Chaos affecting weary golfers
There are two sides to all of the rain delays that have plagued the 121st U.S. Amateur Championship, taking place at Oakmont Country Club.
On one hand, they’ve created a bit of chaos. There were weather delays Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Players who made it to the quarterfinals Friday expressed just how tired they were, saying their ball-striking suffered at times and the short game became a premium as they grew more tired.
On the other hand, all of that rain has softened the famous Oakmont greens. Approach shots are much more inviting. James Piot, who qualified for the semifinals by beating Matthew Sharpstene, 3 and 1, used the first hole as a good example.
Typically, he said, players might need to bounce their approach shots up to the green, making absolutely sure to mitigate the risk of their balls bouncing into the back rough. This week, though, you can fly it on without fear that the green will refuse entry and send it skittering off the dance floor.
“I actually played it in qualifying when it was still firm and fast, and I got done with my first 18 holes, and I told my buddy on the putting green, who was about to go out, I go, ‘This is the hardest place I’ve ever played, with conditions being perfect,’ ” Piot said. “It felt like if you had a shot hole high early in the week, it was a miracle, just because you judged the distance and the bounce correctly. Now it’s kind of like you can land it right on the flag.”
Of course, Oakmont is still never a walk in the park, especially for those who made it to the quarterfinals. By the time that round
started, the players on the course had played at least one full match in the Round of 16, and in many cases even more than that, as just four of the Round-of-32 matches were completed Thursday. That means a whole lot of golf in one day and a fight against fatigue.
Travis Vick, playing out of Houston, held a one-hole lead heading into the 18th. He had lost his two previous holes to his opponent Brian Stark. On 18, Stark hit the fairway with his tee shot. Vick pushed it right, into the fairway bunkers. Vick then punched it out but still had an approach shot out of the rough.
But then Stark hit his approach over the back of 18, leaving himself a tricky chip shot. Vick’s third shot landed close enough to the hole for a lag putt and a gimme, sending him off with a bogey and leaving Stark with two shots to send the match to extra playoff holes. Stark left his tricky chip short, still in the rough, needing to chip his next one in to extend the match. He couldn’t do it, and Vick moved on.
Nick Gabrelcik, playing out of Trinity, Fla., also moved on, beating by Davis Chatfield by one hole. He didn’t think he played outstandingly well, especially near the end, when Chatfield began to make a comeback against him and tied it on the 14th.
“I didn’t play great toward the end,” Gabrelcik said. “I was kind of putting my way out of the event, giving him a few shots that maybe — I don’t want to say he didn’t deserve, but I made a mistake on.”
Gabrelcik hung on by his fingernails, though, with a birdie on 15 to move to 1 up. The pair halved the rest of the holes, then, and Gabrelcik converted a short putt on 18 to secure the match.
Oddly enough, despite his southern roots, Gabrelcik, 19, may be the closest thing to a hometown favorite. His parents, Don and Annette, were born in Pleasant Hills and West Mifflin, respectively. He’s a huge Pittsburgh sports fan, and he said he spent his time during the myriad weather delays taking it easy and talking about the Steelers preseason games and the Pirates struggles.
And now, the 28th-ranked amateur in the world, is one of the four remaining golfers in his first U.S. Amateur, playing in his parents’ hometown.
He will tee off at 2:20 p.m Saturday against Piot. Vick will tee off at 2 p.m. against Austin Greaser, playing out of Vadalia, Ohio.
Greaser has been dominant so far. He has not yet had to play the 18th hole in match play, defeating all of his opponents by enough to avoid having to play the final hole.
All four will likely have fairly favorable conditions again, depending on how the greens maintain their water. Nearly an hour after the final grouping finished their quarterfinal match, the skies opened up yet again, and it stormedover Oakmont.
Basically, it will be more of the same.
“I don’t think Oakmont’s traditional style of play is anywhere near this soft, but everybody has to play it, and it’s what the maintenance crew and everybody got this week,” Greaser said. “They’re making the most of it, I’m trying to make the most of it, and it just kind of is what it is.”