ARDMORE, Pa. — BYU men’s golfer Drake Harvey was eliminated in the Round of 16 of the 2026 U.S. Amateur Championship on Thursday, ending the final Cougar’s tournament run.
Harvey defeated three-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Stewart Hagestad in the Round of 32 with a 2-and-1 victory before advancing to the Round of 16. Michael Lugiano handed the incoming freshman a 1-down loss in the Round of 16 to end Harvey’s tournament run.
Harvey opened the Round of 32 with birdies on No. 2 and 4 and a par on No. 6 to move 3 up before the turn. On the back nine, he won No. 12 with a birdie to increase his lead to 4. Hagestad responded with wins on Nos. 15 and 16, but the two halved No. 17 to give Harvey the victory.
Harvey fell into an early 1-down deficit in the Round of 16 after Lugiano won the opening hole. He responded with a birdie to win No. 3 and added another win on No. 6 to take a 1-up lead, but Lugiano squared the match with a win on No. 9.
After the turn, it was a back-and-forth battle as Harvey took No. 11 and Lugiano took No. 12 to keep the match square. Lugiano took No. 14 for a 1-up lead, but Harvey squared it again at No. 16. After Lugiano made par on No. 17, Harvey’s par putt lipped out to put him 1 down. Lugiano secured the victory after the two halved the final hole.
Despite the loss, Harvey was the ninth BYU golfer to reach the Round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur Championship. His performance marked the best by a Cougar since Devon Purser’s Round-of-16 appearance in 2012.
The championship continues Friday with the quarterfinals. Live scoring is available at championships.usga.org, with coverage available on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.