Golfers with Pittsburgh-area ties set to compete in 2021 U.S. Amateur

The 121st U.S. Amateur Championship starts Monday at Oakmont Country Club and Longue Vue Club. Here’s a look at the 11 players with Pittsburgh-area ties who qualified for the event.

Local qualifiers

Ian Bangor

Residence: Pittsburgh

Age: 29

High school: Sewickley Academy (2010)

College: Carnegie Mellon (2014)

Notable: This is the first time he qualified for the U.S. Amateur. He did play in the U.S. Mid-Am in 2018. He had 10 career wins in college and won the 2018 West Penn Mid-Am.

Mark Goetz

Residence: Greensburg

Age: 22

High School: Kiski School (2017)

College: West Virginia

Notable: Goetz won the West Penn Open in 2020. This is his second U.S. Amateur after also qualifying in 2019. He was the first WVU golfer to earn All-American honors.

Palmer Jackson

Residence: Murrysville

Age: 20

High School: Franklin Regional (2019)

College: Notre Dame

Notable: Jackson reached the U.S. Amateur quarterfinals in 2019 at Pinehurst. This is his fourth consecutive U.S. Amateur appearance. He won the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s R. Jay Sigel Match Play this summer. He is named after Arnold Palmer.

Sean Knapp

Residence: Oakmont

Age: 59

High School: Plum (1980)

College: IUP (1984)

Notable: This is Knapp’s 17th U.S. Amateur and 52nd USGA championship. He reached the quarterfinals in 1998 and Round of 16 in 1995, losing to eventual champion Tiger Woods. He was the U.S. Senior Amateur champion in 2017 and runner-up in ’18.

Jason Li

Residence: Sewickley

Age: 22

High school: Sewickley Academy (2016)

College: Carnegie Mellon

Notable: A Carnegie Mellon senior in the spring, he was a finalist for the NCAA Division III Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year Award for a second year in a row. He averaged 72.1 over 14 rounds and finished eighth at the NCAA championships.

Grant Martens

Residence: Wexford/San Diego

Age: 31

High School: North Allegheny (2008)

College: Cal Poly (2013)

Notable: During his junior season at Cal Poly, he tied a school record with a low round of 64. He averaged 74.0 in 21 rounds in 2012. He works for Titleist.

Jimmy Meyers

Residence: Wexford

Age: 21

High School: Central Catholic (2019)

College: Penn State

Notable: This is his first U.S. Amateur. He was the WPIAL Class AAA champion in 2018 when the tournament was at Oakmont Country Club. He placed second in the PIAA championship in 2018.

Kevin O’Brien

Residence: Cranberry Township/Findlay, Ohio

Age: 26

High school: North Allegheny (2013)

College: Seton Hall (2017)

Notable: Played four years at Seton Hall before graduating in 2017. He averaged 77.58 in 39 career tournaments.

Neal Shipley

Residence: Pittsburgh

Age: 20

High School: Central Catholic (2019)

College: James Madison

Notable: Shipley is a former Oakmont Country Club caddie. He shot 68-71 to qualify for his first U.S. Amateur in Columbus, Ohio. He helped Central Catholic win two PIAA team titles.

Jake Sollon

Residence: Venetia

Age: 23

High School: Peters Township (2017)

College: Rider/Oregon

Notable: This is his first U.S. Amateur. Sollon was all-conference (MAAC) in 2019 and ’20. He transferred to Oregon for his fifth season and finished Top 20 in four of six matches.

Matt Vogt

Residence: Cranberry Township/Indianapolis, Ind.

Age: 30

High School: Seneca Valley (2009)

College: Butler (2013)

Notable: This is Vogt’s first U.S. Amateur and second USGA event. He qualified for the U.S. Four Ball in 2020, but it was canceled because of covid-19. He also is a former Oakmont Country Club caddie.