Nate Smith into Final Match at U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship
Smith walking The Lido with his father on the bag | USGA/Logan Whitton
Nate Smith rolled into match play at the 45th U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sand Valley Resort in Wisconsin as the No. 45 seed. On Thursday, he will step on to The Lido’s first tee with 36 holes to prove that he’s the No.1 one mid-am in the nation — and earn an exemption into the 2027 Masters.
Smith, who fought like a badger to earn his way through stoke play, has since stormed through the 64-player bracket. A 2 & 1 victory in the round of 64 set him toe-to-toe with three-time U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion Stewart Hagestad in the round of 32.
USGA/Logan Whitton
“I was pretty fired up to play Stew,” Smith told the PNGA after locking up his place in the quarterfinals. “Been wanting to play him for a long time. He’s obviously the standard in mid-amateur golf, so I was just fortunate to win that match. We had kind of a pillow fight out there… That’s match-play tournaments. It’s kind of just about surviving, and I was able to get through thankfully.”
The reigning Idaho Amateur champion beat Hagestad 5 & 4 and moved on to face Matthew Paradis in the round of 16, winning 3 & 1 to avoid the 18th hole for a third consecutive match. He made even faster work of his quarterfinal rival, besting South Dakota’s Parker Edens 6 & 5.
Wednesday afternoon’s semifinal match was harder to win. Down early, Smith made two on the par-3 3rd to square the match. Then Smith and his opponent, Mikel Martinson, traded blows on the 6th and 7th holes before Smith made his move.
USGA/Logan Whitton
After birdies on the 9th and 10th, a par on the 11th sent Smith 3 up with 8 to play. They traded hole-winning birdies on the 12th and 13th holes before Smith had Martinson looking to force extra holes. A par on the par-5 17th locked up a 2 & 1 victory.
A win tomorrow would be the highlight of a remarkable life in the game for the Tetonia, ID resident who once spent a season on the PGA Tour and owns the title of a Korn Ferry Tour event back in 2010. His best USGA Championship finish to date is a loss in the round of 16 in this event back in 2023. He lost to John Daly II in the round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur in 2025 at the Olympic Club. With his father on the bag this week, he’s already set a high water mark for his second life as an amateur golfer.
But, if all goes according to plan, he will become just the third Idaho resident to win a USGA Championship. Seven-time Idaho Women’s Amateur Champion Jean Smith (of no relation) won the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur in 1995, and Jodie Niemann won the Women’s Public Links in 1999.
Even sweeter — he’d also become the first to parlay an Idaho Amateur title into a tee time at The Masters.