2023 U.S. Amateur Semifinalist Parker Bell Reflects on His Performance at Cherry Hills Country Club8/24/2023
Alex Elias
(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.”
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 realized I could win the U.S. Amateur,” Bell said. “When my confidence is high, I feel like I can compete with anyone.”
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.
“Off the tee is probably my greatest strength when it’s going well, which translates really well to Match Play,” said Bell. “In Match Play, I’m able to free up a little more because if you hit one off line, you might make bogey or double, but you only lose one hole.” While Bell credited much of his success to his Driver, a recent equipment change also played a crucial role. “I actually put a new putter, the L.A.B. Golf Mezz. 1, in the bag right before the U.S. Amateur,” said Bell. “I had never used it in competition before and had only played three rounds with it.” Although it was a significant change, Bell knew it was necessary. “The putter I had before, I just had no confidence with,” said Bell. “It was holding me back. I knew I was hitting it 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, ranked 5th, Bell received a phone call from Florida alum and seven-time PGA Tour winner Billy Horschel.
“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 locked in.” “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.
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