ERIN, WISCONSIN | Ireland’s presence is all around golfers once they enter the gates of Erin Hills.
The club’s logo is a shamrock. There is a sign near the clubhouse showing the distances to a handful of famous Irish golf courses. Cottages on the property are named after the likes of Ballybunion, Waterville, Royal County Down and Lahinch. The bar has an Irish theme, and the new putting course behind the clubhouse is called the Drumlin, an Irish word for an elongated hill caused by glacier flow.
Even the name Erin is the word for Ireland in Gaelic. The course built an identity around its Irish connection, and while it doesn’t necessarily play like a true Irish links, there are moments when you feel transported about 1,500 miles to the east.
With so many reminders of their homeland, it was poetic that Matthew McClean and Hugh Foley authored memorable performances during last week’s U.S. Mid-Amateur. The pair of Irishmen decided to play the event together after learning their World Amateur Golf Ranking automatically put them in the field, and the friends made a trip of it, the two being inseparable since a Sept. 5 flight across the Atlantic.
The two-week-long visit unexpectedly provided the highlight of their young amateur careers.
Staying in the same house throughout the week, the 29-year-old McClean of Belfast and 25-year-old Foley of Dublin earned their way through stroke play – McClean started 5-over in his first six holes before a phenomenal rally – and then maneuvered their way through the match-play bracket until it was the two of them standing together in the 36-hole finale.
"To sort of both make the cut was good, to avoid each other on the side of the draw was good, and then to win five matches against very, very good players. The odds are pretty high.”
Matthew McClean
Although their world rankings were among the best the field had to offer, there was no shortage of talented opposition. Reinstated amateurs, former college studs and lifelong amateur stalwarts stood in their way until they didn’t.
“Insane,” was the first word out of Foley’s mouth after he got through Friday morning’s semifinals. “We’ve been planning this for months and didn't know what the standard would be like. We heard Stewart Hagestad, No. 7 in the world, and we were like, ‘I don't know, will we make the cut, you know?’ You're traveling all that way and hoping you don't miss the cut.”
“(The odds were) probably a million to one,” McClean added. “I'd say the betting after the first six holes of my stroke play would have gone to 10 million to 1. … To sort of both make the cut was good, to avoid each other on the side of the draw was good, and then to win five matches against very, very good players. The odds are pretty high.”
Their expectations quickly shifted as they played the final match split in 18-hole segments between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, a quirk that came because of epic weather delays early in the tournament. Between the two close pals, a U.S. Open invitation and likely Masters exemption was hanging in the balance. Potentially, a future Walker Cup spot at St. Andrews could come to fruition for the victor.
The loser would be a part of history – no Irish men’s golfer had ever made the final of a USGA amatuer championship, and only three previous players (Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Pádraig Harrington) had ever won a USGA title – but nothing more.
In the end it was McClean, a self-employed optometrist who plays a robust amateur schedule and has reached No. 120 in the world, who built a commanding lead during the middle stages of the match. He would have to survive a late comeback effort from Foley, a full-time player with aspirations of eventually turning pro. Foley nearly weasled his way back from a 5-down deficit with six holes to play when he made three birdies in a row to get to 2 down with three left. A closeout par on 17 made McClean a 3-and-1 victor.
“I didn't know any of the sort of history of things like that with regards to Ireland,” McClean said after his win. “Obviously the trophies that (McIlroy, McDowell and Harrington) won for the USGA are probably a bit more difficult to win than this one, but I'll take it. To have your name in any sort of list, no matter what it is, with those three guys is unbelievable.”
The champion was in a state of disbelief. The book on McClean is that, despite wonderful ball-striking, he has been unable to close out notable Irish amateur events. He had considered turning pro a few years ago but reconsidered once the pandemic hit, ultimately settling for his mix of amateur golf out of Malone Golf Club and his normal day job, although maybe this achievement could change things. That is in contrast to Foley, a Royal Dublin player who is still focused on chasing his golf dream.
McClean wasn’t aware of the U.S. Mid-Am until about six months ago when a fellow Irish golfer tipped him off to the opportunity of playing at Erin Hills. He owes that man a Guinness.
By tournament’s end, Harrington and Shane Lowry had given their encouragement to both competitors over social media. McIlroy was aware of the proceedings as well. Ireland became invested in a tournament their players rarely participate in, which is normal considering how few international players compete. Australian Lukas Michel (2019) was the only international winner in the first 40 editions of the U.S. Mid-Am until McClean.
“We were sitting in the house and the TV was on,” McClean said of the night before the championship match concluded. “I think it was an American channel. They had a few highlights of the golf in the afternoon yesterday, so we were watching ourselves on TV at the dinner table, which was a bit odd.”
He’d better get used to it. There are tee times awaiting for him in two major championships next year, and he’s already planning a trip to U.S. Open host Los Angeles Country Club, where he met a member who is willing to host him.
“I think first I'll probably have to practice quite a bit over the next six months to have a good sort of show of myself there,” McClean said. “But yeah, even to be sort of mentioned in the same field as those guys is a bit surreal really. I don't think it will really kick in at all, probably not until I get to the event or maybe the practice rounds before.”
It’s the end of a fairytale, and Irish eyes were surely smiling at Erin Hills.
Top: Irish mates Matthew McClean (left) and Hugh Foley make the most of their U.S. Mid-Amateur journey.
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