The sides of Harley Abrams and Austin Quinten, and Taylor Wallner and Zach Claxton advanced to the U.S. Men’s Four-Ball Championship on Oct. 18 at Big Creek Golf and Country Club.
By: Chris Werner
USGA PJ. Boatwright Jr. Intern
October 23, 2023
The teams of Harley Abrams and Austin Quinten as well as Taylor Wallner and Zach Clayton each qualified for the 2024 U.S. Men’s Four-Ball Championship on Oct. 18 at Big Creek Golf and Country Club in Mountain Home, Arkansas.
Abrams and Quinten, each from Tulsa, Oklahoma, earned medalist honors with a 6-under 64 in the two-man best-ball format. Wallner and Clayton shot 65 and won a two-team playoff for the second qualifying spot.
Wallner lives in Oklahoma currently, but grew up in Arkansas, played in ASGA events as a youngster, and played collegiately at Arkansas Tech. Although Claxton played his college golf in Oklahoma, he lives in Fayetteville.
Abrams and Quinten counted two birdies on the front nine and four on the back of the 7,320-yard par 70 layout.
“I think we just timed things right,” Abrams said post-round. “Austin hit some incredible shots out there, rolled in some great putts, but when one of us was in a bad spot, the other came through clutch. No bogeys always helps, too.”
Abrams, who played collegiately at both Lehigh and Northwestern, has played in a few USGA events in the past and is excited to be heading back to a national championship.
“It's amazing, right? USGA events are the pinnacle of golf, amateur and professional. So it's really special,” Abrams said. “And it's the first time we've done it as a partnership. So that's even cooler. Neither of us have played in a USGA event as a team. So that'll be a really special experience.”
Wallner and Claxton fired a 5-under 65, counting three front-nine birdies, two on the back nine, and multiple clutch par saves throughout the day.
“We started off pretty good, made a couple of birdies early, and then just continued making a bunch of good pars,” Wallner said. “It was playing hard today, it was windy, and I think we just kind of kept our head down and just tried to get into the house with the lowest score we could, and luckily we made some good pars at the end, and the playoff went our way.”
The other side in the grouping with Wallner and Claxton withdrew after nine holes, so I (Chris Werner) marked for Wallner and Claxton on the back nine. The pairing made multiple knee-knockers for par but also fell victim to a couple of lip-outs for birdies.
“We said to each other from hole one, ‘We just have to stay patient, It's going to be a grind, you know, pars are our friend,’” Claxton said. “We knew we were in a good spot, so those couple of putts we missed on the back nine, those were tough, but you know, we stayed after it got into a playoff and made it. I think it's just pretty special to do with your brother-in-law, so it's, it's gonna be fun.”
Wallner qualified for the 2022 USGA Mid-Amateur Championship and Claxton caddied for him at Erin Hills, but this year, the duo will each get to hit the shots from May 25-29 at Philadelphia Cricket Club.
“It's gonna mean the world to me,” Wallner said. “Zach is one of my best friends, and our family is going through some tough times, and it's gonna mean a lot to us. I'm really excited to get that time with Zach and then just get to play in a USGA event with my brother-in-law. It's gonna be incredible.”
Bobby and Benjamin Frazzini earned the first alternate position from this site and James Greer and Matt Willmott are the second alternate side.
