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Written By : Rory Spears Lead Writer and Assistant Editor at the 112th WGA Western Amateur championship at Beverly Country Club.

The 112th WGA Western Amateur was all about the back nine on Saturday. In the end, it all came down to avoiding a few of Beverly’s many tree’s, and making a few putts.

2014 Western Amateur Champion Beau Hossler, with trophy. Photo Courtesy of Charles Cherney and the WGA.

Beau Hossler a member of the University of Texas golf team who hails from California, won the 112th Western Amateur over Xander Schauffele also of California by a score of 2 UP. But It was Schauffele who took the early lead on the third hole and didn’t want to give it up. But by the back nine Schauffele admitted he was a little tired, and Hossler finally caught and passed him on 17 for his first lead  of the day.

The 18th hole brought some drama to the ending. Schauffele hit his second shot left into the 16th fairway, then his third shot that needed to clear a few tall trees to the left of the 18th green, clunked the last tree and fell to the ground.

Hossler found the fairway with his tee shot and then the fairway again just under a 100 yards in front of the green, with his second shot. After Schauffele’s third shot hit the tree and was some 20 yards left and short of the green, Hossler pitched to 4 feet under the hole.

Schauffele’s pitch failed to carry the left green side bunker and the lie from next to the edge of the bunker, wasn’t that great where Schauffele could try and blast out to save par. So he removed his hat and conceded the match.

Hossler said after the match that one of the keys was making a 15 foot birdie putt on the 11th hole. Hossler had just three putted the 10th hole and had given a sure advantage away, when his tee shot was 20 feet inside of Schauffele’s.

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Schauffele made birdie on the 11th hole as well and if Hossler had not matched him, a four down score with 7 holes to play would have been hard to rally from.

Hossler was headed home to rest up for the U.S. Amateur that starts in a week at the Atlanta Athletic Club.

Early in the day there was hope of a local final match between 2014 Western Junior Runner-Up Nick Hardy of Northbrook, who is headed to the University of Illinois this fall, and one of Hardy’s new Illini teammates Brian Campbell who is from California.

But those plans went by the wayside early. Hossler came right out and made a long par save on one, then watched Hardy miss a short birdie putt that would have given him another quick lead. From there Hossler pulled away winning the match 4 & 3.

Campbell and Schauffele went back and forth and on the back nine Campbell hung tough forcing the match to an 18th hole. But he couldn’t win the hole to get to a sudden death 19th hole, and lost 1 UP.

Click here to hear the Interview with WGA Western Amateur Champion Beau Hossler.

The 2015 Western Amateur will be played at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove Illinois.

Startechglass.com see the show room on Major Street in Chicago. Celebrating 25 years as a commercial glass leader in the Chicago area.

BY: RORY SPEARS Lead Writer and Assistant Editor, reporting from Beverly Country Club.

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Then there was four. Day 1 of the Western Amateur match play at Beverly Country Club saw the field trimmed from 16 to 4 players.

Northbrook’s Nick Hardy steamrollered not one but two opponents in route to being the first player into the final four.

The University of Illinois bound Freshman won his matches by a score of 6 & 4 in the morning against Geoff Drakeford, and in the afternoon by a 5 & 4 score over Scottie Scheffler. Quick starts were the key in both matches for Hardy.

Nick Hardy of Northbrook has made the final four at the 112th Western Amateur at Beverly Country Club

Hardy was kind of hoping to play a local friend in Arlington Hts. Doug Ghim who was the medalist of the tournament. Ghim won his first match on Friday 1 UP, after birdieing the 18th hole for a fifth straight time this week. Ghim had a 4 UP lead against Matt Hansen, but lost that lead and had to go to the 18th hole.

Ghim needed birdie number six on 18 in the afternoon match against Texas Longhorn Beau Hossler, but didn’t get it. Instead Hossler eliminated Ghim on the 19th hole after Ghim 3-putted on the par 3, 10th hole, that was used for the playoff.

Hossler and Hardy are the first out semi-final at 7:30 Am on Saturday morning. The other semi-final will have Fighting Illini golf team member Brian Campbell against Xander Schauffele teeing off at 7:45 Am.

Campbell’s afternoon win over Cory Crawford went 23 holes, that tied for second place in terms of the longest matches played in the modern era of the Western Amateur. Which is since 1961 when the matches went to 18 holes. Campbell was 2 UP with two holes to play, but Crawford dug in and forced the match into extra holes.

Big 3 partner Tim Cronin said the Ghim and Hossler match was the best amateur match he is seen since the 1998 U.S. Amateur Quarter Final match between Sergio Garcia and Matt Kuchar. Both Ghim and Hossler shot 30 on the back nine at Beverly, with 5 birdies and no bogeys, according to Cronin.

Another member of the Illinois golf team Charlie Danielson was eliminated in the round of the Sweet Sixteen, he lost 2 & 1 to Hunter Stewart. Defending Champion Jordan Niebrugge made the first cut, but did not advance to the final 16 for match play.

The championship match will begin approximately one hour after the conclusion of the semi-final matches. Come out early and see the semi-final matches.

Click here to hear interviews with Nick Hardy, Doug Ghim, Beau Hossler.

BY: RORY SPEARS

Doug Ghim of Arlington Hts. became the first Chicago area medalist at the Western Amateur in over 30 years. The last to pull off the feat was Roy Biancalana of Franklin Park in 1983.

Ghim beat out Josh Munn of New Zealand and Bryson Dechambeau of California by shots to win. The sweet 16 match play gets underway this morning. The field will be trimmed to four players by the end of the day.

Joining Ghim in the Sweet Sixteen are two of his fellow teammates at the University of Texas, Beau Hossler, and Scottie Scheffler. Three members of the University of Illinois team made the final 16. Nick Hardy of Northbrook, along with Brian Campbell and Charlie Danielson.

Four players advanced from Australia, including Cory Crawford, not the Blackhawks goalie. Defending Champion Jordan Niebrugge was eliminated.