Michael Muehr of McLean, Virginia, and Mike McCoy of Norwalk, Iowa, won their respective divisions on Sunday afternoon in the 96th Crump Cup at venerable Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey.
In the Open Division, which consisted of top mid-amateurs, Muehr steamrolled to his fourth Crump victory after having won in 2008, 2014 and 2019. The tournament was canceled last year, so the Pine Valley member successfully defended his title and did so with four convincing performances.
After 36 holes of stroke play, Muehr eked his way into the top 16 players advancing to the championship bracket. A second-round 78 nearly cost him a spot, dropping him into a match with medalist Jeronimo Esteve. However, Muehr hit another gear in the match-play rounds. The former professional who made 72 PGA Tour starts and 121 Korn Ferry Tour starts never saw the 17th hole as he dusted Esteve (4 and 3), Kris Mikkelsen (5 and 4), John Sawin (3 and 2) and Stewart Hagestad (3 and 2).
With the unrelenting layout playing at a championship level of firmness, many marveled at Muehr’s play on Saturday when he didn’t make a bogey in two matches. He wasn’t as flawless Sunday, but he capitalized when his opponent made a mistake.
“Each one I win is a little sweeter the older I get,” Muehr, 49, told Global Golf Post. “The clock is ticking for me. … I only get to compete two or three times per year, so to be able to measure up against those guys is really fun.”
"You know, whoever wins, it’s not going to change the outcome for us, our livelihood is not on the line."
STEWART HAGESTAD
Walking down the 13th hole in the championship match, Muehr and Hagestad were engaged in conversation when Hagestad made a comment that made his fellow competitor laugh. It highlighted the spirit of the competition.
“He said, ‘You know, whoever wins, it’s not going to change the outcome for us, our livelihood is not on the line,’ ” Muehr recalled Hagestad saying. “And he’s right. I know he hasn’t won one and he wants to win one, but it kind of shed some light on the levity of the situation. We were just out there having fun.”
The next stop for Muehr will be next week’s U.S. Mid-Amateur. He played a four-day member-guest last month at Sankaty Head, the host course for the event, and called it “Shinnecock light.”
“It looks like Shinnecock but doesn’t have the same teeth,” Muehr said. “It’s a really cool place.”
McCoy became just the sixth player to win an Open Division title and a Senior Division title. McCoy has now won five Crump Cups, his first four in the Open Division.
McCoy, who will turn 59 in November, defeated Matthew Sugrue, 2 and 1, in the final match. It was a familiar battle in the semifinals when McCoy took down fellow Iowan and longtime friend Gene Elliott, 3 and 1, in what was a rematch of a U.S. Senior Amateur match in the Round of 32 three weeks ago. Elliott beat McCoy in sudden death that time on his way to winning the title.
“In some respects, it’s like going back through time,” McCoy said after his victory. “You’re at this great golf course with great people you’ve known for decades. It’s a fantastic week. For the tour players, Augusta is their special week and for us it’s the Crump Cup.”
Comes on the heels of serious shoulder rehab in 2020, McCoy adds this title to a victory at the George C. Thomas Invitational and making the cut at the U.S. Senior Open.
“I feel stronger than I’ve felt in 10 years,” he said. “I can swing hard at it and I’m hitting the ball pretty far for a senior. I’m looking forward to playing some more golf in the next year and seeing what I can do. Gene has inspired me. If he can do it, I can do it.”
McCoy is also headed to the U.S. Mid-Am next week where both he and his son, Nate, are in the field.
Tyler Gulliksen of San Diego, California, and Chris Ironroad of Fairfax, Virginia, shot a final-round 66 on Saturday to win the 57th John R. Williams Invitational on the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.
In shooting the low round of the day, Gulliksen and Ironroad denied the Canadian team of Garrett Rank and Simon McInnis a third Williams title. Rank and McInnis won the tournament the last time it was played in 2018 and held a four-shot lead going into the final round. However, they could never get anything going on Saturday, struggling to a 72 which put them one shot back of Gulliksen and Ironroad who finished at 8-under 205.
Gulliksen, a 34-year-old volunteer assistant coach at the University of San Diego, played golf at the Naval Academy and went on to become a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Unit. The 39-year-old Ironroad also has Navy experience as a Judge Advocate, and winning the All-Navy Sports Golf Tournament in 2018.
Wade Sarkis of Canandaigua, New York, and Jim Scorse of Churchville, New York, won the senior title on the first playoff hole against the team of Richard Kerper and Mike Finster. Both teams finished the 54 holes at 8-under 205.
Sean Fairholm