2023 U.S. Amateur Semifinalist Parker Bell Reflects on His Performance at Cherry Hills Country Club

Alex Elias

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(Chris Keane/USGA)

Reflecting on his mindset heading into the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club (Cherry Hills Village, CO), University of Florida rising sophomore Parker Bell admitted, "I definitely thought I had the game to make match play, but I don't know if I can say I thought I was going to win."
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It wasn’t until later in the week that Bell’s belief truly took hold.

"Once I got past Maxwell [Ford] and reached the quarterfinal match against Ben James, I believed I could win the U.S. Am," Bell said. "When my confidence is high, I feel like I can compete with anyone."

The semifinals are set!@GatorsGolf's Parker Bell claims the final spot after an intense battle with Ben James. #USAmateur pic.twitter.com/8m5QqpZXgo

— USGA (@USGA) August 18, 2023

Defeating Bryce Lewis (Round of 64, 2&1), Jacob Modleski (Round of 32, 3&2), Maxwell Ford (Round of 16, 5&4), and Ben James (Quarterfinals) in 19 holes, Bell attributed much of his success to his superb play off the tee, saying, "Off the tee is probably my biggest strength, when it's going well, which translates well to Match Play." 

"In Match Play, I’m able to free up a little bit more because if you hit one off line, you might make bogey or double, but you only lose one hole," said Bell.

While Bell credited much of his success to his strong play off the tee, a recent equipment change also played a crucial role in his performance. "I actually put a new putter, the L.A.B. Golf Mezz. 1, in the bag right before the U.S. Amateur," Bell shared. "I had never used it in competition before and had only played three rounds with it."
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Although it was a significant change, Bell knew it was necessary. "The putter I had before, I just had no confidence with," he explained. "It was holding me back. I knew I was hitting the too well to be finishing where I was."

(Kathryn Riley/USGA)

Following his win over James, the 7th-ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and ahead of his Semifinal match against Nick Dunlap, who was ranked 5th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Bell received a phone call from Florida alum and seven-time PGA Tour winner Billy Horschel.

Bell recalled, "Nick was obviously regarded as one of the best players heading into the tournament, along with Gordon [Sargent], but Billy told me, 'You don’t have to change anything. Just keep playing your game. If you fall behind in the match, don’t press.'"

Reflecting on the Semifinal match, Bell said, "The night before I played Nick, I didn’t sleep well. I was definitely thinking about what I was playing for, but once I stepped onto the course, I was surprised by how well I could lock in and focus."
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"Sometimes when I get nervous, I'll start hitting it everywhere, but against Nick, I played really solid. He had to play pretty damn well to beat me. I was impressed with how I handled myself and proved I could go toe to toe with the best," said Bell.