Fitzpatrick, Caddies Shine In U.S. Amateur Final

Jimmy Golen's AP story on Matt Fitzpatrick's 4&3 win over Oliver Goss at the U.S. Amateur at The Country Club touched on many parts of the first English win since Harold Hilton(!), including this on his deceptive dominance.

From Golen's report:

Fitzpatrick never trailed in the final match, taking the lead for good on the second hole of the afternoon round - the 20th of the day - and going 2 up one hole later. Goss cut it to one on No. 9, but fell behind two again on the 10th hole when he lipped out on a 4-foot putt.

Fitzpatrick went 3 up on the 14th hole and then on No. 15, where he had won four of his previous five matches, he was short of the green and Goss was off the back.

Goss' chip missed the hole by about 6 inches and rolled 3 feet past, while. Fitzpatrick two-putted from the closely mown area leading up to the green, hitting his second from less than 6 feet. When Goss missed his par putt, the two shook hands and Fitzpatrick hugged his brother, Alex, who was caddying for him.

"It was nice to win 4 and 3 again today," Fitzpatrick said. "It's kind of a strange thing. I did have a feeling that I could close it out."

Fitzpatrick, who was the low amateur last month in the British Open, got a gold medal for his victory along with exemptions into the 2014 U.S. and British Opens - where he will be paired with defending champions Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose - and a likely invitation to the Masters. His name will be inscribed on the Havemeyer Trophy alongside five-time winner Bobby Jones, three-time winner Tiger Woods and two-time winners Jack Nicklaus and Ouimet.

It's the first time Englishmen have won the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in the same calendar year.

The story of the caddies was as compelling as the matches, particularly considering this was the home of Eddie Lowery. Saturday, Ryan Lavner noted the amazing occurrence of semi-final loser Brady Watt picking up Goss' bag for the final, where there was Fitzpatrick's younger brother on his bag. Still, it'd be great to know if a semi-finalist has ever looped for the man he lost to the next day? (NBC showed a photo of Watt and Goss going to a Red Sox game Friday night on the eve of their match!)

NBC's coverage, however, lacked one of those thrilling, pulsating and buzz-killing interviews with a member of the USGA Executive Committee or senior staff. The poor affiliates losing out on such a ratings booster.

Anyway, in his story from Sunday, Lavner noted this about Fitzpatrick, who is following in Luke Donald's footsteps by attending Northwestern.

The Fitzpatrick family has a four-year college plan in place, however, no matter how impressive and mature Matt has seemed this summer in earning low-amateur honors at the British Open and winning the U.S. Amateur, all in a four-week span.

“This might be as good as it ever gets,” Russell Fitzpatrick said. “You just never know. Professional sport is really, really tough. I’ve seen players turn pro, and we never hear from them again. If he decides to play professional golf someday, he has no pressure because he knows he has a fallback option. If he turns pro after one year and it doesn’t work out, and he doesn’t have a degree, if he’s just a flash in the pan, then what’s he go with?”

A super USGA image gallery from the final.

Matt Fitzpatrick's post-win interview with Jessica Marksbury.

Fitzpatrick's parents were interviewed.



Oliver Goss' post-match interview.

You can follow Fitzpatrick on Twitter here.

Fitzpatrick's Short Game Carries Him To Final Match With Goss

Ryan Herrington with a nice account of Saturday's U.S. Amateur semi-final matches won by Matthew Fitzpatrick and Oliver Goss.

The good news for Goss, a 19-year-old who'll start his sophomore season at Tennessee this fall? It would seem hard for Fitzpatrick to repeat his stellar performance around on the greens for a second straight day. On the 12 holes Fitzpatrick failed to hit in regulation, he still made eight pars in addition to chipping in for a birdie that helped swing the momentum in his favor.

"I think my short game was probably the best of my life I think," said the young man who claimed low amateur honors at last month's British Open. "Sort of every chip and putt I looked at was close."

The two finalists, headed to the U.S. Open and most likely a Masters invite for both, later convened at Fenway Park to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Red Sox-Yankees game according to this Golf Channel gallery.

“My father’s life changed when he met Francis"

Marvin Pave profiles Cynthia Wilcox, the only surviving child of Francis Ouimet looper Eddie Lowery, who is on every serious golfer's mind this week with the 100th anniversary of the historic U.S. Open at The Country Club.

A hundred years later, their win at TCC remains the seminal moment in American golf history and Pave reminds us it was all a bit of an accident.

In his 1963 memoir, Lowery said it was “pure accident’’ that he caddied for Ouimet at the Open.

“My older brother Jack had caddied at Woodland Golf Club [in Newton] which was near our home and where Francis was then playing and Jack knew Francis,’’ he recalled. “We read in the paper about the two Englishmen — Vardon and Ray — who were going to play at Brookline.’’

The brothers arrived at The Country Club, and Ouimet asked Jack Lowery to be his caddie because the person he originally had engaged had hooked up with French professional Louis Tellier.

“So Jack caddied for Francis in the qualifying round and I went out to watch Vardon and Ray,’’ wrote Lowery, who along with his brother was caught by the truant officer and then given a stern lecture by their mother.

When Jack balked at caddying the next day, Eddie ran to the railroad station, hooked school, caught the last train to Brookline and subbed for his brother.

“I said to Francis, whatever you decide to do, you keep your head down and I will watch the ball. I have never lost a ball yet,’’ wrote Lowery, who went on to become caddie master at Woodland, a sportswriter for a Boston newspaper, and an advertising executive before moving to California.

Looking Good: The Country Club Is Back!

Watching the Round of 32 U.S. Amateur coverage on Golf Channel I'm impressed how much better The Country Club is looking since we last saw at the Ryder Cup. Credit architect Gil Hanse and superintendent Bill Spence for bringing the New England back into the course.

Ran Morrissett has updated his profile for The Country Club with photos taken just a few weeks ago.

Coverage continues Friday on GC with tape delayed coverage from 9-11 pm ET, followed by NBC Saturday and Sunday at 4 pm ET.

And there should be a super-fun awkward tension when USGA President Glen "I like that the Fox Sports guys don't know anything about golf" Nager visits the booth for the annual contractually obligated visit.

Ah, Amateur Status In The 21st Century...

From Tod Leonard's Junior World preview...referring to 14-year-old sensation Tianlang Guan.

Guan is the 14-year-old Chinese golfer who made history by reaching the weekend in this year’s Masters. He was invited to compete in Junior World next week for a third straight time, but he declined because he’s hoping to play in the PGA Tour’s Canadian Open in two weeks. That is, if he gets some visa issues straightened out.

Reps of Guan asked Junior World tournament director Megan Mahoney if he could play in the media day on Torrey South because he’s been in San Diego for a couple of weeks practicing at the Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside.

Video: Junior Shoots 59 On Pinehurst No. 1

Great video from Alex Podlogar at Pinehurst No. 1 interviewing 16-year-old Will Grimmer of Cincinnati, Ohio after shooting 59 in the North/South Junior Amateur.

San Diego CC Lands '17 Women's Amateur

Riviera and Bel-Air host the U.S. Amateur that year and Los Angeles Country Club the Walker Cup in 17, so why not come to southern California for the U.S. Women's Amateur.

Tod Leonard with the report and backstory of how Dean Knuth for the ball rolling.

Unpaid 10-Second Ad Appearance Costs Amateur His Status

But he can receive equipment manufacturer balls and clubs to be counted at USGA events for advertised ball and club counts! 

What a wacky world, as Julie Williams reports on Scott Pieri losing his amateur status after he "made a 10-second appearance in a commercial for Golf Etc., a local club-fitting store owned by a friend, to deliver a brief testimonial."

And if you want to start your week off in peachy fashion, just read the contradictions in the Decisions on Amateur Status. Breathtaking.

Guan Lands Memorial Exemption

Well at least the 14-year-old Masters cut-maker Tianlang Guan won't be missing any school for this one. Right?

For Immediate Release...

Chinese Amateur teen sensation Tianlang Guan to compete in the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance  
 
Dublin, Ohio – Officials of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance announced today that 14-year-old Chinese amateur sensation Tianlang Guan has accepted an exemption to compete in the 38th edition of the Memorial, May 27 – Jun 2 at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
 
Tianlang last month became the youngest player to make a cut in a major championship in PGA TOUR history when he finished 58th at The Masters Tournament with a 12-over-par 300 aggregate total. His invitation to the first major of the season came by way of his victory at the 2012 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. A native of Guangzhou, China, Tianlang followed up his performance at Augusta National Golf Club by making the cut two weeks later at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he finished 71st at 4-over 292. Last week he missed the cut at the HP Byron Nelson Championship after rounds of 70 and 77.
 
“I am very excited to accept the invitation to play at the Memorial Tournament,” Tianlang said. “It is Jack Nicklaus’ event, and the same as all the golf fans out there I have very high respect to Mr. Nicklaus, not just as a golf legend, but also as a great person. He has been actively involved in the development of golf in China, and junior golf development worldwide, and as a junior golfer myself I appreciate what he has done to help us grow. My parents and I got the chance to meet him in person at the Masters, and that was one of the highlights of my week at Augusta National. I appreciate a lot the Memorial Tournament for having me there, and it is going to be a great week.”
 
Tianlang is ranked No. 78 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

“The Memorial Tournament has been a strong supporter of amateur golf since its inception, and each year the winners of both the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur are always invited to participate,” said Memorial Tournament Founder and Host Jack Nicklaus. “With the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship becoming such an important event in the game of golf, and with the winner earning an invitation to The Masters Tournament and a spot in International Final Qualifying for the British Open, the Captains Club thought it was only appropriate to offer an invitation to the Memorial Tournament. We hope that in the future, we can make this a standard policy with our exemptions.

The Picture Of 21st Century Amateurism

Steven Fox, current U.S. Amateur champion and still an amateur playing the Farmers Insurance Open on a sponsor's invite...as an amateur.

R&A Will Not Be Adding A Walker Cup Mid-Am Quota

Nick Rodger reports that the Great Britain and Ireland Team will not be joining the USGA's American team in requiring two mid-amateurs play in the Walker Cup. Mostly, the mid-am is a distinctly American obsession.

Nathan Smith, the current holder of that particular crown, has played in the past two Walker Cups while the last time Team USA had two mid-amateur men in the line-up was at Ganton in 2003, where Trip Kuehne and George Zahringer flew the flag.

In the UK, the British Mid-Amateur Championship, run under the auspices of the Royal & Ancient since 1995, was discontinued in 2007 while the Scottish equivalent withered on the vine and eventually dropped off the domestic schedule a couple of seasons ago. Given the mid-am culture here, it's hardly a revelation to discover that the R&A don't have any plans to follow the USGA's somewhat bold Walker Cup lead.