Georgia Southern’s Ben Carr once again rose to the challenge, winning his U.S. Amateur semifinal matchup 3&2 over Pepperdine’s Derek Hitchner Saturday at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J.

With the win, Carr puts himself in line to become just the second Eagle player to claim the title of U.S. Amateur Champion. Carr will take on Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett in Sunday’s championship match, spanning 36 holes of match play and scheduled to tee off at 8 a.m., EDT.

Carr played well throughout Saturday’s semifinal, but missed a couple of chances to take early leads. Instead, Carr bounced back from a pair of 1-down deficits on the front nine and tied the match on the eighth hole. A par on No. 11 earned Carr his first lead of the day and clutch putting led to birdies on holes 13 and 14 to put him 3 up. 

Carr missed a chance to close out in style as a birdie attempt on No. 15 slipped by. But he carded a solid par on the 16th and, when a birdie attempt by Hitchner slipped past the hole, Carr’s ticket to the championship match was punched.

When Carr takes to the tee box on Sunday, he will look to add his name to the Havemeyer Trophy, won three times by Tiger Woods and once by Georgia Southern alum Buddy Alexander.

And while the ultimate tournament title is sure to be on Carr’s mind Sunday morning, at least one career goal for any golfer was achieved with Saturday’s win. By ensuring a top-2 finish in the U.S. Amateur, Carr is set to receive an invitation to compete in the 2023 Masters.

Coverage of Sunday’s final round is set to be picked up by the GOLF Channel, at 3 p.m. Sunday as the second round of 18 is set to get underway.