By ALISTAIR TAIT
Senior Writer LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England – Drew Weaver ended 28 years of American frustration in the British Amateur Championship by becoming the first United States winner since Jay Sigel in 1979.
Weaver, a 20-year-old sophomore at Virginia Tech, defeated Australia’s Tim Stewart, 2 and 1, in the 36-hole final.
With the win, the High Point, N.C., native booked his place in this year’s British Open at Carnoustie, and a spot in next year’s Masters.
Weaver’s moment came just over two months after he came close to being caught up in the fatal shooting at Norris Hall on Virginia Tech’s campus in April. Weaver was just 100 yards away when Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 people before turning the gun on himself in the deadliest shooting in U.S. history.
Weaver ran for his life, taking refuge 400 yards away in the library. He waited there for 3 1/2 hours until he felt safe to leave.
Weaver carried a small patch on his bag throughout the week that read: Virginia Tech remembers 4:16:07.
“I carried the patch to help give Virginia Tech some positive publicity after what happened,” Weaver said. “It turned out to be a good omen this week.
“I dedicate the entire week to the 32 who died that day. Winning the British Amateur is so minute compared to what happened to the victims that week.”
Stewart was perhaps favorite to win, considering his victories at the Australian Amateur Championship and the Riversdale Cup earlier this year.
However, Weaver was by far the better player on Saturday. He won the morning session, 2 up, and quickly extended his lead with a 5-foot birdie putt at the second in the afternoon.
Weaver lost the third when he putted off the green into a bunker to make bogey. However, he won the next when he holed out for a birdie three from a plugged lie in the sand.
Weaver then won the sixth and seventh with birdies and finished the front nine, 5 up. He pushed that to 6 up when he birdied the par-3, 12th.
That’s when Stewart started to fight back. He won the next four holes, two with birdies before Weaver got up-and-down for par from the left of the 17th.
“I didn’t feel like my game slipped at all,” Weaver said. “I hit really good shots. I had to keep on telling myself that I was still in control of the match, I had the momentum. I was in great shape to win the match.
“It’s hard to tell yourself that when you lost three, four holes in a row. The 17th is the most intense hole I’ve ever played.”
Stewart had a chance to take the match to the 18th but missed his 20-foot birdie putt. Weaver then faced an 8-footer for the match.
“I didn’t want to go down 18 because anything could have happened. I got a good read on the putt and made a good stroke. I looked up and it dropped in the right edge and I couldn’t believe it.
“After all the golf I’ve played this week it was hard to believe it was all over.”
Weaver will now figure highly in the plans of U.S. Walker Cup captain Buddy Marucci, even though he arrived in Lytham not expected to make the trip to Royal County Down in September.
“The Walker Cup would be phenomenal. It’s not a big priority. But it would be awesome.”
After the way he’s played one of Britain’s toughest links this week, he’d look good in red, white and blue at Royal County Down.
• • •
Alistair Tait is a Golfweek senior writer. To reach him e-mail atait@golfweek.com.
Final results from the British Amateur Championship, played June 23 at the par-71 Royal Lytham &
St. Annes and par-72 St. Annes Old Links in Lytham St. Annes, England:
| FINALS |
|
| Drew Weaver def. Tim Stewart |
2 and 1 |
|
|
| SEMIFINALS |
|
| Drew Weaver def. Jason Shufflebotham |
2 and 1 |
| Tim Stewart def. Callumm Macaulay |
1 up |
|
|
| QUARTERFINALS |
|
| Jason Shufflebotham def. Rick Kulacz |
1 up |
| Drew Weaver def. Chris Wood |
2 and 1 |
| Callum Macaulay def. Ross Kellett |
4 and 3 |
| Tim Stewart def. Jorge Campillo |
1 up |
|
|
| FOURTH ROUND |
|
| Jason Shufflebotham def. Tom Glissmeyer |
3 and 2 |
| Rick Kulacz def. Mark Kerr |
3 and 1 |
| Drew Weaver def. Kevin McAlpine |
2 and 1 |
| Chris Wood def. Lloyd Saltman |
1 up |
| Ross Kellett def. Jamie Moul |
1 up |
| Callum Macaulay def. Kenny Le Sager |
20 holes |
| Jorge Campillo def. Andrew Sullivan |
2 and 1 |
| Tim Stewart def. Gary Boyd |
1 up |
|
|
| THIRD ROUND |
|
| Jason Sufflebotham def. David Horsey |
2 up |
| Tom Glissmeyer def. Jonathan Caldwell |
3 and 2 |
| Mark Kerr def. Knut Borsheim |
3 and 2 |
| Rick Kulacz def. Florian Fristch |
2 and 1 |
| Drew Weaver def. Simon Ward |
2 up |
| Kevin McAlpine def. Daniel Willett |
2 up |
| Chris Wood def. Gordon Yates |
2 and 1 |
| Lloyd Saltman def. Alexandre Kaleka |
3 and 2 |
| Ross Kellett def. Matt Allen |
3 and 2 |
| Jamie Moul def. Rohan Blizard |
3 and 1 |
| Kenny Le Sager def. Andrew Dodt |
5 and 4 |
| Callum Macaulay def. Rhys Enoch |
4 and 3 |
| Jorge Campillo def. Steven Uzzell |
7 and 6 |
| Andrew Sullivan def. Luke Goddard |
5 and 4 |
| Gary Boyd def. Shane Lowry |
19 holes |
| Tim Stewart def. Ben Evans |
3 and 2 |
|
|
| SECOND ROUND |
|
| David Horsey def. John Parry |
21 holes |
| Jason Shufflebotham def. Peter O'Keefe |
1 up |
| Jonathan Caldwell def. Ben Parker |
2 and 1 |
| Tom Glissmeyer def. Gregg Blainey |
4 and 3 |
| Knut Borsheim def. Craig Evans |
6 and 5 |
| Mark Kerr def. Dale Whitnell |
2 and 1 |
| Florian Fritsch def. Gavin Dear |
3 and 2 |
| Rick Kulacz def. Jamie Abbott |
1 up |
| Simon Ward def. Jack Senior |
3 and 1 |
| Drew Weaver def. Luis Garcia |
4 and 3 |
| Daniel Willett def. Rory McIlroy |
2 and 1 |
| Kevin McAlpine def. Luke Thomas |
5 and 3 |
| Chris Wood def. Floris De Vries |
19 holes |
| Gordon Yates def. Benjamin Sigl |
3 and 2 |
| Lloyd Saltman def. Jason Wellings |
3 and 2 |
| Alexandre Kaleka def. Michael Bush |
5 and 4 |
| Matt Allen def. Frederik Schulte |
7 and 6 |
| Ross Kellett def. Estanislao Goya |
22 holes |
| Rohan Blizard def. Niall Turner |
3 and 2 |
| Jamie Moul def. Paul Waring |
2 and 1 |
| Andrew Dodt def. David Corsby |
5 and 4 |
| Kenny Le Sager def. Victor Dubuisson |
1 up |
| Rhys Enoch def. Niall Kearney |
5 and 4 |
| Callum Macaulay def. Sam Stuart |
19 holes |
| Jorge Campillo def. Scott Mann |
3 and 2 |
| Steven Uzzell def. Andrea Pavan |
21 holes |
| Luke Goddard def. Constantin Schwierz |
6 and 4 |
| Andrew Sullivan def. Wallace Booth |
1 up |
| Gary Boyd def. Maximilian Kieffer |
20 holes |
| Shane Lowry def. Gareth Shaw |
1 up |
| Tim Stewart def. Tom Sherreard |
3 and 2 |
| Ben Evans def. Mark Thistleton |
19 holes |
|
|
| FIRST ROUND |
|
| Gareth Shaw def. Adam Runcie |
3 and 1 |
| Tom Sherreard def. Peter Baunsoe |
4 and 3 |
| Ben Evans def. Seve Benson |
2 up |
• • •
Click here for stroke-play qualifying scores.
Posted: 6/23/2007
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