University of Colorado Athletics
Brandon Knight watches his tee shot at the second hole during the quarterfinals of the 2026 U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club
Photo by: USGA/Dustin Satloff
Knight Falls In U.S. Amateur Quarterfinal
August 14, 2026 | Men's Golf
Valiant effort falls just short
ARDMORE, Pa. – University of Colorado senior Brandon Knight saw his week in the 126th Annual U.S. Amateur come to an end here Friday, though he didn't go down without a fight.
The only quarterfinal match to go 16 holes – the others went 14, 13 and 14 – the 48th-seeded Knight lost to recent University of Georgia graduate and No. 8 seed Carter Loflin, 3 and 2, on the Merion Golf Course that has hosted five U.S, Opens. The closest result in the quarters, it was also the only match of the four Friday where both players led at some point.
The match was a bit of a see-saw at the beginning, both players not tying on a hole until No. 6. Knight got off to a good start, making a birdie on No. 1 by sinking an 8-foot putt, though Loflin pulled even with a par on No. 2. Knight then made par with a great two-putt on the 235-yard, par-3 3rd when Loflin bogeyed, with the same result on the 638-yard, par-5 4th. But in position to win a third straight hole, the match started to turn in favor of Loflin when he pitched in from about 40 yards out to pull to within one.
After both made pars on No. 6, Loflin won three of the next four holes to first tie and take a 2-up after 10. Both parred Nos. 11 and 12, with Loflin building his final margin by making a birdie on the 119-yard, par-3 13th. Knight came close to sinking birdie putts on 14 and 15, and had a chance to win 16. After both hit their drives into the deep rough, Knight managed to reach the green in two but three-putted for bogey from 70-feet, an up-and-down, sidewinding putt that ended eight feet from the cup. Loflin, who missed the green in regulation, two-putted to tie the hole and win the match.
"I had a blast all week," Knight said. "Merion was a ton of fun and it was an incredible atmosphere to play in. This week definitely gave me a ton of confidence going into my senior year and I can't wait to be back with the guys. I played solid today just couldn't get any putts to drop and apply any pressure. He (Loflin) played great and didn't gift me any holes for momentum. Still a fun day overall and a very positive week."
"I saw a guy really start to believe in himself this week," said associate head coach Derek Tolan, Knight's caddy for the week. As well as also to start to believe what it takes to be elite. It was enjoyable for me the whole week to hear him say and show him instances where we touched on at practices that require a different shot than he's used to. He played extremely well all week on one of the most difficult golf courses a collegian will ever see. But because he's creative, open minded and eager to learn, he handled it incredibly well and got better and better each day.
"This whole thing will make college seem easy. And he has a great rapport with the rest of the team, which he will help get everyone one the same page. Mainly, I saw Brandon get better this week,"
"'Oh man – what a week," said CU head coach Roy Edwards. "It's been fun watching Brandon's work and development over the years. He didn't have his best stuff today on the greens but battled to the end. He beat some of the best players in the world head-to-head and now knows how good he can be. He and Derek were a great team out there."
Knight and the Buffaloes will now turn their attention to CU's 2026-27 opening tournament, the Vuori Invitational at Rancho Santa Fe (Calif.) Golf Club, Sept. 14-15.
KNIGHT vs. LOFLIN HOLE-BY-HOLE (yards/par/score/Knight/Loflin)
# 1 (371/4)—1 up (birdie/par)
# 2 (578/5)—Tied (bogey/par)
# 3 (235/3)—1 up (par/bogey)
# 4 (628/5)—2 up (par/bogey)
# 5 (495/4)—1 up (bogey/par)
# 6 (483/4)—1 up (par/par)
# 7 (329/4)—Tied (par/birdie)
# 8 (345/4)—1 down (bar/birdie)
# 9 (238/3)—1 down (bogey/bogey)
#10 (303/4)—2 down (par/birdie)
#11 (361/4)—2 down (par/par)
#12 (399/4)—2 down (par/par)
#13 (119/3)—3 down (bogey/birdie)
#14 (414/4)—2 down (par/par)
#15 (419/4)—3 down (par/par)
#16 (426/4)—3 down (bogey/bogey)
NOTES: This marked the fourth time in the last five years that a Buffalo reached the match play portion of the U.S. Amateur, what Edwards thought was a great accomplishment for the program and matched only by Arizona State, Auburn, Oklahoma State and Virginia (Knight was preceded by Justin Biwer in 2022, Dylan McDermott in 2023 and 2024) …This marked the 40th time that a Buffalo played in the U.S. Amateur. Dating back to John Jory in 1941 (73 total appearances) … To reach the quarterfinals, Knight has defeated three players who played pivotal roles on three of last year's top six teams; No. 3 Florida, No. 5 Oklahoma State and No. 6 Texas Tech … Knight played a total of 99 holes starting with Monday's stroke play … The par-3 holes Friday totaled 838 yards, or just under 210 per; but take out the short 119-yard 13th, and the others averaged 240 … Knight was fifth Buffalo to have qualified for three U.S. Amateurs (joining Scott Petersen, Derek Tolan, Steve Irwin and Dylan McDermott) but the first to reach the quarterfinals, as he was also the fifth to reach the third round, joining the late Dale Douglass (1959), Matt Potter (1987), David Oraee (2015) and Justin Biwer (2022) … The semifinal match-ups on Saturday: #8 Carter Loflin (U. of Georgia) vs. #60 Jack Whaley (Florida State U.); #15 Jay Leng Jr. (Stanford U.) vs. #11 Logan Reilly (Auburn U) … The 16th Annual Colorado Golf Day, the men's team's major fundraiser, is Monday, August 24; details can be found at https://cvent.me/NyMvzg..
The only quarterfinal match to go 16 holes – the others went 14, 13 and 14 – the 48th-seeded Knight lost to recent University of Georgia graduate and No. 8 seed Carter Loflin, 3 and 2, on the Merion Golf Course that has hosted five U.S, Opens. The closest result in the quarters, it was also the only match of the four Friday where both players led at some point.
The match was a bit of a see-saw at the beginning, both players not tying on a hole until No. 6. Knight got off to a good start, making a birdie on No. 1 by sinking an 8-foot putt, though Loflin pulled even with a par on No. 2. Knight then made par with a great two-putt on the 235-yard, par-3 3rd when Loflin bogeyed, with the same result on the 638-yard, par-5 4th. But in position to win a third straight hole, the match started to turn in favor of Loflin when he pitched in from about 40 yards out to pull to within one.
After both made pars on No. 6, Loflin won three of the next four holes to first tie and take a 2-up after 10. Both parred Nos. 11 and 12, with Loflin building his final margin by making a birdie on the 119-yard, par-3 13th. Knight came close to sinking birdie putts on 14 and 15, and had a chance to win 16. After both hit their drives into the deep rough, Knight managed to reach the green in two but three-putted for bogey from 70-feet, an up-and-down, sidewinding putt that ended eight feet from the cup. Loflin, who missed the green in regulation, two-putted to tie the hole and win the match.
"I had a blast all week," Knight said. "Merion was a ton of fun and it was an incredible atmosphere to play in. This week definitely gave me a ton of confidence going into my senior year and I can't wait to be back with the guys. I played solid today just couldn't get any putts to drop and apply any pressure. He (Loflin) played great and didn't gift me any holes for momentum. Still a fun day overall and a very positive week."
"I saw a guy really start to believe in himself this week," said associate head coach Derek Tolan, Knight's caddy for the week. As well as also to start to believe what it takes to be elite. It was enjoyable for me the whole week to hear him say and show him instances where we touched on at practices that require a different shot than he's used to. He played extremely well all week on one of the most difficult golf courses a collegian will ever see. But because he's creative, open minded and eager to learn, he handled it incredibly well and got better and better each day.
"This whole thing will make college seem easy. And he has a great rapport with the rest of the team, which he will help get everyone one the same page. Mainly, I saw Brandon get better this week,"
"'Oh man – what a week," said CU head coach Roy Edwards. "It's been fun watching Brandon's work and development over the years. He didn't have his best stuff today on the greens but battled to the end. He beat some of the best players in the world head-to-head and now knows how good he can be. He and Derek were a great team out there."
Knight and the Buffaloes will now turn their attention to CU's 2026-27 opening tournament, the Vuori Invitational at Rancho Santa Fe (Calif.) Golf Club, Sept. 14-15.
KNIGHT vs. LOFLIN HOLE-BY-HOLE (yards/par/score/Knight/Loflin)
# 1 (371/4)—1 up (birdie/par)
# 2 (578/5)—Tied (bogey/par)
# 3 (235/3)—1 up (par/bogey)
# 4 (628/5)—2 up (par/bogey)
# 5 (495/4)—1 up (bogey/par)
# 6 (483/4)—1 up (par/par)
# 7 (329/4)—Tied (par/birdie)
# 8 (345/4)—1 down (bar/birdie)
# 9 (238/3)—1 down (bogey/bogey)
#10 (303/4)—2 down (par/birdie)
#11 (361/4)—2 down (par/par)
#12 (399/4)—2 down (par/par)
#13 (119/3)—3 down (bogey/birdie)
#14 (414/4)—2 down (par/par)
#15 (419/4)—3 down (par/par)
#16 (426/4)—3 down (bogey/bogey)
NOTES: This marked the fourth time in the last five years that a Buffalo reached the match play portion of the U.S. Amateur, what Edwards thought was a great accomplishment for the program and matched only by Arizona State, Auburn, Oklahoma State and Virginia (Knight was preceded by Justin Biwer in 2022, Dylan McDermott in 2023 and 2024) …This marked the 40th time that a Buffalo played in the U.S. Amateur. Dating back to John Jory in 1941 (73 total appearances) … To reach the quarterfinals, Knight has defeated three players who played pivotal roles on three of last year's top six teams; No. 3 Florida, No. 5 Oklahoma State and No. 6 Texas Tech … Knight played a total of 99 holes starting with Monday's stroke play … The par-3 holes Friday totaled 838 yards, or just under 210 per; but take out the short 119-yard 13th, and the others averaged 240 … Knight was fifth Buffalo to have qualified for three U.S. Amateurs (joining Scott Petersen, Derek Tolan, Steve Irwin and Dylan McDermott) but the first to reach the quarterfinals, as he was also the fifth to reach the third round, joining the late Dale Douglass (1959), Matt Potter (1987), David Oraee (2015) and Justin Biwer (2022) … The semifinal match-ups on Saturday: #8 Carter Loflin (U. of Georgia) vs. #60 Jack Whaley (Florida State U.); #15 Jay Leng Jr. (Stanford U.) vs. #11 Logan Reilly (Auburn U) … The 16th Annual Colorado Golf Day, the men's team's major fundraiser, is Monday, August 24; details can be found at https://cvent.me/NyMvzg..
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
Thursday, March 26
Tuesday, August 12
Tuesday, February 06
Tuesday, February 06