Collegians to vie for Amateur crown
Pressure, Oakmont to challenge finalists
Playing in front of several thousand spectators who could walk in the fairway and ring the putting green was a new and unnerving experience for Austin Greaser. Playing for an exemption into the U.S. Open and a likely invitation to the Masters — and, oh yeah, a spot in the 36-hole championship match of the 121st U.S. Amateur — only amped the pressure to anothersizzling level.
But Greaser, a North Carolina junior who seems to have half of Oakmont Country Club in his corner, not to mention his bag, handled the task with the same aplomb in which he dispatched of Houston junior Travis Vick, 2 and 1, in one of the two semifinal matcheson Saturday
Not to be outdone, Michigan State senior James Piot settled his nerves after an opening bogey and didn’t blink the rest of the way in beating Nick Gabrelcik of Trinity,Fla., 4 and 3.
They advance to the 36-hole championship match on Sunday, trying to join the likes of Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau as U.S. Amateur champions, not to mention taking their place among the pantheon of great champions at Oakmont. The opening18 holes will begin at 9 a.m., the second 18 at approximately2:30 p.m.
“I never experienced anything like that,” Greaser said. “It was very nervy. I don’t know if I’m ever going to feel not nervous when you got this muchon the line.”
By advancing to the championship, Greaser and Piot gain automatic exemption into the 20222 U.S. Open. And, if history holds true, both finalists should receive an invitationto the 2022 Masters.
If the pressure of that isn’t daunting enough, trying to
navigate Oakmont, even in a somewhat vulnerable state, is enough to make any playercrumble.
“Walking in [Saturday], knowing what’s on the line with the U.S. Open, I felt like this is biggest match, just getting into the 36-hole final,” Piot said. “You have to haveyour best game.”
Unlike in 2003 at Oakmont, when only three birdies were made in both semifinal matches, four players combined for 11 birdies and an eagle on Saturday, a byproduct of the fairways and greens softened by 2 ½ inches of rain over five days at Oakmont. Greaser had four birdies and made eagle atthe par-5 fourth hole.
However, with another dry day forecast for Sunday, Oakmont is expected to triple-cut the greens and get the surfaces running at a very slippery 15 on the Stimpmeter – just a typical Sundayfor the members.
“I think that’ll be a good thing to look forward to after tomorrow,” Greaser said. “But I just want to stay in the present the best I can. That’s cool, but the job is not done.”
Greaser took control of his match with Vick when he made three birdies and won four consecutive holes, beginningat No. 11.
Piot, 22, a two-time AllBig 10 selection, never trailed after he won the second hole with a par to square the match and won four of his last eight holes to closeout Gabrelcik.
“I got some putts to fall and he made some mistakes,” Greaser said. “That’s what you got to do at Oakmont. You got to plug along and wait for things to fallyour way.”
Greaser had a 2-up lead when he used driver to knock his tee shot 25 feet from the pin at the 340-yard 14th, two-putting for birdie to win his fourth consecutive hole. “Best drive I hit all week,” Greaser said. “That wasa really good one.”
Vick, though, won the par-4 15th with a two-putt par and won his second hole in a row when Greaser bogeyedthe par-3 16th from the greenside bunker, shrinking the deficit to 1-down. But Vick’s tee shot at the 17th found the gnarly fescue left of the green, leading to a bogeythat ended the match.
“Ifelt like Santa Claus out there, just giving him gifts,” Vicksaid.
Gabrelcik, 19, a sophomore at North Florida who won the Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman award, squared his match with Piot withaparatthe293-yardpar3 eighth. But the match began to slip away with an
errant tee shot at No. 9 and a three-putt bogey at No. 10 put him 2-down. When Piot poured in a 15-foot birdie at the par-4 11th – “One of those things where you walk up to it and you know it’s going in before you ever read it,” he said – that gave him a 3-up lead.
“After 8, I felt the momentum kind of switch and I was going to turn it on, but some bad tee shots, bad iron shots, put me in some bad positons,” said Gabrelcik, whose parents are Western Pennsylvanianatives–dad,Donis from Pleasant Hills and mom, Annette, is from West Mifflin. “I didn’t put enough pressure on James that really made him fumble or get inbad positons.”
After three consecutive pars, Piot got up and down fromtherightgreensidebunker at No. 15 to close out Gabrelcik. After an opening bogey,Piot played the next 14 holes in even par, making justonebogey.
“I knew to hold on and make some pars,” Piot said. “At this course, it’s tough to get it back with birdies if someoneisparringoutevery hole. It seemed like he was a little out of sync with his putterandittookalittlestressoff myshoulders.”
Greaser,who is from Vandalia,Ohio,nearDayton,had a following of about 40 friends and family for his match. But he also had the support of a number of Oakmont members, including his caddy, Carter Pitcairn, a sophomoreat Upper St. Clair High School. Greaser met Pitcairn about a month ago when he came to Oakmont for a practice round and played with Carter, whose family are Oakmont members. The pairing was arranged by Kelly Miller, who is the wife of Oakmont professional Devin Gee and, like Greaser,also played at North Carolina.