SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA | Jeg Coughlin III finished as the runner-up at the U.S. Mid-Amateur, losing in the final to Brandon Holtz after defeating defending champion Evan Beck, 1 up, in the semifinals.
While Coughlin was 5 down through 22 holes to Holtz in the final, he staged a late comeback attempt that cut his deficit to 1 down through 28. But he lost, 3 and 2, after his momentum stalled.
“I learned a lot about myself on that second 18,” said Coughlin, a 28-year-old from Dublin, Ohio, who had longtime PGA Tour pro Kevin Streelman on his bag. “I had good composure, good fight. Kevin did such a great job of trying to motivate me. My family behind me did such a good job trying to ground me, and we just took time to honestly try to slow down and just rely on my faith, too.”
Coughlin’s runner-up finish means he’s exempt into the next three U.S. Mid-Amateurs as well as next year’s U.S. Amateur.
Two U.S. Mid-Amateur rookies shared medalist honors: Cody Massa and Patrick Dewey, each shooting 5-under-par 137. Massa is a 39-year-old Arizona resident and older brother of Bobby Massa, who lost in the final of last year’s championship at Kinloch Country Club to Beck.
The elder Massa followed a 1-under 70 at Troon Country Club that included two bogeys and a triple bogey with a 4-under 67 at Troon North.
“When I finished yesterday I didn’t think there was any way that I would be medalist at 5 [under],” Massa said Monday after winning his round of 64 match. “I was shocked but it was super cool, I’ve never had anything like that.
Dewey, 33, works in outside services at Abacoa Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida. He qualified for the Mid-Amateur, his first USGA championship, by medaling in a Florida qualifier in July.
“Golf is everything to me. I started late, started at like 14. I grew up playing soccer and was late to the game. I fell in love with it, it’s my passion.”
Patrick Dewey
In his first round at Troon North, Dewey shot a 5-under 66 that included a hole-in-one on the 167-yard 13th hole. It was his first ace in competition, and he didn’t see the ball go in.
“It landed just on the front of the green,” Dewey said. “I guess like 5 feet short, and I guess rolled in. The guy behind the green gave us the, ‘It’s in!’ ”
Dewey shot even-par 71 in the second round at Troon Country Club. While he couldn’t claim solo medalist honors, he was proud of his achievement.
“It means everything,” said Dewey. “Golf is everything to me. I started late, started at like 14. I grew up playing soccer and was late to the game. I fell in love with it, it’s my passion. And to have my girlfriend (Samantha Forsyth) on the bag, it’s just awesome.”
Dewey lost his round of 64 match to No. 63 seed Ian Davis, the fourth time this year a 63rd seed has won in the round of 64 at a USGA championship. Massa advanced to the round of 32, where, despite a hole-in-one, he lost to Michael Buttacavoli in 21 holes.
Buttacavoli came out on top after having lost in 21 holes to Beck in the round of 16 of last year’s championship. Against Massa, Buttacavoli was 2 up through 14 holes, but Massa’s ace on the 15th hole and birdie on the 17th hole evened the match. Buttacavoli won with a par on the third extra hole, but fell in the round of 16 to Justin Hueber, 4 and 3.
Matthew McClean, the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, got off to a hot start last week, shooting a 5-under 66 in his opening round at Troon Country Club. Tied for the lead going into the second round, McClean looked guaranteed to make match play but it wasn’t to be. At Troon North, he shot a 10-over 81 that included one birdie, five bogeys and an 11 on the par-5 14th hole. At 5-over par, he missed the playoff to advance to match play by a shot.
In the round of 64, No. 4 seed Ryan O’Rear and Paul Mitzel played a back-and-forth match that O’Rear won on the 20th hole. But he didn’t win it with a putt or a conceded putt. Neither player hit a shot on that hole. Instead, in between the first and second playoff holes, Mitzel’s caddie accepted a cart ride from a volunteer, a violation of Model Local Rule G-6.
The rule states: “During a round, a player or caddie must not ride on any form of motorized transportation except as authorized or later approved by the committee.”
There were authorized cart rides at Troon Country Club, such as between the 14th and 15th holes. But this wasn’t one of them, and it resulted in a lost hole and a lost match for Mitzel.
Of the eight quarterfinalists, only Christian Cavaliere was a lifelong amateur. Cavaliere, a former Boston College golfer who won the Azalea Invitational in March, beat three-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Stewart Hagestad in the round of 16 and last year’s runner-up Bobby Massa in the quarterfinals. He lost to eventual champion Holtz, 3 and 2, in the semifinals.
Everett Munez