match. He was the 49th seed among the 64 players who advanced from stroke to match play.
Sheils Donegan trailed by two holes after eight and again after 12 holes, but won the 13th and 17th holes to draw even. He beat Modleski, the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference champion, with a par on the first extra hole.
Sheils Donegan is playing less than 30 miles from his hometown of Mill Valley and has drawn tremendous crowd support. The second-team All-Big Ten selection last season is the third Tar Heel or incoming Tar Heel to reach the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur in the last five years (Austin Greaser was a finalist in 2021 and Dylan Menante made the semifinals a year later).
He faces Tennessee's Jackson Herrington at 2 p.m. Saturday in the first of two semifinals. Mason Howell and Eric Lee meet in the second semifinal. The winners advance to Sunday's 36-hole championship match.
Golf Channel will have coverage of the semifinals on Saturday beginning at 3 p.m.
Photo courtesy Chris Keane/USGA
It was the fourth win in match play for Sheils Donegan, and he has won all four on the final hole of the match. He was the 49th seed among the 64 players who advanced from stroke to match play.
Sheils Donegan trailed by two holes after eight and again after 12 holes, but won the 13th and 17th holes to draw even. He beat Modleski, the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference champion, with a par on the first extra hole.
Sheils Donegan is playing less than 30 miles from his hometown of Mill Valley and has drawn tremendous crowd support. The second-team All-Big Ten selection last season is the third Tar Heel or incoming Tar Heel to reach the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur in the last five years (Austin Greaser was a finalist in 2021 and Dylan Menante made the semifinals a year later).
He faces Tennessee's Jackson Herrington at 2 p.m. Saturday in the first of two semifinals. Mason Howell and Eric Lee meet in the second semifinal. The winners advance to Sunday's 36-hole championship match.
Golf Channel will have coverage of the semifinals on Saturday beginning at 3 p.m.
Photo courtesy Chris Keane/USGA
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