Joseph Deraney, 36, Tupelo, Miss.
- Born June 13, 1983 in Rome, Ga.
- No. 219 in World Amateur Golf Ranking™
- Earned No. 12 seed with rounds of 69-72 in stroke play
- Competing in his fifth USGA championship and second U.S. Mid-Amateur
- Captured the Canadian Mid-Amateur title for the second consecutive year in 2019
- Won this year’s Mississippi Amateur Championship and was the Mississippi Golf Association’s top player
- Claimed the 2016 and 2017 Kentucky Mid-Amateur Championship titles
- Won the 2014 Kentucky State Match Play and 2016 Stocker Cup
- Stay at-home father with one son and two daughters (ages 5 and younger)
- His wife, Sarah, is a radiologist and is affiliated with the Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Member of Mississippi State University golf team, from 2001-05
Path to quarterfinals
- Defeated Colby Amparan, 6 and 5, in the Round of 64
- Defeated Jimmy Chestnut, 2 up, in the Round of 32
- Deeated Paul McNamara III, 1 up, in the Round of 16
Nick Geyer, 32, San Diego, Calif.
- Born Sept. 2, 1987 in Tarzana, Calif.
- Not ranked in World Amateur Golf Ranking™
- Earned No. 63 seed with rounds of 71-76 in stroke play
- Advanced to the match-play bracket following an 18-for-6 stroke-play playoff
- Became the fifth playoff participant in this decade to reach the U.S. Mid-Amateur quarterfinals
- Advanced to the Round of 32 in his first U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2014
- Reinstated as an amateur in 2013 after competing professionally on the eGolf and Hooters Tours
- Played his college golf at the University of New Mexico and earned a degree in communications
- Has served as an assistant golf coach at the University of San Diego and U.S. Military Academy
- Works as a fitting analyst for a golf club manufacturer
Path to quarterfinals
- Defeated Robbie Ziegler, 4 and 3, in the Round of 64
- Defeated Jonathan Bale, 5 and 4, in the Round of 32
- Defeated Maxwell Scodro, 4 and 3, in the Round of 16
Stewart Hagestad, 28, Newport Beach, Calif.
- Born April 10, 1991 in Newport Beach, Calif.
- No. 6 in World Amateur Golf Ranking™ (highest-ranked mid-amateur)
- Earned No. 7 seed with rounds of 73-66 in stroke play
- Competing in his 20th USGA championship, including three U.S. Opens (2017-19)
- Won 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship by defeating Scott Harvey in 37 holes
- Second-youngest Mid-Amateur champion and produced largest comeback victory in a 36-hole final
- Advanced to the 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinals at Charlotte (N.C.) Country Club
- Member of victorious 2017 and 2019 USA Walker Cup Teams
- Advanced to match play in both the 2018 and 2019 U.S. Amateurs
- Won a gold medal in Mixed Team Competition at 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru
- Low amateur in 2017 Masters Tournament and first invited U.S. Mid-Amateur champion to make 36-hole cut
Path to quarterfinals
- Defeated William Davenport, 4 and 3, in the Round of 64
- Defeated Blake Parks, 5 and 4, in the Round of 32
- Defeated John Ehrgott, 5 and 4, in the Round of 16
Jacob Koppenberg, 32, Bellingham, Wash.
- Born Feb. 8, 1987 in Everett, Wash.
- No. 2,843 in World Amateur Golf Ranking™
- Earned No. 43 seed with rounds of 72-73 in stroke play
- Defeated 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur semifinalist Scott Strickland in the Round of 64
- Competing in his sixth USGA championship, including four U.S. Amateurs
- Reached the Round of 32 in the 2008 U.S. Amateur, losing to Rickie Fowler at Pinehurst No. 2
- Advanced to the Round of 64 in last year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur at Charlotte (N.C.) Country Club
- Volunteer assistant golf coach at his alma mater: Western Washington University
- Helped Western Washington capture the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference title
- Two-time NCAA Division II All-American and two-time GNAC Player of the Year
- Works in business development for a communication services company
Path to quarterfinals
- Defeated Scott Strickland, 4 and 2, in the Round of 64
- Defeated Jack Dukeminier, 1 up, in the Round of 32
- Defeated Daniel DeBra, 19 holes, in the Round of 16
Yaroslav Merkulov, 27, Penfield, N.Y.
- Born Feb. 28, 1992 in Russia
- No. 5,312 in World Amateur Golf Ranking™
- Earned No. 36 seed with rounds of 74-71 in stroke play
- Defeated 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up Brett Boner in the Round of 64
- Competing in his fourth USGA championship and first U.S. Mid-Amateur
- Advanced to quarterfinals of 2009 U.S. Junior Amateur (lost to Jordan Spieth) and 2010 Western Amateur
- Attempted to qualify for Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada in 2016, but missed by one stroke; reinstated as an amateur in May 2019
- Won the Rochester District Golf Association title by four strokes on Aug. 3
- Moved the U.S. when he was 4 when mom remarried
- Recovered from open-heart surgery at age 11 and two years later won the Monroe County high school championship
- Earned a master’s degree in management studies from Duke University, where he was a member of the golf team
- National accounts sales administrator for an optical transceiver company
Path to quarterfinals
- Defeated Brett Boner, 1 up, in the Round of 64
- Defeated David Noll Jr., 3 and 2, in the Round of 32
- Defeated Jeremy Gearhart, 4 and 2, in the Round of 16
Lukas Michel, 25, Australia
- Born Jan. 23, 1994 in Australia
- No. 287 in World Amateur Golf Ranking™
- Earned No. 46 seed with rounds of 69-76 in stroke play
- Competing in his first USGA championship and is the third-youngest player in U.S. Mid-Amateur field
- Advanced to match play in this year’s Australian Amateur
- In 2019, he tied for fourth in the Avondale Amateur and tied for sixth in the Australian Master of the Amateurs
- Reached semifinal round of 2018 South Australian Amateur
- His father, Ivor, immigrated from Czechoslovakia in the late 1960s
- Grew up playing with Curtis Luck (2016 U.S. Amateur champion) and Oliver Goss (2014 U.S. Amateur runner-up)
- Earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Melbourne
- Works for a golf club manufacturer and is interested in golf course landscapes
Path to quarterfinals
- Defeated Marc Engellenner, 2 up, in the Round of 64
- Defeated Nick Nosewicz, 4 and 3, in the Round of 32
- Defeated Dan Ellis, 4 and 3, in the Round of 16
Andres Schonbaum, 28, Argentina
- Born June 26, 1991 in Argentina
- No. 309 in World Amateur Golf Ranking™
- Earned No. 16 seed with rounds of 74-68 in stroke play
- Defeated 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Kevin O’Connell in Round of 32
- Avenged last year’s Mid-Amateur quarterfinal loss to O’Connell, a match that also lasted 19 holes
- Playing in his fourth USGA championship and third consecutive U.S. Mid-Amateur
- Won the 2019 South of Argentina Open and the 2017 Brazilian Amateur
- Runner-up to Scott Harvey in this year’s George L. Coleman Invitational at Seminole Golf Club
- Tied for 33rd in the 2019 Latin American Amateur in the Dominican Republic after tying for 19th the previous year
- Led Jacksonville State (Ala.) University to the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference Championship
- Works as an insurance broker for the Schonbaum Organization
Path to quarterfinals
- Defeated Bryan Jones, 5 and 4, in the Round of 64
- Defeated Kevin O’Connell, 19 holes, in the Round of 32
- Defeated Johnny DelPrete, 2 and 1, in the Round of 16
Jason Schultz, 46, Allen, Texas
- Born March 29, 1973 in Tampa, Fla.
- Not ranked in World Amateur Golf Ranking™
- Earned No. 25 seed with rounds of 73-70 in stroke play
- Defeated the Nos. 8 and 9 seeds in the Rounds of 32 and 16, respectively
- Playing in his first U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship
- Competed in his first USGA Championship at this year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (Bandon Dunes)
- Reinstated as an amateur in 2017 after competing on the PGA, Canadian and Nationwide Tours
- Won the Nationwide Tour’s 2005 Chattanooga Classic in a four-man playoff
- His best finish on the PGA Tour was a tie for 24th in the 2006 B.C. Open
- Earned a degree in hotel and restaurant management from the University of Missouri
- Works as director of sales for a North Texas artificial turf company
Path to quarterfinals
- Defeated Timothy Schaetzel, 19 holes, in the Round of 64
- Defeated Jon Olson, 1 up, in the Round of 32
- Defeated Andrew Rhodes, 5 and 4, in the Round of 16
U.S. MID-AMATEUR
Meet the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur Quarterfinalists
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Sep 17, 2019
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Parker, Colo.