No Cherry on Top
The USGA does it right. Although I had played in the USGA Four-Ball in Seattle, Washington in 2021, this past week at the US Amateur felt completely different. Throughout the week I repeatedly heard volunteers, starters, and even fans offering congratulatory messages on making it to “the biggest amateur golf tournament in the world.”
It was pretty cool, and probably even cooler now that I can look back on the week in Denver.
Upon arriving at the tournament site, my dad and I went to the upstairs area of the newly remodeled Cherry Hills clubhouse to go through registration. Met by two very friendly USGA staff members, we walked through documents, some memorabilia I had to sign (because my signature is SO valuable), and the ever-exciting tournament gifts. Each player in the field received a very nice Peter Millar vest, and an autographed Peyton Manning football with the 123rd U.S. Amateur logo. Pretty ridiculous in the best of ways if you ask me.
The unique part of the U.S. Amateur is that the stroke play portion is held at two separate golf courses. Cherry Hills was the host site, complemented with Colorado Golf Club, which was about 30 minutes away. Colorado Golf Club offered an unbelievably different style of golf. Unlike the tree- lined, back and forth style most are used to, CGC is vast with hardly any trees, providing a firm test with tricky bunkers.
After registering on Friday, I played practice rounds at both Colorado Golf Club and Cherry Hills over the next two days. Under the tutelage of my college coach, who was nice enough to make the trip to caddie, we enjoyed playing both courses. Picking start lines and yardages off tees, knowing where to miss into the greens, and hitting lag putts was how we spent the majority of those long days. Looking back on those two days of preparation, I wish I had treated it more like a typical golf tournament. Part of me thinks I spent too much energy hole to hole, hitting unnecessary game shots, when I could’ve spent more time putting.
Anyway, let's get into it.
Round 1 - Colorado Golf Club
With our tee time just after eight in the morning on Monday, conditions were calm and a little bit softer than what players would find if they were to tee off later in the day. When my game is feeling good, my iron play stands out. On this day, that happened to be the case. I stacked 5 birdies with 5 bogeys, with big par putts despite poor lag putting and short game. Nonetheless, shooting even par for the first round and being inside the cutline to make match play was all I could have asked for. Although I felt stressed most of the day, I proved to myself I could pull off shots in that environment, which was all the confidence I needed. Or so I thought.
Round 2 - Cherry Hills
Note: I wrote this next portion the morning of my second round. I had lots of time to think as it was an afternoon tee time. Writing blurbs like this is a form of meditation and affirmation for me!
“The nerves I am feeling right now are interesting. I have no idea how today is going to turn out. I could play super solid golf like most of the summer and punch a ticket into match play (my goal at the start of the week). I could also not do that, as we are playing a very difficult golf course in very difficult conditions. Nonetheless, my only goal today is to stay present, committed to each shot, and the results will be what they are supposed to be.
That is always the frame of mind I come back to and it can be quite comforting in pressure-packed times. If I can execute every shot I want, fantastic. And if I can’t do that on that particular day, all that means is that I have to practice more, ingraining the feel deeper into my muscle memory. I am excited for today, nervous for today, and grateful for the opportunity.”
The second round did not go as planned. Although the game plan, process, and details were great all day. The scorecard slowly began to crumble with a bogey train that ended in disaster on hole 17, with one too many balls in the water. I did eventually get freed up and played the last 10 holes around even par, more up my alley.
After managing to shoot 80 and safely not make match play, Coach Fletcher and I, along with our program’s development officer, Bo Saburn, met with a few Miami Golf alums, who now reside in the Denver area. The night was filled with encouragement, fun golf stories from the ‘90s, and lots of love for the Miami Golf program and its future under Coach Fletcher.
What a fun week it was! Confidence was gained and I know that MY game is good enough to compete at the highest level. So, with that knowledge, we move onto the next. USGA: I look forward to seeing you again.
