Of the 6,948 players who entered qualifying, just 312 made their way to the Sooner State for the 109th U.S. Amateur Championship.

Advancing to the semifinal round were Charlie Holland, a senior at Texas, Ben Martin, a senior at Clemson, Bhavik "Bobby" Patel, a sophomore at Fresno State, and Byeong-Hun "Ben" An, a Korean who is a senior at Bradenton (Fla.) Prep.

"Not too many people watched me during the first few rounds and that was good for me because there was no added pressure," said Patel. "I knew if I played my game then I would do well."

Before advancing to the semis, Bhavik Patel made seven bogeys during his quarterfinal match with Phillip Mollica, but somehow managed to beat former North & South Amateur champion, 1 up.

A win is a win, especially when it's one that marks an historic accomplishment.

Key to Patel's victory was his birdie to win the par-3 14th hole and square his match after his tee shot stopped just on the lip of the hole.

"I actually hit [the ball] on the toe, and I thought it was going to be way short," Patel said. "Luckily it ended up just bouncing shot and running up to the hole."

Set to begin his sophomore year at Fresno State, Patel had almost no experience playing in national amateur events. He tried to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Public Links, but was an alternate. Aside from some local tournaments near his home in Bakersfield, Calif., he has had a quiet summer.

"It's an awesome feeling," said Patel of reaching the semifinals. "It still hasn't sunk in yet. I really haven't played many big events this summer, so playing here and getting this far is awesome."

Patel went on to face An in the semifinals and took a tough loss. An went on to become the youngest golfer to claim the title.