Two-hundred and sixty-four competitors came to suburban Denver hoping to become the next U.S. Mid-Amateur champion. That dream is now alive for 64 players – Monday’s 18-for-6 playoff determined the last match-play spots – following two days of stroke play at Colorado Golf Club and stroke-play co-host CommonGround Golf Course.
For the next four days, it will be a game of survivor until a champion is crowned following Thursday’s 36-hole final.
Here are three things to know going into Monday’s Round of 64 at Colorado Golf Club:
Finishing Kick
Great match-play courses have a strong variety of risk-reward holes and the final four at Colorado Golf Club have the potential to produce plenty of drama. That stretch begins with consecutive par 5s on Nos. 15 and 16. During stroke play, these two holes measured 596 and 582 yards, respectively, and were the 16th- and 14th-easiest on the course, yielding a combined seven eagles and 124 birdies. But if a match gets to the 199-yard, par-3 17th, watch out, as this was the toughest hole in stroke play (3.78). Colorado Golf Club closes with a par 4 measuring 467 yards that ranked as the 10th toughest (4.33).
“I think number 17 is really hard,” said Garrett Rank, of Canada, who is No. 47 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking™ and won this year’s Western Amateur. “[Hole] 18 is a tough tee ball and if you get it in the fairway, you can make birdie.
“The par 5s, unless you’re driving it down the hill on 15, I don’t think you can hold a 5- or a 4-iron on that green with how firm it is. I think you’re almost better off to lay up. [On Saturday], I hit a drive that went 389 yards into that bunker and so that wasn’t ideal. I made two 5s and was kind of disappointed. You can make anywhere from a 3 to a 7 on either of those holes pretty easily. It’ll be great for match play. You’re hopefully walking away with two 4s.”
Added 2014 Mid-Amateur champion Scott Harvey: “Given what has happen at USGA championships the last few years, this is going to be as dramatic as you can possibly imagine. It’s hard but fair-hard. If you are off, it’s going to penalize you, which is the way it’s supposed to be. But if you are on, you can score. The two guys who are playing the best will show up at the end.”
Experience Beware
It never hurts to have experience in any endeavor, but there’s no substitute for being battle tested in match play. Several players, including past Mid-Amateur champions Scott Harvey, Stewart Hagestad, Matt Parziale, Kevin O’Connell and Nathan Smith, are no strangers to the pressure cooker of going head to head against an opponent. Smith, a four-time winner, qualified for match play for the 13th time in 15 starts and owns 34 match-play victories, two shy of the all-time mark held by Jerry Courville Jr. Hagestad has a victory and a semifinal showing in his last three Mid-Amateur appearances. He’s also coming off a key Sunday singles win in the USA’s Walker Cup victory last week at Royal Liverpool.
USGA champion Todd White – he won the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball with Smith in 2015 – is another golfer who has experienced deep runs in the U.S. Mid-Amateur, reaching the semifinals in 2012, and the quarters in 2014 and 2015.
Ultimate Mulligan
After a heavy competitive summer golf season, Scott Strickland planned to spend some quality time with his family this weekend. His chances to play in the U.S. Mid-Amateur after being exempt the past two years for being a semifinalist in 2016 seemed remote. Even though he was the first alternate from the Orchard Lake, Mich., sectional site, Strickland, 37, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., didn’t think much of his chances of getting into the field. But his fortunes changed, thanks to 2015 champion Sammy Schmitz withdrawing due to a back injury. The USGA phoned Strickland at 8:22 p.m. EDT on Wednesday to see if he wanted the spot.
His understanding wife, Annie, gave him the blessing to go.
“I cashed in some airline miles for a one-way flight [from Detroit],” said Strickland. “I’ll figure out the rest when I get here.”
In a span of 72 hours, Strickland went from being with his family, which includes two pre-school aged children, to earning a spot in match play after posting a 36-hole total of 1-over 143. Perhaps the surprise second chance took away any pressure. Poor second nines the last two years had led to disappointing missed cuts.
“My [initial] thought was after I got the call [was] I wasn’t expecting to play this week, so this is all gravy,” said Strickland, a vice president for an investment banking and financial services company. “No expectations and enjoy the moment. I feel privileged to have gotten in. It’s unfortunate that Sammy Schmitz was the one to withdraw, but I sent him a text, ‘Sorry about your back, but I appreciate the opportunity.’ You don’t want to get an opportunity like this and not make the most of it.
“Somebody was looking down on me. Sometimes those little breaks are good.”
If Strickland makes a deep run, don’t be surprised if Schmitz gets a nice thank-you card from a Michigan address.
David Shefter is a senior staff writer for the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.
