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The historic and over 125 years old log cabin between the 16th and 17 holes at The Glen View Club. Serving as home of the 119th Western Amateur.
Reporting from The Glen View Club.
AND THEN WERE FOUR…
The final-four as many will call them.
But the 119th Western Amateur is winding to a close, at the place where it all started a long time ago. The historic Glenview Club.
Michael Thorbjornsen, Austin Greaser, Gordon Sargent and defending champion Pierceson Coody still get one more day of golf around the famed track of golf that started the Western Amateur over 120 years ago.
As the players will tell you, the architects that built this course did a great job. Because it’s stood the test of time for over 100 years, and still has enough defenses to also stand up to todays technology.
When Friday morning began, there was sixteen players all ready for match play. After another full day of golf for eight players, four of them might need yet another 36 holes or more, to take home the trophy.
But whether it was the morning matches or the afternoon quarterfinals, there was plenty of excitement for everybody to enjoy. Some wild tee shots, blasts from the bunkers, putts that did all sorts running around the greens. The fans that did attend got to see some really great golf.
But more great golf is off the tee at 8 Am and 8:12 Am tomorrow morning. So meet the final four.
Western Amateur Golf Tournament at Crooked Stick GC. Photo courtesy of WGA-Charles Cherney.
Whether he is the favorite or not, defending champion Pierceson Coody is back in the final four.
Coody calls The Glenview Club much different than the Pete Due designed Crooked Stick where he won last year.
Coody did not have an easy route to Saturday mornings semi-final. It took a late rally by Coody to defeat Luke Potter in 20 holes, in the afternoons quarterfinal. One-down on 18, Coody hit the fairway after holing an incredible putt on the 17th green that broke 7-8 feet. But Potter’s drive found the high weeds near the creek, and had to re-tee.
With that mistake-the match went to extra holes, two of them. Because Coody hit the par 3, second green with his tee shot and Potter missed the green. it was all over when Potter could not get up and down to save par.
Michael Thorbjornson putts on 17 in his match vs Ricky Castillo.
Thorbjornsen entered the match play after being the medalist in the stroke play.
He also entered the Western Amateur after winning the state amateur in his home state of Massachusetts.
Thorbjornson won an epic battle with Ricky Castillo to make the semi-finals, that ended on the 18th green. Because Castillo made a 20 foot birdie on the 17th hole to keep the match alive. Then Thorbjornsen lagged up a 20 foot zig-zag putt for the win.
Gordon Sargent of Birmingham Alabama. Photo courtesy of WGA.
Sargent advanced to the semi-finals with a 4 & 2 win, over his friend David Ford.
Sargent unlike the other three finalists, really needs a strong finish at the Western Amateur if he expects to make the U.S. Amateur at Oakmont in two weeks.
Sargent is hoping to earn one of five spots in the field, that the USGA holds back, and then awards to the top 5 players in the amateur golf point system. But Sargent feels it might take yet another win on Saturday to earn one of those five coveted places at Oakmont.
Austin Greaser of Vandalia Ohio.
Greaser survived a hard-fought match with Brian Stark, winning 2 & 1.
It took a birdie on the 17th hole, coupled with one on the 14th hole, for Greaser to take the lead and finally win the match.
Greaser credited Stark for not making the match easy on him. Greaser lives the Dayton Ohio area, and has grown up playing golf with Marissa Wenzler, who won the Women’s Western Amateur Championship last week at Park Ridge Country Club.
CLICK HERE TO HEAR interviews with in order Michael Thorbjornson, Gordon Sargent, Austin Greaser, and Pierceson Coody.
Tomorrow semi-final matches start at 8:00 Am with Thorbjornsen and Greaser. 8:12 Am is Sargent and Coody. The championship match should begin around 12:45, or earlier if both players agree to moving up the tee time.
The Western Amateur is being streamed on the Golf Channel network. Details at WGAESF.org.