By RON BALICKI
Senior WriterRIVER HILLS, Wis. – It’s a well known fact, in the game of golf, a good short game can take a player a long way in a competition.
That was certainly the case Thursday for Steve Wilson in the scheduled 36-hole final of the 28th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Milwaukee Country Club.
Time and again, Wilson, 38, of Ocean Springs, Miss., got up-and-down to save par. And time and again, he did that by sinking putts between 8 to 12 feet.
Simply stated, Wilson put on a short-game clinic as he stormed to a 5-and-4 victory over Todd Mitchell, 30, of Bloomington, Ill.
The clincher came on the 32nd hole, a 438-yard, par-4, when, from 25 feet away and just on the fringe off the green, Wilson putted to within a foot and Mitchell conceded the putt.
“I’m pretty solid tee to green, but my short game is usually my weakness,” Wilson said. “There’s a lot of people back home who will tell you I’m the worst putter they’ve ever seen. For some reason, today was just my day. I can’t explain it, but I know it sure came around at the right time.
“I give all the credit to my caddy (business partner Gary Martin),” said Wilson, a gas station owner who was, as he put it, a “part-time” professional golfer for almost 10 years before being reinstated as an amateur in 2005, “He gave me great reads every time. I’m terrible at reading putts so I just putted to where Gary told me. And most of the time they went in.”
Hopefully, this same magic around and on slick greens stays with him through next April. He’s certainly going to need it – and more – when he tees off in the opening round of The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.
As the U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, Wilson earns custody of the Robert T. Jones Jr. Memorial Trophy for the ensuing year and a number of exemption perks, the biggest being the expected invitation to play in professional golf’s first major championship of the season.
“To think that my first (PGA Tour) event is going to be the Masters. That’s unfathomable,” Wilson said. “For me, that’s like hitting the lottery. I’ve never even been to Augusta so it’s really going to be something.”
Wilson never trailed in the championship match, as was also the case in his quarterfinal and semifinal victories.
In addition to his outstanding play around the greens, in particular from the bunkers, Wilson, the 2008 Mississippi State Mid-Amateur champion and 2007 Mississippi State Amateur winner, had 14 one-putts over the 32 holes.
Wilson, No. 376 in the
Golfweek/Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking coming into the tournament, was 2 up after six holes in the morning session. Mitchell, who played two years in the New York Yankees’ minor league system before entering the insurance business in 2002 and turning his full attention to golf, came back to win Nos. 9 and 10 with birdies to square the match.
Wilson, who had never won a match in a match-play competition before this week, then won Nos. 13 and 15 to get back to 2 up, only to have Mitchell win 16 to cut the margin in half.
The next two holes may have been the most crucial of the day. At the par-3 17th, Mitchell appeared to have the edge when Wilson’s tee shot found one of the course’s numerous large, deep bunkers. But he blasted out to 8 feet and sank the par putt to halve the hole as Mitchell two-putted from 25 feet.
At the par-4, 18th, Wilson’s approach shot found the left greenside bunker while Mitchell’s came to rest on the green, about 40 feet from the hole. Wilson knocked his next shot to 8 feet while Mitchell rolled his birdie try 4 feet past. Once again, Wilson sank his putt, and when Mitchell’s putt hit the hole and spun out, the 1997 Southern Mississippi graduate took a 2-up lead to the lunch table.
Wilson won the 19th hole with a birdie and Nos. 22 and 25 with pars to go 5 up. The dagger that probably pierced Mitchell’s heart came at the short par-4 ninth.
Both players hit tee shots over the green and into the back bunker and faced shots to a front pin on a lightning fast, downhill green. Wilson’s shot rolled down the slope and into another bunker on the front side. Mitchell, playing to the right side, came out to just off the green, 25 feet away.
Wilson’s second bunker shot came to rest 10 feet above the hole and Mitchell’s birdie putt stopped close enough for a conceded par. With nerves of steel, Wilson nudged his putt dead center and the hole was halved.
Mitchell did win No. 12 with a par, but two holes later Wilson punched his ticket to Augusta National and put his name in the USGA record book.
“What a difference a day makes,” said Mitchell, who on Wednesday won his quarterfinal match, 9 and 7, and semifinal match, 4 and 3. “It’s difficult to have your best game each and every day. I didn’t have it today and he did and that was the difference.”
This was only the second time Wilson has competed in this championship, failing to make it to match play in 2006. His only other USGA event was the 2007 Amateur Public Links, where he lost, 6 and 4, in the first round. He has played in a few match play events in Mississippi, but never won a match.
It looked like that trend might continue early in the week. He was 3 over par in a 2-and-1 victory in his opening match and 7 over in a 20-hole victory in the second round. From that point on, he won his next four matches in the equivalent of 2 over par.
“I think I just got more comfortable as the week went along,” Wilson said. “I knew I had game, but never thought I could win something this big. I guess it was just my week. Today, I just felt good and came in with a lot of confidence.”
Take that confidence and add it to a stunning short game and a putter that became a magic wand and what do you have – Steve Wilson, 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion.
• • •
Ron Balicki is a
Golfweek senior writer. To reach him e-mail
rbalicki@golfweek.com.
Final results from the U.S.
Mid-Amateur Championship, played Sept. 6-11 at the par-70, 7,004-yard
Milwaukee Country Club in River Hills, Wis.:
| FINAL |
|
| Steve Wilson def. Todd Mitchell |
5 and 4 |
|
|
| SEMIFINALS |
|
| Todd Mitchell def. Sean Knapp |
4 and 3 |
| Steve Wilson def. Michael McCoy |
3 and 1 |
|
|
| QUARTERFINALS |
|
| Todd Mitchell def. Chris Lange |
9 and 7 |
| Sean Knapp def. Jimmy Chestnut |
2 and 1 |
| Steve Wilson def. Michael Stamberger |
2 up |
| Michael McCoy def. Jeffrey Wilson |
3 and 2 |
|
|
| ROUND OF 16 |
|
| Chris Lange def. Steve White |
19 holes |
| Todd Mitchell def. Jon Lindstrom |
2 and 1 |
| Jimmy Chestnut def. Matthew Williams |
5 and 3 |
| Sean Knapp def. Josh Gregory |
1 up |
| Michael Stamberger def. Ty Cox |
1 up |
| Steve Wilson def. Jim Dunlap |
2 and 1 |
| Jeffrey Wilson def. Steve Galko |
3 and 1 |
| Michael McCoy def. Adam Dooley |
4 and 2 |
|
|
| SECOND ROUND |
|
| Chris Lange def. Richard Berkmeyer |
1 up |
| Steve White def. Jordan Byrd |
23 holes |
| Todd Mitchell def. Jack Kearney |
2 and 1 |
| Jon Lindstrom def. Carlton Forrester |
2 and 1 |
| Jimmy Chestnut def. Derek Berg |
4 and 3 |
| Matthew Williams def. Gene Elliott |
6 and 5 |
| Josh Gregory def. David Noll Jr |
2 and 1 |
| Sean Knapp def. Ryan McDonald |
1 up |
| Michael Stamberger def. Tim Mickelson |
1 up |
| Ty Cox def. Randy Haag |
2 and 1 |
| Steve Wilson def. Michael Muehr |
20 holes |
| Jim Dunlap def. Ted Moloney |
6 and 5 |
| Steve Galko def. Andrew Davis |
1 up |
| Jeffrey Wilson def. Ricky Jones |
3 and 2 |
| Adam Dooley def. Mark Scheibach |
3 and 2 |
| Michael McCoy def. John Ehrgott |
5 and 4 |
|
|
| FIRST ROUND |
|
| Richard Berkmeyer def. Dan Horner |
3 and 2 |
| Chris Lange def. Matthew Clarke |
3 and 2 |
| Jordan Byrd def. Ron Ewing |
3 and 2 |
| Steve White def. Greg Reynolds |
1 up |
| Todd Mitchell def. Nathan Smith |
1 up |
| Jack Kearney def. T. J. Shuart |
1 up |
| Carlton Forrester def. Andy Roberts |
3 and 2 |
| Jon Lindstrom def. Gene Gizzarelli |
1 up |
| Derek Berg def. Saxon McFarland |
21 holes |
| Jimmy Chestnut def. Nathan Colson |
1 up |
| Matthew Williams def. Skip Corneliussen |
3 and 2 |
| Gene Elliott def. Austin Eaton III |
6 and 4 |
| David Noll Jr. def. Garrett Morrison |
5 and 4 |
| Josh Gregory def. Scott Hardy |
3 and 1 |
| Sean Knapp def. Eric Spencer |
2 up |
| Ryan McDonald def. Raymond Floyd |
4 and 3 |
| Tim Mickelson def. Scott Kammann |
1 up |
| Michael Stamberger def. Brian Haskell |
5 and 4 |
| Randy Haag def. Jeff Williams |
1 up |
| Ty Cox def. Brad Nurski |
4 and 3 |
| Steve Wilson def. Chris Hall |
2 and 1 |
| Michael Muehr def. John Bearrie |
4 and 3 |
| Jim Dunlap def. Stephen Sharpe |
3 and 2 |
| Ted Moloney def. Scott Harvey |
2 and 1 |
| Andrew Davis def. Tim Jackson |
1 up |
| Steve Galko def. Brooks Freeman |
7 and 6 |
| Jeffrey Wilson def. Chris Noel |
2 and 1 |
| Ricky Jones def. Jason Oien |
1 up |
| Mark Scheibach def. Scott Fawcett |
3 and 2 |
| Adam Dooley def. Matt Behm |
2 up |
| Michael McCoy def. Michael Harrington |
6 and 5 |
| John Ehrgott def. Alan Bratton |
4 and 3 |
• Click here for stroke-play qualifying results
Posted: 9/11/2008
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