British champion Harry Ellis in US Amateur Qualifying play-off

PACIFIC PALISADES, California— Just when you thought Riviera’s 10th hole had seen every legend and major event contested over its 311 yards, the famous short par 4 will commence U.S. Amateur’s hole-by-hole play-off that whittles the match-play field to 64.

Even better, anyone with Facebook page access will be able to watch the closest thing to Survivor golf. The 2017 cast of characters finishing at 140 (4 over) includes some of amateur golf’s biggest names: 2015 U.S. Amateur runner-up Derek Bard, 2017 British Amateur champion Harry Ellis (pictured), 2017 U.S. Open low amateur Scottie Scheffler, NCAA individual champion Braden Thornberry, and Western Amateur finalist Doc Redman.

Here’s how it will work. Following stroke play competition at Riviera and Bel-Air, 13 golfers finished T-57. They will play for eight spots into the match play field of 64 golfers. (That’s certainly a more manageable playoff than 1988’s 31 players for eight spots.)

The committee will break the tied golfers into manageable groups, who tee of the 10th starting at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. Once the first group finishes the strategically fascinating hole, the next group will commence play.

Once everyone has recorded a score, the playoff will move to the 14th hole where players repeat the same process. Should there still be the need to eliminate competitors, the group will move to Riviera’s 18th hole where they will keep playing one of golf’s most famous finishing holes until the 117th U.S. Amateur is down to 64 golfers.

First round matches start at 11:50 a.m. Eastern, so should the playoff be a lengthy one the rules committee has structured the bracket so that those in the elimination playoff have time to regroup before a match against one of the top seeds.

While all of this has traditionally proven to be one of the U.S. Amateur’s most fascinating elements, the dynamics of Riviera’s 10th add multiple dimensions to what is already a fascinating expedited Survivor-style elimination game.

Those who play the hole last theoretically should be at an advantage unless the pressure of knowing they must make birdie proves overwhelming. Will they use driver when their inclination had been to lay up on the notoriously challenging hole?

Then again, with a tough hole location there may be no birdies in the first wave and strategies could change again.

Either way, don’t miss what could be the best chapter yet in what is already a page-turner of a golf hole.

2017 U.S. Amateur Hole-By-Hole Playoff Participants

•Scottie Scheffler
•Joey Vrzich
•Jacob Solomon
•Braden Thornberry
•Brendon Jelley
•Doc Redman
•David Kocher
•Chun An Yu
•Matt Oshrine
•Harry Ellis
•Chris Crisologo
•Billy Walthouse
•Derek Bard