Reinstated amateur Bobby Wyatt won the 100th annual George A. Crump Memorial Tournament at prestigious Pine Valley Golf Club on Sunday, defeating Bobby Massa in 20 holes in the final. Wyatt joins a hallowed group of past champions that includes Francis Ouimet and Jay Sigel.
“It’s an honor,” Wyatt said. “The whole week in general was so special. We were all spoiled to spend four or five days at such a special place with a great group. There’s a lot of history involved with not only the event, but the venue.”
Wyatt is a former PGA Tour professional who had his card in 2016-17. A 2013 U.S. Walker Cup player who went undefeated in his matches, Wyatt regained his amateur status in 2021. Ranked 3,775 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking going into the tournament, Wyatt had a previous best finish this year of runner-up at the Snedeker Memorial. The Crump Cup is his first victory as a mid-amateur.
And that after he barely qualified for match play. Shooting 148 (+8) across 36 holes on Thursday and Friday, Wyatt was the last player to make the championship flight, surviving a four-for-three playoff to claim the No. 16 seed.
“It was up and down but you have to remind yourself it’s never over until it’s over.”
Bobby Wyatt
“You never know what can happen in match play,” Wyatt said.
The Open Division had three medalists: Miguel Ordonez, Will Davenport and William F. Peel IV. All three lost in the first round of match play. Wyatt beat Ordonez, 1 up, Brad Nurski beat Davenport, 3 and 1, and Stewart Hagestad beat Peel in 22 holes.
Out of those three winners, only Wyatt advanced to the semifinals, beating Andrew Bailey, 2 and 1, in the quarterfinals. Nurski lost to Massa, 4 and 2, and Hagestad lost to Chadd Slutzky in 20 holes.
In the semifinals, Wyatt made quick work of last year’s champion Andrew Price, 6 and 4, while Massa defeated Slutzky in 21 holes.
Wyatt faced a tough matchup against the long-hitting Massa, who was a finalist at the 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur and a quarterfinalist this year.
Wyatt was down three holes at the turn. But he fought back, birdieing the 11th and 12th holes to get back to 1 down. Massa took a 2-up lead on the 13th hole but conceded Wyatt’s birdie putt on the 15th to keep the match tight.
When Wyatt hit a shot into the water on the 16th hole, resulting in Massa going 2 up with two to play, the match looked done. But Wyatt refused to give up, birdieing the 17th and 18th holes to send the match to extra holes. A 5-foot birdie putt on the 20th hole closed out the match.
“It was up and down but you have to remind yourself it’s never over until it’s over,” Wyatt said.
In the Senior Division, 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur champion Bob Royak beat Robert F. Gerwin II, 4 and 3, to claim the title.
Both medalists of the Senior Division were past U.S. Senior Amateur champions: Gene Elliott, who won in 2021, and Michael McCoy, who won last month.
Royak shot 149 (+9) in medal play to earn the No. 3 seed. On his way to the title, he beat Seth Sargent (19 holes) and McCoy (2 and 1) before defeating Gerwin.
RESULTS
Everett Munez