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THE GOG BLOG by Rory Spears, Editor and Director of Content. Follow Rory on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter @GogBlogGuy. At the 114th Western Amateur at the Knollwood Club.

It’s another feather in the cap of the University of Illinois Men’s Golf program, as one of it’s leaders for the season ahead stepped up in a big way, when Dylan Meyer defeated Sam Horsfield 3 & 1 to win the 114th Western Amateur Championship at Knollwood Club in Lake Forest.

Meyer who along with Nick Hardy will now be the upper classmen leaders of the Illini Golf team, showed he is ready to stand alongside Hardy to help the Illini make a run to Rich Harvest Farms and the 2017 NCAA national championships.

Meyer who defeated William Gordon 3 & 2 in the semi-finals, then moved on to play Horsfield the #1 seed and the medalist from the stroke play portion of the championship. Horsfield did struggle in the morning session, recovering from 4 Down after 10 holes to defeat Davis Riley 2 & 1.

Dylan Meyer with the Western Amateur trophy and the U of I flag.

The championship match started off good for Horsfield, taking a 2 UP lead on Meyer after 5 fives. But from there Horsfield never won another hole.

Meyer using his incredible short game that he admits he has worked on all summer, never let Horsfield back in the match.

While Meyer’s putts kept falling, Horsfield’s continued to lip out. Horsfield had four solid putts lip out on the back nine alone.

Dylan Meyer putts for birdie on the 14th hole at Knollwood, in the championship match.

Meyer started to fight his way back into the match with a great up and down on the par 4, 6th hole. When Horsfield could not 2 putt, his lead was only one.

Horsfield could not get up and down from a green side bunker on the par 3, 7th hole. Meyer chipped close and had his putt conceded. Now the match was All-Square.

It stayed that way through the turn, but Meyer who was out driven on the par 5, 10th hole, hit his third shot to within inches. After Horsfield could not get up and down from a green side bunker, Meyer took his first lead of the day now 1 UP.

Both players had chances to extend or cut into the lead, but halved the next 5 five holes, with Meyer saving par with a long putt on the par 4 11th hole.

Click here to hear interviews with Dylan Meyer champion, followed by runner up Sam Horsfield.

The par 5, 16th hole was the turning point. Meyer hit the fairway and Horsfield ended up in fairway bunker. When Horsfield hit his third shot into the green, it checked up some 18 feet short of the hole, and Meyer pitched his third shot to 3 feet. When Horsfield missed and Meyer made his putt, the lead was 2 UP with two holes to play.

Meyer then fired at the pin tucked on the left side of the elevated par 3, 17th green. The shot hit in front of the stick and rolled to 20 feet past the cup. Horsfield missed the green just off the fringe on the right but pin high. Horsfield feeling he needed to hole the chip was too aggressive and watch his pitch run almost off the far side of the green. His par saving putt went a foot past the hole, and then Horsfield conceded the match.

Meyer called the win the biggest in his career. Both Meyer and Horsfield will play in the U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills in 9 days.

The 2017 Western Amateur will be held at the Skokie Country Club in Glencoe.