Travis Smyth has a great chance to give Australia back-to-back US Amateur golf title glory after reaching the quarter-finals in Los Angeles.
The strapping 22-year-old knocked off No. 3-ranked Braden Thornberry in the morning and advanced to last eight in the afternoon with a 2-and-1 victory over No. 12 Will Zalatoris at famed Riviera Country Club on Thursday.
Smyth is trying to follow in the path of good friend Curtis Luck, who won golf's most prestigious amateur title last year at Oakland Hills, earning invites to the Masters, US Open and British Open.
New South Welshman Smyth is a former rugby player who only picked up golf at 12 years old while recovering from an injury.
He excelled in a 3-and-2 victory over NCAA champion Thornberry, who beat world No. 1 Joaquin Niemann on Wednesday.
He then finished off Zalatoris with a birdie on the 17th aided by a remarkable chip from the bunker.
He handled the grind of a two-round day with steady effort and an afternoon mental reset on the 13th, where he saved par after his 4-up lead had dwindled to 2-up.
"This format, it's very tough," Smyth said. "You want to get yourself into match play and then just play as best you can. ... I just concentrate on my next shot.
"The more I think about how good these guys are - and they're all good - I think that's taking me away from what I need to do."
