Hossler falls short in top amateur bid to Spieth
A standing ovation awaited 17-yearold Beau Hossler as he walked off the 18th green Sunday.
So did future Texas teammate Jordan Spieth, who also offered a well-done handshake to the California kid who couldn’t steal the U.S. Open but won over plenty of hearts along the way.
“I feel bad the way it ended with Beau, I really do,” said Spieth, who ended up as low amateur Sunday after Hossler finished with a double bogey. “It would have been nice for both of us to be standing out there with the week that he had. You’re going to see him not too far from now having plenty of success.”
Spieth closed with rounds of 69-70 to finish at 7-over 287 — two shots better than Hossler, who shot 70-73-70-76 on the tight, twisting layout of The Olympic Club.
While the Texas native scrambled to find his way into the U.S. Open then played virtually unnoticed all week, Hossler earned as much airtime as Tiger Woods after briefly taking sole possession of the lead Friday then playing his way into contention after a solid back nine Saturday.
In the process he went from relative unknown high school junior to Hook ’Em Hossler, the teen who thought he could win the U.S. Open.
Fans cheered him when his name was announced on the No. 1 tee, and thousands chanted “Let’s Go HossLer” as he walked up to the amphitheatre-like eighth green Sunday.
“To hear them chanting my name, that’s pretty awesome,” said Hossler, whose swing fell apart on Sunday when a toe-pull showed up.
“That’s really what cost me today.”