THE NEW Clubhouse at the Preserve at Oak Meadows inches closer to the opening day. Follow all the updates at DuPageGolf.com. But the golf course is open for play.       ____________________________________________________________________

THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS-Director of Content and Creation for Golfers on Golf. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy or connect via LinkedIn or Facebook.

Michael Thorbjornsen is the 119th Western Amateur Champion.

(Reporting from The Glenview Club)

The golf is over and the wedding party is now here to start the evening. But for Stanford golfer Michael Thorbjornsen the party is just beginning.

Because in his first Western Amateur appearance Thorbjornsen, won both the stroke play and match play parts of the championship. Not many players have done that in the 119 year history of the event. Even winners like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods could not pull off that feat (Norman Xiong did it last in 2017 at Skokie Country Club). But in addition, Thorbjornsen shot a course record 62 during Wednesday’s second round.

Michael Thorbjornsen hit’s his opening drive in the championship match, on way to winning the 119th Western Amateur.

Thorbjornsen started the final day with a 2 Up win in the semi-finals over Austin Greaser. Before moving on to play Gordon Sargent in the championship match.

Sargent who just graduated high school and will attend Vanderbilt University this fall, eliminated defending champion Pierceson Coody with a 1 Up score.

But for Sargent, that win might be the win he needed to earn enough World Amateur ranking points, to qualify for the U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club in two weeks.

But the loss to Thorbjornsen leaves Sargent with his fingers crossed that he will hear from the USGA by Wednesday with an invite to the Pittsburgh area. Because both players are young enough and not likely to turn professional next spring, it’s likely they will both return for next years Western Amateur at Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park.

Gordon Sargent hits his opening drive in the championship match of the 119th Western Amateur.

Thorbjornsen started out by winning the second hole to go 1 Up. But that lead was gone one hole later, and the match was All-Square after three holes.

But that seemed to ignite Thorbjornsen who won the next three holes. Taking a 3 Up lead he would never lose.

But Sargent did mount a charge by winning both the ninth and tenth holes, to close the margin to 1 Dn. But no sooner did it look like things were about to change to Sargent’s favor, the momentum swung back to Thorbjornsen who won holes 11, 12, and 13 to take a 4 Up lead with five holes to play. After both players each halved the next two holes, the match closed out as a 4 & 3 win for Thorbjornsen.

CLICK HERE to hear the championship interviews from finalists in order Michael Thorbjornsen and Gordon Sargent.

Semi-finalists Greaser and Coody are both qualified into the field for the U.S. Amateur.

Thorbjornsen for winning, was awarded an exemption into the 2022 Evans Scholars Invitational. Thorbjornsen said he would accept the exemption, if he wasn’t still playing in the NCAA Championships with Stanford.

Next on the tee for the Western Golf Association is the BMW Championship, from August 23-29, at Caves Valley Golf Club in Ownings Mill Maryland.