Columbia News

Veikka Viskari, a junior at the University of Missouri and member of its men's golf team, achieved a notable accomplishment by securing a bronze medal at the 130th Amateur Championship. This event took place at Royal St. George's Golf Club, a renowned venue that has hosted The British Open 15 times, most recently in 2021.

Viskari advanced to match play after finishing 35th out of 288 participants with a two-round score of three-under par (69-70). In the tournament's initial rounds, he triumphed over Declan O'Donovan from Australia by two holes in the Round of 64. He continued his winning streak against Laurenz Schiergen from Germany with a decisive 5&4 victory in the Round of 32 and defeated Rintaro Nakano from Japan 3&2 in the Round of 16, propelling him into the quarterfinals.

In this stage, Viskari faced Matthis Lefevere from France, who had concluded stroke play in fourth place at seven-under par. Despite Lefevere's early lead by winning the first three holes, Viskari managed to equalize by winning holes four, seven, and eight. He regained parity on the 15th hole and secured victory with a birdie on the 16th hole before concluding with pars on the final two holes for a one-up win.

Viskari's impressive run ended in the semifinals where he was bested by Ethan Fang, who went on to win the championship. It is believed that Viskari is the first University of Missouri golfer to earn a medal at The Amateur Championship.

During his inaugural season at Mizzou, Viskari ranked third on his team with an average score of 73.58 over 36 rounds. As a sophomore, he achieved two top-five finishes at both the Canadian Collegiate Invitational and Tiger Intercollegiate and led his team in scoring twice.