US Amateur Championship Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

The USGA is making big changes to qualifying for its premier amateur events. Here’s what you need to know

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 06:20:17 +0000

Getting into four of the USGA’s premier amateur championships will be both a little easier and a little harder starting in 2024.

On Wednesday, the governing body announced what it characterised as the most significant changes to its amateur championship qualifying model in more than 20 years. Starting next year, the US Amateur, US Women’s Amateur, US Junior and US Girls’ Junior will adjust the number of players exempt directly into the championships as well as expand exemption categories and adjust how it conducts qualifiers to fill out the championship fields.

The biggest structural changes will occur with the US Amateur, which boasts a field of 312 each year. That number will remain the same but starting in 2024, there will be two stages of qualifying for the championship: an 18-hole local qualifier at 45 sites followed by an 18-hole final qualifier at 19 sites. Previously golfers have been competing in one 36-hole qualifier to try to earn their way in. The US Amateur first employed qualifying events for the championship in 1931.

While adding another qualifier makes it a bit more onerous for some players trying to get into the field, top-ranked amateurs will have more direct access as the USGA will increase the number of players fully exempt off the World Amateur Golf Ranking from 50 to 100. Additionally, the top 600 players off the WAGR will be exempt from the local qualifying.

The USGA also will create still-to-be-determined exemptions for state, Allied Golf Association, regional and national amateur champions.

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Stewart Hagestad, who assures you he’s ‘old’, can’t stop beating the young kids at US Amateur

Matt Smith — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 08:01:49 +0000

By Christopher Powers
At 31, Stewart Hagestad is at least 19 years away from actually being considered “old” (apologies to those who have hit or crossed the half-century mark). But here at the US Amateur, which is a who’s who of college studs and a 15-year-old stud who made the quarter-finals, Hagestad might as well be the old man yelling at everyone to get off his lawn.

Over the first four days at Ridgewood Country Club, however, Hagestad is playing like a teenager who doesn’t know what he doesn’t know, which couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s quickly become one of the more decorated amateurs in recent memory, winning the 2016 and 2021 US Mid-Amateurs, and playing in two Masters and four US Opens. He’s been here before. He knows the deal.

Of course, that doesn’t make it any easier. Experience only goes so far in this game. After tying for 21st in the stroke-play portion of the event on Tuesday, Hagestad drew 24-year-old Sam Bairstow in the Round of 64, who is only the No. 7-ranked amateur in the world and the highest-ranked amateur from England. All Hagestad did on Wednesday was beat Bairstow, 3&1, closing him out with back-to-back birdies at the 16th and 17th holes. On Thursday morning, Hagestad dusted Benjamin James, a top-ranked junior who just graduated from high school, 6&4.

Next up was Hayden Hopewell, a 20-year-old Australian who sits at 41st in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He was Hagestad’s toughest test, refusing to go away with a late birdie that extended the match to the 17th hole. But after Hopewell found the rough off the tee and then failed to hack it out back into the fairway, Hagestad laced a long iron from 240 yards out in the fairway and found the par-5 green in two. It was curtains, Hagestad securing his second trip to the US Amateur quarter-finals in the last three years.

“Great. Really great,” said Hagestad when asked how he was feeling afterward. “I’m a little tired. But yeah, feels great. Excited to be playing golf tomorrow.”

His next opponent is Sam Bennett, the No. 3 ranked amateur on the planet who could have earned a Korn Ferry Tour card via the PGA Tour University rankings had he not decided to go back to Texas A&M this autumn. Like Hagestad, Bennett has had quite the run himself, beating three of the top 27 amateurs in the WAGR en route to the quarters. Hagestad was quick to point out his path has been just as unrelenting.

“I’ve had a tough draw. I played the No. 1 kid in Great Britain and Ireland, then I played the No. 1 junior in the country. I thought we were going to get Sargent. Hayden was great. Yeah, it’s all about Sam,” Hagestad said, tongue-in-cheek. “I don’t want to hear it. I’m 31. I’m old.

“None of them are [easy],” he said. “They’re all good. All the kids are good.”

Hagestad is pretty good, too, and one could argue that at 31, he’s actually in his golfing prime. Still, it’s impressive to see him run through the young guns in the fashion he has. When asked what it says about himself and his game that he’s been able to hang with the pups, he gave a fascinating answer.

“The dumb answer here is nothing,” he said. “But for the sake of answering the question in a more polite way, I feel very lucky and fortunate to have qualified for a handful of USGA events, then obviously to have been exempt and to have played a bunch of USGA events. I’m not saying I’m an expert by any stretch of the imagination. You’re certainly continually surprised by how good the college players, juniors, amateurs are. Look at Andrew [Von Lossow] from yesterday; he took down Mike [Thorbjornsen], and, until yesterday, until the playoff, outside of Spokane, Washington, his close friends, I hadn’t heard of him, but apparently he was an Old Hickory champion. The point is there’s great players everywhere.

“I think I know how to prepare a little bit better. I kind of know what to expect a little bit better. I know what it feels like to be in those pressure situations. But then I also think part of being older is obviously, if I play great this week, that would be amazing. That would be an incredible accomplishment. To even get to the quarters is a pretty impressive accomplishment.

“But for lack of a better term, I don’t think my life changes that much. I’ve played in the Masters. I’ve played in the US Open. Of course I would like to play it again. It would be an amazing, amazing accomplishment, and I’d be blown away. But you’ve got to beat one kid tomorrow and we’ve got to beat a kid on Saturday if we get that far and so on. I think it’s an honour to have made it this far and to keep playing, but I don’t think we at this point in the game need to read much more into it than that. There’s a lot there to try to put something that my mom would be proud of for saying.”

Considering what he’s accomplished not only in golf but in life, not to mention his other impressive qualities, Hagestad’s mother has more than enough to be proud of.

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Dubai’s Josh Hill goes down fighting at US Amateur Championship

Matt Smith — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 11:30:48 +0000

By GolfDigestME.com
Dubai born-and-bred Josh Hill went down fighting at the US Amateur Championship on Wednesday, suffering a 2&1 loss to Campbell Kremer in the round of 64.

Hill had qualified for the match play section of the tournament by progressing placed T30 after two rounds of stroke play at Ridgewood Country Club and Arcola Country Club in New Jersey.

It was similar bad news for pre-tournament favourite Michael Thorbjornsen in the race to claim the Havemeyer Trophy.

Playing against No. 63-seeded Andrew Von Lossow, Thorbjornsen failed to reach the 17th hole, falling 3&2 to the 34-year-old from Spokane, Washington.

“That was awesome playing Michael,” Von Lossow said. “First time meeting him, had heard about him, and I know he’s a great player. Then seeing how he hits the ball and everything, it was awesome.”

Andrew Von Lossow. Kathryn Riley

Von Lossow created a bit of a buzz with the colourful shirt he was rocking Wednesday morning during the 15-for-11 playoff to reach the match-play bracket. After making par and advancing, he created far more buzz with his stunning upset of the sixth-ranked amateur in the world.

“Just apply pressure,” Von Lossow said of his strategy. “I didn’t hit every fairway but I could muscle a few out of the rough. Then my caddie, my buddy Brian, he caddies here, Brian Roth, and he got me in the right spots around the greens. Just around here you have to be below the hole or just know if you have more room left or right of the holes. Had a few good numbers on the back nine where I could kind of hit some flighted shots and some full shots.”

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LIV Golf a big part of the conversation — even at US Amateur

Matt Smith — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 07:06:29 +0000

By Christopher Powers
Remember that feeling after the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews? The ‘back to reality’ feeling, the reality being that the LIV Golf vs the PGA Tour saga had only just begun. For one week in Scotland, we all forgot about that reality. And then it smacked us in the head like an errant tee shot that was missing a “FORE” call on that Monday morning.

This week’s US Amateur at Ridgewood Country Club should have, in theory, allowed us to recapture that feeling. Pure golf. Match play. No $4 million cheque handed out at the end. Just a gold medal, invitations into three of next year’s majors, and the glorious Havemeyer Trophy, which deserves way more love in the sports-trophy hierarchy.

But even the US Amateur can no longer avoid the LIV Golf discussion, David Puig’s first-round victory on Wednesday in New Jersey serving as further proof of that. Puig, a rising senior at Arizona State, has already competed in two of the events on the new series, the first at Centurion just outside London and the second last month at Bedminster, right here in the Garden State of New Jersey.

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Puig, a slender, soft-spoken 20-year-old who hails from Spain, technically “earned” $267,000 in his two LIV starts. Of course, he could not accept any of that money, as that would forfeit his amateur status. Puig also says there is no Name Image and Likeness (NIL) deal, which was rumoured to be a possibility for amateurs playing in LIV events.

“They were great,” Puig said of the two LIV experiences. “As I keep telling everybody, it’s a great opportunity for amateurs, especially for a guy like me from Europe. I never had any chance to play on the PGA Tour, and I only had one chance to play on the European Tour. They [LIV] contacted me and offered me to play those two tournaments. Both were really good and I had a lot of fun.”

The Spaniard is not 100 per cent sure, but he says he’ll likely tee it up in one more LIV event this year, the LIV Golf Invitational at Rich Harvest Farms in Chicago, which will take place September 16-18. Then he’ll be back at school in Tempe, Arizona, to complete his final season before turning pro after the 2023 NCAA Championship.

Puig, currently ranked 10th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, was not the only amateur player LIV targeted. Defending US Amateur champion James Piot, who turned professional in May and signed a $1 million deal with LIV, has played in all three events. Thailand’s Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat, who was in the US Amateur field this week but failed to reach match play, played in the London event at Centurion.

If Puig continues to play well at Ridgewood, all eyes would suddenly be on him, as is the case with all things LIV Golf. He’s already received plenty of criticism on social media, and he’s well aware that more could be on the horizon.

“I’ve actually already got some bad words from people that think LIV is not the best option,” Puig said. “I understand everybody’s opinion. I really don’t pay attention to the bad stuff because the people that know me know what I’m doing and the things I’m doing are the right thing for sure. So, I’m pretty relaxed on that part.

“It happens,” he added. “I don’t know, there’s people that hate LIV, there’s people that hate PGA Tour. I really don’t care what people think, I know what I’m doing and if I’m doing it it’s because I believe it’s the right thing to do for me. If not, I wouldn’t do it. I’ll say it again, it’s not for the money or anything, it’s just that they gave me an opportunity and the other tours didn’t. I don’t care if I play here or there right now. As a golfer I want to play against the best in the best tournaments and to get to that point I need experience, and those LIV events are giving me experience. That’s pretty much it.”

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Doc Redman rallies to win ‘an incredible match,’ defeats Doug Ghim on 37th hole

Golf Digest Middle East — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 04:00:49 +0000

Doc Redman poses with the trophy during the final round of match play of the 2017 U.S. Amateur at The Riviera Country Club. (Copyright USGA/Chris Keane)

By John Strege
Here in the entertainment capital of the world, steps from the renowned Sunset Blvd., on a course with a Hollywood pedigree, two amateurs put on a show worthy of their surroundings.

Doc Redman, a Clemson sophomore, even delivered a dramatic ending befitting the stage, the United States Amateur Championship at Riviera Country Club. He came back from 2 down with two to play, then defeated Texas senior Doug Ghim with a conceded birdie on the 37th hole that followed 36 holes of entertaining punching and counterpunching.

Spider Miller, the captain of the U.S. Walker Cup team, called it “the greatest match that I’ve witnessed in my four years of following intently the amateur game.”

Ghim called it “an incredible match. We didn’t give each other anything all afternoon. We worked for everything. It’s match play, right? It was do or die for him, and he did it.”

Redman’s own summation: “We were both playing so well. I played really well on that back nine, and he stuck with me shot for shot, and I stuck with him. It was about never giving up and believing in myself. You never know what can happen.”

You never know. The remarkable comeback Redman authored included his holing a downhill 60-foot putt for eagle at the par-5 17th hole, followed with his holing a 10-foot birdie putt at 18, winning both holes and sending the match to overtime.

On the extra hole, the par-4 10th, Ghim drove left and into a terrible lie in the “hay,” as he called it. “I had never been in that area all week,” he said. “I didn’t even know there was hay there.”

His following shot put him in more trouble, his ball finding the bunker that fronts the green, leaving an extremely difficult shot to a shallow green sloping away from him. His third shot went into a bunker behind the green.

He wound up conceding Redman’s birdie putt, an anticlimactic ending, but given everything that preceded it, it did nothing to detract from the entertainment value of the match.

“It was a lot of fun to be a part of it,” Ghim said. “As disappointed as I am not to win, I still had a lot of fun. I’m definitely gong to look back at this as one of the best accomplishments that I’ve had and move on.”

Neither player led by more than two holes. Redman held a 1-up lead following the morning 18, increased it to 2 up by holing a long birdie putt on the second hole of the afternoon 18. Ghim evened the match with a par at the 11th hole, the 29th of the match and went ahead with another par on the 13th hole. He increased the lead to 2 up at the 16th hole.

At the par-5 17th, the 35th hole of the match, Redman faced a 60-foot eagle putt, while Ghim had a six-foot birdie putt.

“All that was going through my head was about making the putt and putting a good stroke on it,” he said. “Honestly, I was just going, ‘You’re going to make this, you’re going to make this.’ ”

Still, the likelihood of his doing so was remote and it seemed inevitable that Ghim was going to prevail, but Redman’s putt darted into the hole for an eagle to win the hole.

“I wouldn’t be entirely truthful to say that I expected him to make the putt, but I did entertain the possibility,” Ghim said. “When it did go in, it was like, ‘Wow, OK. That’s quite a blow.’ I reminded myself that i was still 1 up with one to go.”

At the 18th hole, Ghim hit an anemic approach that stopped short of the green, while Redman hit his approach to about 10 feet of the hole. Ghim’s pitch shot left him with a short par putt that was for naught when Redman holed his birdie putt.

“I didn’t hit a particularly great iron shot coming into 18,” Ghim said, “but I thought I did just that with the chip. I chipped it close enough. I felt like I did everything that I could to force him to make incredible shots. He stepped up and did it. And kudos to him. I’m very happy for him.”

Redman was similarly gracious toward Ghim. “I would just like to congratulate Doug as well. He played awesome. He’s such an awesome competitor and deserves all the praise in the world as well.”

They both do, for putting on a memorable and dramatic performance in an area that more than most has an appreciation for great entertainment.

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Beginner’s Luck propels Aussie amateur into Abu Dhabi contention

Kent Gray — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 12:05:52 +0000

There’s an old adage that says you’re better off being lucky than good at golf but Australian amateur star Curtis Luck is proof you can be both.

The 20-year-old from Perth, the reigning U.S. and Asia Pacific Amateur Champion, announced himself to the European Tour Friday with a second round 65 to roar into the weekend tied 12th at -7 in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championships.

After struggling with the pace of The National’s greens Thursday, Luck got his putter going with a faultless seven-birdie loop to be just four shots off the lead midway through the second round.

“Yesterday was a bit rough so to come back and obviously have a good one today is I guess good for the confidence for the rest of the week.,” said Luck who eagled the par 5 second and birdied the last in the first round but cancelled the gains out with three bogeys.

“Hopefully this form continues, and yeah, I’m ready to get to the weekend and give it a crack.”

Luck may be an amateur but he’s no novice at the pro level having won the Queensland Open in October, the first amateur to achieve the feat since 1991. He ended 2016 on a high with a creditable T11 at the Australian Open at Royal Sydney where he teed it up with eventual champion Jordan Spieth a fortnight after being paired with former world No.1 Adam Scott at the Australian PGA Championship.

He’ll draw on those experiences as he goes in search of a low weekend.

“Just looking at the leaderboard, I’m still going to need a big weekend to catch up. There’s definitely low scores out there. So I’m expecting to see the leaderboards keep climbing higher and higher with these guys,” he said.

“I’ve just got to try to keep up, post more good numbers and see Sunday afternoon I guess.”

Regardless of what transpires, Luck has more than justified his sponsors invite to Abu Dhabi which is all part of a wider reconnaissance mission before he turns pro after April’s U.S. Masters. He’s also qualified for the U.S. Open at Erin Hills and the 146^th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on the back of his amateur awesomeness last year.

“Every bit of experience I’m getting over the next three months is crucial to when I finally get ready to turn pro and play events like the Masters. Just the overall, being here, the circumstances and getting to play with such great players is awesome.

“I had some good conversation with Spieth and Adam Scott [about Augusta National]. I think the biggest thing that comes in common with what they are saying is probably that the course just transforms overnight between Wednesday and Thursday; it’s a completely different golf course.

“I’m excited to get there and just obviously see the place. I think that’s going to be the biggest thing that I have to get my head around, but yeah, so excited.”

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