That’s certainly been the case with the 2012 U.S. Amateur that was hosted by Cherry Hills Country Club, with CommonGround Golf Course serving as the companion course for the stroke-play portion of the championship.
We’ve noted before how several competitors in that 312-man field have moved to the forefront in the world of golf, but the last few months have particularly reinforced the point.
And the PGA Tour’s SBS Tournament of Champions that concluded on Sunday in Maui really drove home the fact that Colorado spectators attending the U.S. Amateur 4 1/2 years ago were watching the budding of something special.
The top three finishers at the Tournament of Champions — winner Justin Thomas, runner-up Hideki Matsuyama and third-place Jordan Spieth — all competed at Cherry Hills and CommonGround in the 2012 U.S. Amateur. (Thomas is pictured above at Cherry Hills in 2012.)
But the Tournament of Champions is just the latest example of 2012 U.S. Am players thriving at the highest level of golf. In fact, four of the top eight players on this season’s PGA Tour money list competed in Colorado in August 2012: Matsuyama (No. 1 on the list), Thomas (No. 2), Cody Gribble (No. 7) and Daniel Berger (No. 8).
Some recent PGA Tour highlights from 2012 U.S. Am players:
— In his five official and unofficial starts on the PGA Tour during the current wraparound season, Matsuyama has finished no worse than sixth place. He’s won twice (HSBC Champions and the Hero World Challenge) and been runner-up twice.
— In five official and unofficial PGA Tour events this season, Thomas has notched two victories (CIMB Classic and SBS Tournament of Champions), a fifth and an eighth. And on Thursday at the Sony Open in Hawaii, he carded a cool first-round 59.
— Spieth won the Australian Open in late November, marking his third win worldwide in 2016.
— Gribble won the Sanderson Farms Championship in late October, marking one of two top-10s so far this season.
— Berger has posted a second in the HSBC Champions and a ninth in the Franklin Templeton Shootout in recent months.
— Former NCAA individual champion Thomas Pieters has recorded two top-15 finishes in two tournaments on the PGA Tour this season.
— Bryson DeChambeau, winner of the 2015 U.S. Am, posted two top-6 showings on the PGA Tour in 2016.
— Also recording top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2016 were Zac Blair (third in the Sony Open), Oliver Schniederjans (sixth in RSM Classic) and Cheng-Tsung Pan (also sixth in RSM Classic).
Career-wise in official PGA Tour events, Spieth owns eight wins, Thomas and Matsuyama three apiece, and Gribble and Berger one each.
And, mind you, all of the aforementioned players are still in their young to mid-20s. Spieth, Thomas, Berger, DeChambeau and Schniederjans are 23; Matsuyama and Pieters 24; Pan 25; and Gribble and Blair 26.
All told, five of the top 50 players in the world rankings — and three of the top dozen — competed in the 2012 U.S. Am: Spieth (fifth), Matsuyama (sixth), Thomas (12th), Berger (32nd) and Pieters (48th). Also currently in the top 200 in the world are DeChambeau (123rd), Patrick Rodgers (148th), Gribble (181st), Schniederjans (187th) and Pan (200th).
In case you’re wondering, here’s how some of these notable players fared at the 2012 U.S. Amateur:
— Spieth: The winner of two U.S. Junior Amateurs and the low amateur at the 2012 U.S. Open lost in the round of 64 in match play, 1 up to Pieters.
— Matsuyama: Japanese standout shot 73-72 and missed a playoff to advance to match play by two strokes.
— Thomas: Advanced to the match play semifinals, where he lost to eventual national runner-up Michael Weaver, 3 and 2.
— Gribble: Shot 75-69 and missed a playoff to advance to match play by one stroke.
— Berger: Shot 75-69 and missed a playoff to advance by match play by one stroke.
— Pieters: A round after defeating Spieth, lost 4 and 3 in the round of 32 to Canadian Albin Choi.
— DeChambeau: Three years before winning the U.S. Amateur, he lost in 19 holes in the match play round of 64 to Andrew Presley.
— Blair: The 2011 Colorado Open low amateur lost 2 and 1 in the match play round of 64 to Weaver, the eventual runner-up.
— Schniederjans: Lost 2 and 1 in the match play round of 64 to Adam Schenk.
— Pan: Lost in the quarterfinals 4 and 3 to Brandon Hagy, another current PGA Tour player.
Jordan Spieth couldn’t have been more accommodating when he paid a visit to Cherry Hills Country Club in July of 2012.
He traveled to Denver to promote the 2012 U.S. Amateur, attending a press conference at the host club. Afterward, when I asked him to come out behind the 18th green for some photos and a little additional chit-chat, he quickly obliged.
There was just one stipulation. When I asked him to hold the Havemeyer Trophy, which is awarded to the U.S. Amateur champion, he said he wouldn’t touch it. He didn’t explain, so I was left to assume that he was superstitious about holding a trophy which he hadn’t yet won.
In any case, Spieth still gladly posed next to the trophy, which was placed on the ground behind the historic 18th green at Cherry Hills, not far from where Arnold Palmer’s visor landed after a victory toss following the 1960 U.S. Open.
While Spieth didn’t ever end up getting his hands on the Havemeyer Trophy, he’s certainly been handed plenty of other hardware recently. Just in his last 3 1/2 months, he’s won three times, including earlier this month in a three-hole playoff at the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship.
But Spieth certainly wasn’t the only competitor from that 2012 U.S. Amateur — hosted by Cherry Hills, with CommonGround serving as the companion course for the stroke-play portion of the event — who has hit it big in the years since.
The noteworthy part is how quickly some of these players have made the big-time. For instance, with his Valspar victory this month, Spieth became just the fourth player since 1940 to win twice on the PGA Tour before his 22nd birthday, joining Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia and Robert Gamez.
“I look back at the last couple of years and sometimes it’s hard to believe all this has happened,” Spieth said this week. “It certainly happened faster than I could have imagined, but I’m taking everything in stride and continuing to work hard. I have a lot of goals that I want to achieve and so far, I feel like I’m headed in the right direction.”
Three players in the 312-man field for the 2012 U.S. Amateur are currently in the top 100 in the World Golf Rankings: Spieth (sixth), Hideki Matsuyama (16th) and Justin Thomas (84th). (Spieth and Thomas are pictured together above at CommonGround in 2012.) Other 2012 U.S. Am competitors who have made some noise on the PGA Tour this season are Zac Blair (57th on the Tour money list) and Carlos Ortiz (68th). Still other current PGA Tour players who competed at Cherry Hills three years ago are Max Homa and Patrick Rodgers.
That U.S. Am field also featured the current No. 1-ranked amateur in the world (Oliver Schniederjans) and the No. 1-ranked college player (Cheng-Tsung Pan of Washington).
Here’s a rundown on some of the aforementioned players, noting what they’ve accomplished, and how they fared at that 2012 U.S. Amateur:
— Spieth. He already had an outstanding record before coming to Cherry Hills, having won two U.S. Junior Amateurs (2009 and ’11), leading Texas to an NCAA title as a freshman, and being the low amateur at the 2012 U.S. Open. But though he was arguably the favorite at Cherry Hills — and tied for seventh place in stroke play with rounds of 69-69 — Spieth (left) lost 1 up in the round of 64 of match play to 2012 NCAA champion Thomas Pieters.
After turning pro in the middle of his sophomore season at Texas, Spieth has won twice on the PGA Tour and also prevailed in the Australian Open and the Hero World Challenge, in addition to finishing second in the 2014 Masters. March 29 Update: In his last 10 events around the world, he has posted eight top-7 finishes.
— Matsuyama. Amazingly, given his golf resume, Matsuyama faltered badly at the 2012 U.S. Amateur. Considered one of the pre-tournament favorites, he shot 73-72–145 to finish 82nd in stroke play and didn’t even make the 64-man match play bracket.
But the 23-year-old from Japan has been formidable on the PGA Tour, winning the 2014 Memorial, along with the Dunlop Phoenix title in November. Overall, Matsuyama has collected six top-10s in his last 13 events worldwide.
— Thomas. Unlike many of the other players mentioned here, the former University of Alabama standout made a deep run in the 2012 U.S. Amateur. With rounds of 65-74–139, he placed 13th in stroke play, then advanced to the match play semifinals, where he lost to Michael Weaver. The 21-year-old Thomas, who hits it a long way despite weighing just 145 pounds, has made an impact in his first full season on the PGA Tour. In his last 10 events, he’s posted four top-10 finishes.
— Blair. The 24-year-old has competed more in Colorado than others on our list as his dad is two-time Colorado Open champion Jim Blair. Zac Blair himself scored low-amateur honors in the 2011 Colorado Open. In his rookie season on the PGA Tour, Blair has notched three top-12 finishes and has won $638,048. At the 2012 U.S. Amateur, Blair placed fifth in stroke play (65-71–136) then lost in the round of 64 to Weaver, who advanced to the finals.
— Ortiz. The 23-year-old native of Mexico has notched five top-21 finishes on the PGA Tour this season. (March 29 Update: That number went up to six at the Valero Texas Open.) At Cherry Hills in 2012, Ortiz placed 39th in stroke play (75-67–142), then lost in the round of 64 of match play to Adam Stephenson.
— Schniederjans. The 21-year-old senior at Georgia Tech initially ascended to the No. 1 spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings last June. At Cherry Hills, Schniederjans finished 25th in stroke play (74-67–141), then lost to Adam Schenk in a round-of-64 match.
— Pan. The 23-year-old senior at Washington is ranked No. 1 among college golfers by both Golfstat and Golfweek. He’s won three times in seven college tournaments this season. In the 2012 U.S. Am, he placed second in stroke play (69-65–134) and advanced to the quarterfinals of match play, where he lost to Brandon Hagy.
— Beau Hossler. Hossler, now 20, came to Cherry Hills as one of the biggest sensations as he had briefly held the lead during the second round of the 2012 U.S. Open. But Hossler faltered at the U.S. Amateur that year, missing a playoff for the final match-play berths by one stroke (72-72–144). Hossler, now a sophomore at Texas, has finished first, second and second in his last three college tournaments. He’s now No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
Two players who barely snuck into match play at the U.S. Amateur will now square off for arguably the most prestigious title in amateur golf.
University of Tennessee-Chattanooga golfer Steven Fox and Michael Weaver of the University of California-Berkeley, who both needed a playoff to join the 64 players who advanced to match play, punched their tickets Saturday for the 36-hole final at Cherry Hills Country Club.
A day after knocking off the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, Fox, seeded 63rd, defeated Brandon Hagy of Cal in a back-and-forth semifinal, 2 up.
And Hagy’s Cal teammate, 60th-seeded Michael Weaver, toppled the college player of the year, Justin Thomas of the University of Alabama, 3 and 2, after being 5 up through 10 holes.
Weaver (pictured above with his dad/caddie) and Fox will face off in Sunday’s 36-hole final, which begins at 7:30 a.m.
Suffice it to say both 21-year-olds have come a long way since Wednesday morning’s 17 players-for-14 spots playoff. In that event within an event, Weaver made a birdie on the third extra hole to advance to match play, while Fox moved on with a par on the fourth — and last — additional hole.
“Whether you’re the No. 1 or 64 (seed), you always have a chance,” said Fox (pictured below). “It’s awesome how we survived a playoff and got this far. It’s really unreal.”
The stakes were definitely high on Saturday, when an estimated 4,500 spectators were on hand at Cherry Hills. By being U.S. Amateur finalists, Fox and Weaver will receive exemptions into the U.S. Open and probably the Masters, provided they’re still amateurs. The winner on Sunday also will get a spot in the British Open, again assuming he’s still an amateur.
“I’m excited about Merion (for the U.S. Open),” Weaver said. “I think I’m more excited about going to Augusta (for the Masters).”
Between being in the final of the U.S. Am, and gaining berths in some of the top events in golf, Weaver was overcome by emotion a couple of times following his victory over Thomas. When he sank the 6-foot birdie putt on No. 16 that secured his berth in the final, Weaver raised both of his fists in triumph, then gave his dad/caddie, Bill, a bear hug.
“That was pretty special,” Weaver said while fighting back tears. “I’ll remember that forever. I’m so excited. My dad caddies for me all the time. I’m so excited he could be here to be a part of this. I owe a lot to him. He’s supported me all along, and I wouldn’t be here without him.”
And Weaver will have even more family support on Sunday as his mother will return to Cherry Hills after leaving on Tuesday evening to help her daughter move into an apartment in San Diego. And Weaver’s sister and a couple of his dad’s friends are expected to be on hand, too.
Weaver started off his semifinal with three straight birdies. And the All-American who finished eighth in the NCAA finals made six birdies overall, including the clincher on No. 16.
“My start was incredible; it was awesome,” Weaver said. “To start like that in the biggest match I’ve ever played in, that was an awesome feeling.”
After Weaver made a birdie on No. 10 to go 5 up, Thomas rallied, as he had in his three previous matches. He won holes 12 and 14 with pars, and 15 with a birdie, to cut the deficit to 2 down. But Weaver’s short birdie on 16 ended the comeback.
“Although it hurts a lot to lose, especially this late in the tournament, it’s a lot better to get beat than to lose,” said Thomas, the fifth-ranked amateur in the world. “With 5 down through 10 against a player like Michael, when he was playing as well as he was, there’s just not enough holes.”
With Weaver and Hagy in separate matches, “Go Bears” was yelled on several occasions by spectators on Saturday. And though Hagy took a 1-up lead on No. 9 and kept it through No. 13, he couldn’t hold on.
“One out of two (Cal players in the final) is a little bittersweet,” longtime Bears coach Steve Desimone said. “It’s great to have one in (but we) would have loved to have had two.”
In Fox’s win over Hagy, no player led more than 1 up until after the 18th hole. After being 1 down, Fox won 14 and 15 with pars when Hagy missed par putts of 5 feet and 8 feet.
When Fox put his 4-iron approach on No. 18 to 4 feet from the cup, and with Hagy unable to make birdie from 40 feet, the match ended.
“The shot on 18 was unreal,” said Fox, winner of the 2011 Tennessee Golf Association Match Play Championship and a round-of-16 player at this year’s U.S. Amateur Public Links. “I was just trying to put it on the green or find a way to make par. It was the best shot of my life by far.”
Neither Fox nor Weaver are in the top 100 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, with Fox No. 127 and Weaver No. 149.
For match play results and pairings, CLICK HERE.
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U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials
What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.
When: Aug. 13-19. The 36-hole final on Sunday will begin at 7:30 a.m.
Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71). Cherry Hills is hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).
Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.
Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)
Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.
Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Television: Sunday, 2-4 p.m., NBC.
]]>It is, by several measures, an improbable final four.
Two University of California teammates earned semifinal berths in the U.S. Amateur on Friday, and so did two players who had to survive a playoff just to make match play.
In addition, four Americans advanced to the U.S. Am final four for the first time since 2004.
But one player who didn’t make the semis was the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, University of Washington golfer Chris Williams, who never trailed during his first three matches but never led in Friday’s quarterfinals at Cherry Hills Country Club.
Suffice it to say he was out-Foxed. University of Tennessee-Chattanooga golfer Steven Fox never gave the Idaho resident an opening in a 4 and 2 drubbing.
“This is by far the best thing I’ve done in my career,” said Fox, who didn’t lose a hole to Williams until making his only bogey, on No. 15. That’s not bad considering Williams had won his three previous matches 3 and 2, 5 and 3, and 3 and 2.
Joining Fox in Saturday’s semifinals will be Cal teammates Brandon Hagy and Michael Weaver, and college player of the year Justin Thomas from the University of Alabama.
Thomas, the No. 5-ranked amateur in the world, went to the 18th hole for the second straight match, defeating 18-year-old Australian Oliver Goss 2 up in the first quarterfinal. The the two Cal players won by 4 and 3 margins, Weaver over Ricardo Gouveia and Hagy over Cheng-Tsung Pan of Chinese Taipei.
The result is an all-American semifinals, which last happened in the U.S. Amateur eight years ago. Thomas will face Weaver at 8 a.m. on Saturday, while Fox will meet Hagy at 8:15.
Fox, seeded 63rd after barely making match play, is No. 127 in the world amateur rankings. He advanced to the round of 16 at this year’s U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and won the 2011 Tennessee Match Play title, and on Friday he was solid as a rock in beating Williams.
In 16 holes, Fox made three birdies and one bogey on a formidable Cherry Hills set-up. From holes 9 through 13, Fox went 4-for-4 in getting up and down from off the green.
“He played great,” Williams (pictured at left) said of Fox. “He didn’t make any bogeys (until 15). I didn’t win a hole until the 15th, so it’s hard to win a match when you do that. He didn’t make any mistakes and when he did he got up and down. He beat me. I didn’t play terrible (roughly even par); he just played great.
“Quarterfinals at the U.S. Amateur isn’t bad. Obviously you want to go all the way, but only one guy can win.”
Fox knew he had to perform very well to beat Williams, but he wasn’t intimidated by his No. 1 ranking.
“I give him a lot of respect,” the bearded Tennessean said. “I knew I had to bring out my ‘A’ game, and luckily I did. … I was nervous the first couple of matches, but for some reason this match I kind of felt at home. I was finally playing with the galleries and enjoyed myself out there and really just had fun.”
With Williams out, Thomas is the top remaining player in the world amateur rankings. On Friday, he prevailed over Goss despite putting two balls in the water and making a triple-bogey 8 on the 17th hole.
Goss won that hole with a bogey to cut his deficit to 1 down, but he three-putted No. 18 to assure Thomas of the win.
Thomas has rallied to win despite being 2 down in each of his last three matches.
“It’s good to know that I’ve done it before,” Thomas said of the comebacks. “But at the same time it would be a lot nicer if I wasn’t 2 down. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with that. Hopefully I can get off to a little better starts and I won’t have to worry about that.”
As for the two Cal players, they’re both hoping to set up an all-Bear final by winning on Saturday. Weaver, like Fox, had to survive a playoff to get to match play, and he was seeded 60th in the match play bracket.
Two Cal players in the final “would be very special,” said Hagy, a long-hitter who drove a ball pin-high Friday on the 411-yard seventh hole. “We’re definitely pulling for each other.”
Three of the semifinalists are 21-year-olds: Fox, Hagy and Weaver, while Thomas is 19. The U.S. Amateur is the first USGA championship for Hagy.
For match play results and pairings, CLICK HERE.
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U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials
What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.
When: Aug. 13-19. Semifinal matches on Saturday begin at 8 a.m.
Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71). Cherry Hills is hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).
Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.
Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)
Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.
Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Television: Aug. 17 6:30-8:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 18 2-4 p.m., NBC; Aug. 19 2-4 p.m., NBC.
]]>Competing against a teammate, and knowing your success means his failure — and vice-versa — can be mentally challenging.
It was in the 1990 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club, where Phil Mickelson beat his former University of San Diego High School teammate — and classmate — Manny Zerman to win the title.
And it was on Thursday at this U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills, where college player of the year Justin Thomas defeated University of Alabama teammate Bobby Wyatt 1 up to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
“It was a lot more tense — a lot more serious — than I thought it would be,” Thomas said of the match between the two players that live across the hall from one another at Alabama. “There was very little conversation, as most matches are. And I’m sure it didn’t help that we were both losing at different times.
“It was hard on 18 shaking his hand. You want to feel like, ‘I’m sorry man.’ But at the same time that’s what you’re here to do.”
Thomas (pictured above at left with Wyatt) and seven other players won two matches Thursday to make it to Friday’s quarterfinals. Among the others to advance was Chris Williams of Moscow, Idaho, the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world. The University of Washington golfer hasn’t ever trailed in his three matches and he won 5 and 3 and 3 and 2 on Thursday.
“When it’s one-on-one (in match play), I feel like I have an advantage,” said Williams, who recently won the Western Amateur, which concludes with match play.
With NCAA champion Thomas Pieters exiting in the round of 32 despite making a hole-in-one, Williams and Thomas are the top-ranked amateurs to make the quarterfinals at Cherry Hills. While Williams is No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Thomas is No. 5.
Thomas’ victory over Wyatt not only featured college teammates, but two top-10 players, with Wyatt checking in at No. 6.
“It’s tough, it really is,” Wyatt said of facing his teammate. “Justin and I are great friends on and off the golf course. I play him every day, but it’s a little different under these circumstances.
“But I’m really happy for him. I truly mean that. He’s a great guy.”
Wyatt, the medalist in stroke play after shooting a 7-under-par 64 at Cherry Hills, led Thomas 2 up after 6 holes but was 2 down after the 12th hole, which Thomas won with a bogey.
Thomas’ bogey on No. 15 after being in a greenside bunker squared the match and it remained that way going into 17. At the par-5, Thomas pulled a double-cross on his tee shot, which ended up in the left trees. A stellar 9-iron out of the rough (pictured at left) put him in the fairway, and he pitched over the water to 15 feet and made the birdie putt to win the hole.
One up going into 18, Thomas played the formidable final hole in textbook fashion, hitting a hybrid and a 6-iron to 20 feet. Wyatt put his tee shot into the right rough, his second finished well short of the green, and his third rolled off the green. And when Thomas nestled his putt to within inches of the cup, Wyatt offered his hand in congratulations.
“He’s a great friend on and off the golf course,” Thomas, a sophomore-to-be, said of Wyatt, a junior. “Hopefully he doesn’t pick on me any more than he already did.”
Thomas and Williams are on different sides of the bracket, so they can’t meet before Sunday’s 36-hole final.
Based on how Williams has performed so far, it would be no surprise to see him in the title match. None of his three matches have gone past the 16th hole.
Williams has made it clear that he doesn’t pay attention to his standing in the world amateur rankings, but he was asked if opponents might be intimidated by him being No. 1.
“I don’t feel like I’m a very intimidating player,” he said. “I mean, look at me; I’m wearing pink.”
But Williams sounds like player in a groove, and one who loves Cherry Hills.
“It’s awesome to be playing a course like this,” he said. “It feels like a U.S. Open. I played (in the Open) last year at Congressional, and I’d say that course is much easier than this one.”
Williams is one of four Pac-12 Conference players in the quarterfinals. His Washington teammate, Cheng-Tsung Pan of Chinese Taipei, also made it, as did University of California teammates Brandon Hagy and Michael Weaver.
All told, seven of the eight quarterfinalists are college golfers, with the one exception being 18-year-old Australian Oliver Goss, who will begin his college career at Tennessee this fall.
Ricardo Gouveia of Portugal plays for Central Florida and Steven Fox for Chattanooga.
In Friday’s quarterfinals, which begin at 8:30 a.m., Thomas will face Goss, Gouveia plays Weaver, Williams meets Fox, and Pan squares off with Hagy.
Pieters, the NCAA champion, exited after the round of 32, falling 4 and 3 to Canadian Albin Choi. Pieters aced the 177-yard sixth hole, using an 8-iron, but never led in the match.
Meanwhile, 55-year-old Doug Hanzel, the oldest player to make match play at the U.S. Amateur since 1979, double bogeyed the 18th hole from beside the green to lose the hole and his round-of-32 match, 1 up, to Fox. Hanzel had rallied from being 2 down after 14 and was all square going into 18.
For match play results and pairings, CLICK HERE.
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U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials
What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.
When: Aug. 13-19. Quarterfinal matches on Friday begin at 8:30 a.m.
Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71). Cherry Hills is hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).
Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.
Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)
Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.
Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. A weekly pass is $85. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Television: Aug. 17 6:30-8:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 18 2-4 p.m., NBC; Aug. 19 2-4 p.m., NBC.
]]>Two golfers from the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, the runner-up in the 2012 NCAA Championships, are near the top of the leader board after the first round of stroke play at Cherry Hills Country Club and CommonGround Golf Course.
And they’re joined there by the No. 1-ranked amateur golfer in the world, recent Western Amateur champion Chris Williams of Moscow, Idaho.
Bobby Wyatt of Mobile, Ala., shot a tournament-leading 7-under-par 64 at Cherry Hills, while Alabama teammate Justin Thomas (pictured), the college player of the year last season, was among those who posted a 5-under 65 at CommonGround.
“It didn’t surprise me at all” that Wyatt fired a 64 at Cherry Hills, Thomas said. “Bobby is an unbelievable player and he’s playing really good. I didn’t expect anything less from him.”
Said the 20-year-old Wyatt, winner of the Sunnehanna Amateur this year: “I hit it pretty well. I was just trying to play for position and hit it in smart places on the green. Fortunately, I left myself some simple putts — not necessarily close, but simple — and I was able to roll them in.”
Meanwhile, University of Washington golfer Williams was one of six players who shot 65 at CommonGround despite having never played the course before Monday.
Williams missed his flight to Denver on Friday night and didn’t get in until Saturday night, so his opportunity to play a practice round at CommonGround went by the wayside. But that didn’t seem to faze him in the least as he carded a bogey-free round at the course.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” the 21-year-old said. “I just decided to come out here and just hit fairways and greens and make some putts. And these greens are good enough to where you can make a lot of putts.”
No practice round at CommonGround “maybe (cost me) a shot or two, especially 18 with the blind second shot there. I didn’t really know where to hit it. I had a mid-iron into a par-5 and made par, so not too happy about that. But overall it was a good day.”
Joining Williams and Thomas with 65s at CommonGround were Sebastian Vazquez of Mexico, Brandon Hagy of Westlake Village, Calif., Max Homa of Valencia, Calif., and Zac Blair of Ogden, Utah. Out of that group, only Blair played in the windier afternoon conditions.
The players will switch courses for Tuesday’s second round, then the field will be cut from 312 to the 64 who will advance to match play. The match play portion of the event begins Wednesday and continues through Sunday’s 36-hole final.
Thomas hit all 18 greens in regulation Monday and played CommonGround’s three par-5s in 4 under par. He eagled the 636-yard third hole, hitting a 3-wood about 300 yards to 8 feet.
“I took advantage of my scoring opportunities; the par-5s really helped me,” he said. “I’m obviously going to be pleased anytime I shoot 65.”
Asked if his mindset was to particularly score low at CommonGround, Thomas said, “You can score but it’s still a good course. You’ve got to respect it. These pins are tough and it’s really firm. Obviously this is easier than Cherry Hills but it’s still a tough golf course, still a U.S. Am.”
Schoolcraft, Spray Fire 69s to Lead Coloradans: Seven of the nine golfers with strong Colorado connections who are competing in the U.S. Amateur this week will need to rally on Tuesday to advance to match play at Cherry Hills Country Club.
But Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, whose home course is Cherry Hills, birdied three of his last five holes to shoot a 1-under-par 69 Monday at CommonGround Golf Course, the second site for the stroke-play portion of the event. And Justin Spray, who grew up in Colorado Springs, matched that score at CommonGround after two birdies on his final three holes.
Schoolcraft and Spray share 32nd place after round 1, and will need to remain in the top 64 to make match play, which begins Wednesday.
The next-best scores from Coloradans in Monday’s first round of stroke play were 2-over-par totals by Matt Schovee of Cherry Hills Village and Bryan Kruse of Westminster. Schovee shot a 73 at his home course of Cherry Hills, while Kruse had a 72 at CommonGround Golf Course,
But both those players faltered a little at the finish. Schovee bogeyed his last two holes, while Kruse played his last six holes in 4 over par.
Here are the scores for the other Colorado-connected players: Ryan Axlund of Denver 74 at CommonGround; Jeff Chapman of Denver 74 at CommonGround; Parker Edens of Greeley 74 at CommonGround; Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock 75 at Cherry Hills; and University of Denver golfer Andy Yang 83 at Cherry Hills.
Bobby Wyatt of Mobile, Ala., a University of Alabama golfer, leads after shooting a 7-under-par 64 at Cherry Hills on Monday.
The players will switch courses for Tuesday’s second round, then the field will be cut from 312 to the 64 who will advance to match play. After Monday, the golfers tied for 64th place were at 1 over par.
Notable: Former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, a member at Cherry Hills, was the featured speaker Sunday night in the U.S. Amateur Players’ Dinner at the club. Elway talked about how top athletes deal with pressure. “I’m not going to let myself think of what it would be like to be a champion,” Elway told those in attendance. “All that does is put that (pressure) back on yourself. You can never want anything too bad. Take it one step at a time, one shot at a time, and stay in the moment.” … With 2011 PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley taking a week off from PGA Tour golf, his caddie, Colorado-based Steve “Pepsi” Hale, was scheduled to caddie for Dylan Crowley at the U.S. Amateur. Crowley attends St. John’s, Bradley’s alma mater.
For U.S. Amateur scores, CLICK HERE.
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U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials
What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.
When: Aug. 13-19. For Aug. 14 tee times, CLICK HERE.
Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71), and CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora (7,378 yards, par-70). Cherry Hills will be hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).
Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.
Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)
Top Name Players Expected in Field: Jordan Spieth (2-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion, low amateur in 2012 U.S. Open), Beau Hossler (17-year-old led U.S. Open during second round), Gary Nicklaus (son of the legendary Jack Nicklaus), college player of the year Justin Thomas, 2011 Masters low amateur Hideki Matsuyama, 2012 NCAA Div. I champion Thomas Pieters.
Players in Field with Strong Colorado Ties: Ryan Axlund of Denver, Jeff Chapman of Denver, Parker Edens of Greeley, Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock, Bryan Kruse of Wesminster, Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, Matt Schovee of Englewood, former Colorado Springs resident Justin Spray, DU golfer Andy Yang.
Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.
Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. A weekly pass is $85. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Television: Aug. 15 2-4 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 16 4:30-6:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 17 6:30-8:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 18 2-4 p.m., NBC; Aug. 19 2-4 p.m., NBC.
]]>The last U.S. Amateur held in Colorado featured some of the greatest golfers of the last two decades.
Among those who competed in the 1990 Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club were champion Phil Mickelson, who’s gone on to win 40 PGA Tour events, including four majors, Jim Furyk (16 Tour wins, one major), David Duval (13 Tour wins, one major) and Justin Leonard (12 Tour wins, one major).
As the U.S. Amateur returns to Cherry Hills next week (Aug. 13-19) — with the Tom Doak-designed CommonGround Golf Course being the second site for stroke play Aug. 13-14 — it’s a good bet that several future stars of the game will be competing.
The 312-man field features 13 of the top 14 players in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, including No. 1 Chris Williams, winner of the recent Western Amateur; No. 2 Hideki Matsuyama, low amateur in the 2011 Masters; and No. 3 Jordan Spieth, the top amateur in this year’s U.S. Open and a two-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion.
Among the other prominent players entered are Beau Hossler, the 17-year-old who led the U.S. Open during round 2; college player of the year Justin Thomas; and NCAA Div. I champion Thomas Pieters. There’s even a son of arguably the greatest golfer of all time, Jack Nicklaus’ second-youngest, Gary.
“This is my favorite event of the year actually,” Hossler said after playing a practice round Saturday at CommonGround with Thomas, Derek Ernst and Parker Edens of Greeley. “I’m looking forward to this week, that’s for sure.”
(Hossler, the youngest player to make the cut at a U.S. Open since World World II, is pictured above at left with Spieth at CommonGround on Saturday.)
Thomas, who will be a sophomore at the University of Alabama, thinks the Amateur is the ideal way to end the summer season before returning to college golf.
“This is the coolest event of the year; I love it,” he said. “It just has a lot different feel than any of the other events. Not that we don’t try really hard at each event, but I think this one gets our attention just a little bit more. Especially this time of year, we’re trying to cap off a summer.”
Also competing next week will be nine players with strong Colorado ties: Ryan Axlund of Denver, Jeff Chapman of Denver, Edens, Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock, Bryan Kruse of Wesminster, Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, Matt Schovee of Cherry Hills Village, former Colorado Springs resident Justin Spray, and University of Denver golfer Andy Yang.
This will mark the ninth USGA championship held at Cherry Hills, and the second U.S. Amateur, which is the oldest USGA championship.
“I loved the golf course; I thought it was spectacular,” Mickelson recently told USGA.org. “I think that there is so much history there from (Arnold) Palmer driving the green on 1, to (Ben) Hogan backing up his wedge (into the water) on 17 (both in the 1960 U.S. Open that Palmer won). There’s been so much history that took place there that you can’t help but feel it. I’m glad that they’re having a big tournament there again. I think it’s great for the Amateur to return there.”
Cherry Hills will play at 7,409 yards and to a par-71 for the Amateur. That’s almost 300 yards longer than in 1990. CommonGround will be set at 7,378 yards, playing to a par-70.
Asked what he thought of CommonGround, which is only three years old, Hossler said, “It was good. I really like it actually. The greens are really good and firm and pretty fast, so it will be nice. You have to definitely drive it well because of the fescue and everything off the fairway. It’s a good track. This is definitely a challenge, especially if it gets windy like it did today.”
Nicklaus knows that CommonGround’s main defense is its green complexes.
“It’s interesting,” he said. “There’s a lot of room off the tee, and then there’s a lot of funkiness to the greens. Golf begins when you get to these greens.”
As for Cherry Hills, thick rough — from 3 inches to 4-5 inches — will keep many free-swinging players in check. And green speeds in the 11-11.5 range on the Stimpmeter also will put players to the test.
The Palmer tee at the par-4 first hole — where Arnold Palmer drove the first green in the final round en route to rallying to win the 1960 U.S. Open — will be utilized for the majority of match play, according to the USGA.
Tickets for the U.S. Amateur are available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket runs $17.50, with a weekly package costing $85. Kids 17 and under will be admitted free with a ticketed adult.
Unlike in many professional tour events, few gallery ropes are used at the U.S. Amateur.
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U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials
What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.
When: Aug. 13-19. For Aug. 13 tee times, CLICK HERE.
Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71), and CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora (7,378 yards, par-70). Cherry Hills will be hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).
Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.
Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)
Top Name Players Expected in Field: Jordan Spieth (2-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion, low amateur in 2012 U.S. Open), Beau Hossler (17-year-old led U.S. Open during second round), Gary Nicklaus (son of the legendary Jack Nicklaus), college player of the year Justin Thomas, 2011 Masters low amateur Hideki Matsuyama, 2012 NCAA Div. I champion Thomas Pieters.
Players in Field with Strong Colorado Ties: Ryan Axlund of Denver, Jeff Chapman of Denver, Parker Edens of Greeley, Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock, Bryan Kruse of Wesminster, Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, Matt Schovee of Englewood, former Colorado Springs resident Justin Spray, DU golfer Andy Yang.
Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.
Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. A weekly pass is $85. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Television: Aug. 15 2-4 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 16 4:30-6:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 17 6:30-8:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 18 2-4 p.m., NBC; Aug. 19 2-4 p.m., NBC.
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Other U.S. Amateur-Related Stories on COgolf.org:
Yang Joins Sister as USGA Qualifier. DU golfer advances to U.S. Amateur along with Axlund, Chapman.
Kids and Pros Alike Have a Blast. U.S. Amateur Alumni Day at CommonGround draws a few hundred fans.
CGA, CWGA Gear Up for U.S. Amateur. With CommonGround as Companion Course, associations expand role.
CommonGround Impresses USGA Executive Director. Five tees were added for U.S. Amateur.
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