Clutch birdie on 18 helps Cheboygan's PJ Maybank qualify for U.S. Amateur for first time

LAKE SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI – It’s been a busy summer for Cheboygan native PJ Maybank III .

On Monday, the current University of Oklahoma men’s golfer added another huge accomplishment to his resume.

Competing in Saint Louis, Missouri, Maybank fired a three-under 69 and qualified for the United States Amateur Championship for the first time during a local qualifying event at Lake Forest Golf & Country Club.

“It feels good – I've tried to qualify for the U.S. Am probably the last three or four years,” Maybank said. “I think just patience and experience (helped me qualify). I’ve gotten to play in a lot of these (United States Golf Association) junior qualifiers, so it’s kind of about figuring out what score usually makes it.

“I had a rough start, but I made some birdies and was patient down the stretch.”

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Impressively, Maybank earned qualification by sinking a birdie putt on the final hole. With the stroke gained, he finished in a tie for eighth and was one of 12 players to qualify for the 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship, which will take place at Hazeltine Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, from Aug. 12-18.

“I was looking at the leaderboard on 18, and I knew if I made par I would probably be in a playoff, but I knew if I made birdie I would be in for sure, but I ended up making birdie on a par 5,” Maybank said.

Leading the way in Monday’s qualifier were the Republic of China’s Yixiang Wang and Washington’s Ethan Evans, who tied for first by shooting respective scores of 66. Maybank’s OU teammate, Ryder Cowan, also qualified by tying for third with a five-under 67.

“It was the best field for the U.S. Am qualifiers,” Maybank said. “They changed how they do the qualifiers this year, so there’s local and final stage qualifying, a lot like how they do the U.S. Open. I was exempt through the first round. It was all the best juniors and other top college players who weren’t already exempt into the U.S. Am.”

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With a little under a month before Hazeltine, Maybank looks forward to competing in the huge event with a familiar group of players around him.

“About half of my college team is going to be there,” Maybank said. “It was fun because one of my teammates, Ryder Cowan, was in that qualifier and we both made it out, so he’ll be there as well. He’s probably my best friend on the team, so we’ll be together with about 5-6 other guys on the team.”

Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com . Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Clutch birdie on 18 helps Cheboygan's PJ Maybank qualify for U.S. Amateur for first time