Upcoming Event: Men's Golf versus The Invitational at The Honors Course on September 15, 2025
Men's Golf
vs The Invitational at The Honors Course
Photo by: USGA Museum
Four Blue Devils Set to Compete at 125th U.S. Amateur Championship
8/9/2025 2:00:00 PM | Men's Golf
Kim, Evans, Sample and Smith Represent Duke at Prestigious Event in San Francisco
DURHAM, N.C. – Four golfers with Duke ties are among the 312-player field set to compete at the 125th U.S. Amateur Championship, held Aug. 11-17, at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.
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Current Blue Devils Bryan Kim and Ethan Evans, recent graduate Luke Sample, and 2006 Duke alum Nate Smith will tee it up at one of the oldest and most prestigious amateur golf events in the world. The championship will be contested over two courses — the Lake Course (7,214 yards, par 70) and the Ocean Course (6,787 yards, par 70) — for the 36-hole stroke play portion.
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Kim, a rising junior from Brookeville, Maryland, and one of 11 USGA champions in the field after winning the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur, will begin his opening round at 12:05 p.m. ET off of the first hole on the Lake Course. A 2025 All-ACC and PING East All-Region selection, Kim led Duke this past season in stroke average (71.44), score to par (+2), and average vs. par (+0.1). He finished the year ranked No. 64 nationally and advanced to the NCAA Championships as an individual after tying for third at the Reno Regional.
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Evans, a rising senior, is set to begin play at 11:45 a.m. ET on the first hole of the Ocean Course. The Mercer Island, Washington native is ranked No. 24 in the initial PGA TOUR University rankings for the Class of 2026 and enters his final season with the 12th-best scoring average in program history. He captured his first individual collegiate title last season and recorded three top-five finishes.
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Sample, who recently concluded his four-year Duke career, will tee off at 11:33 a.m. ET from the first hole of the Lake Course. He compiled a 72.33 career scoring average over 48 events and tallied over 100 birdies for the fourth consecutive season. Sample also posted a top-five and two top-10 individual finishes in 2024-25.
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Smith, a two-time All-ACC and All-Region performer who earned third team All-America honors in 2004, begins his opening round at 10:31 a.m. ET off hole No. 9 of the Lake Course. After stepping away from the game in 2013, the 2006 Duke graduate returned to competitive golf in 2023 and has won multiple titles, including the 2024 Idaho State Amateur and the Snedeker Memorial earlier this year. As a pro, Smith played in 68 Korn Ferry Tour events — winning the 2010 WNB Golf Classic — and made 25 appearances on the PGA Tour.
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The top 64 players following stroke play will advance to match play beginning Wednesday, Aug. 13.
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To follow the action and learn more about the U.S. Amateur Championship, visit https://championships.usga.org/usamateur.html
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To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's golf, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMGOLF".
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#GoDuke
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Current Blue Devils Bryan Kim and Ethan Evans, recent graduate Luke Sample, and 2006 Duke alum Nate Smith will tee it up at one of the oldest and most prestigious amateur golf events in the world. The championship will be contested over two courses — the Lake Course (7,214 yards, par 70) and the Ocean Course (6,787 yards, par 70) — for the 36-hole stroke play portion.
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Kim, a rising junior from Brookeville, Maryland, and one of 11 USGA champions in the field after winning the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur, will begin his opening round at 12:05 p.m. ET off of the first hole on the Lake Course. A 2025 All-ACC and PING East All-Region selection, Kim led Duke this past season in stroke average (71.44), score to par (+2), and average vs. par (+0.1). He finished the year ranked No. 64 nationally and advanced to the NCAA Championships as an individual after tying for third at the Reno Regional.
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Evans, a rising senior, is set to begin play at 11:45 a.m. ET on the first hole of the Ocean Course. The Mercer Island, Washington native is ranked No. 24 in the initial PGA TOUR University rankings for the Class of 2026 and enters his final season with the 12th-best scoring average in program history. He captured his first individual collegiate title last season and recorded three top-five finishes.
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Sample, who recently concluded his four-year Duke career, will tee off at 11:33 a.m. ET from the first hole of the Lake Course. He compiled a 72.33 career scoring average over 48 events and tallied over 100 birdies for the fourth consecutive season. Sample also posted a top-five and two top-10 individual finishes in 2024-25.
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Smith, a two-time All-ACC and All-Region performer who earned third team All-America honors in 2004, begins his opening round at 10:31 a.m. ET off hole No. 9 of the Lake Course. After stepping away from the game in 2013, the 2006 Duke graduate returned to competitive golf in 2023 and has won multiple titles, including the 2024 Idaho State Amateur and the Snedeker Memorial earlier this year. As a pro, Smith played in 68 Korn Ferry Tour events — winning the 2010 WNB Golf Classic — and made 25 appearances on the PGA Tour.
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The top 64 players following stroke play will advance to match play beginning Wednesday, Aug. 13.
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To follow the action and learn more about the U.S. Amateur Championship, visit https://championships.usga.org/usamateur.html
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To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's golf, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMGOLF".
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#GoDuke
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