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Play the game long enough, one finds there鈥檚 an unavoidable reality: sometimes you just get beat.

For example, Aidan Krafft was one down against Ethan Chung in the quarterfinals of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Amateur at Chambers Bay Golf Course in Seattle last weekend. The former Cibola High School star didn鈥檛 feel like he hit the ball 鈥済reat鈥� with a 70 in the first round of stroke play before shoring up his swing for a torrid second-round 65 and three match-play victories in two days to get to this point.

That is, being down to Chung with three holes to go. On No. 16, Krafft drove it maybe 40 yards short of his opponent before hitting his approach within three feet of the cup. Chung three-putted.

All square. Two holes to go.

Playing No. 17, Krafft found his approach 鈥� embedded in the side of a bunker.

鈥淟ike the worst plug I鈥檝e ever seen,鈥� he laughed. Krafft lost the hole to go back to one down. Chung birdied No. 18 to seal the match.

All things considered, that鈥檚 fine.

鈥淚 played well,鈥� Krafft said. 鈥淚 just got beat. I didn鈥檛 feel like I lost it or I didn鈥檛 play good. He was better than me that round.鈥�

After finishing his freshman year at Oregon, Krafft didn鈥檛 win, but he still earned medalist honors at the PNGA Amateur. It鈥檚 yet another honor for the 2022 Journal boys golfer of the year after he notched two state championships at Cibola with a state record final round 60 en route to his second title in 2022.

Now, Krafft can look forward to his first appearance in next month鈥檚 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club outside Denver, courtesy of a four-under two-round 140 at a sectional qualifier in Arizona. Another year at Oregon, building off four top-20 finishes and finishing fifth on the team in stroke average (72.62).

Mostly, the feeling that worthy improvement 鈥� lots of it 鈥� is in reach.

鈥淚 just feel way more refined than I used to be, and I know there鈥檚 still so much learning to be (done),鈥� he said.

Over the last year, Krafft hasn鈥檛 lived the difference between high school and college golf so much as the difference between good high school and great college golf.

鈥淭here鈥檚 just so many good players, there鈥檚 so much good competition and they really make the courses hard for us,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e learning about as much as we can, without getting like a PGA experience.鈥�

Part of that comes from the coaching staff at Oregon. Head men鈥檚 golf coach Casey Martin is a PGA Tour veteran and former college teammate at Stanford of New Mexico golf luminary Notah Begay III. Martin is widely known for successfully suing the Tour to use a golf cart during sanctioned competition.

鈥淗e鈥檚 told me that he just sees a lot of potential in me 鈥� the guy is so cool,鈥� he said. 鈥淓ven (assistant coach and former PGA Tour player Jeff Quinney) is so cool. The knowledge that they have, (from) both being on Tour and making it, they both know how to get there and what it requires.鈥�

Working on chipping in particular, the difference between how Krafft played in his junior career compared to now is night-and-day.

鈥淚 would hit like 15 out of 18 greens and shoot like 1-under because (on) the greens I鈥檇 miss, I鈥檇 make bogey,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow it鈥檚 like I鈥檓 getting better, chipping better, my course management鈥檚 better: if I miss greens, I鈥檓 in the right spot.鈥�

In other words: improvement.

鈥淚 feel like my game is starting to get a lot better and a lot more solid,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 always felt like I was good 鈥� I just didn鈥檛 get out what I was putting in, wasn鈥檛 scoring how I feel I should be or how good I was at the time. But now (that) I know that I鈥檓 only gonna get better.鈥�