Armstrong, Shelton to meet in Western Am semis

Writing from Sugar Grove

Friday, August 7, 2015

His first name is Dawson, not David, but on Friday, same difference, for Dawson Armstrong was a giant-killer in the first two match play rounds of the 113th Western Amateur.

First, he knocked off Harrison Endycott, an Australian whose resume included wins down under in each of the last two years, 5 and 4. In the afternoon quarterfinals, the 19-year-old from Brentwood, Tenn., took down 2013 Western Am champion Jordan Niebrugge, who is even better known for being the low amateur in the British Open two weeks ago.

That 3 and 1 margin was built on a quick start. Armstrong was 2 up after six holes and never trailed thereafter, even though Niebrugge routinely hammered tee shots past him by 15 to 20 yards.

“It felt like the David vs. Goliath scene,” Armstrong said. “I parred eight holes in a row, just fairway and green every time, and kept telling myself that hitting it in the middle of the green would put pressure on him.”

Yet, the match turned on Niebrugge’s tee shot into the hay on the par-3 16th after he’d won the previous hole to pull within a hole. Niebrugge went from the hay to a back bunker, and left his next shot there. That made Armstrong dormie with two holes to play.

And when Niebrugge, after smashing his driving iron some 40 yards past Armstrong, hit a hacker’s approach 15 yards short of the green into the middle of a pond in front of the 17th green, it was all over.

For the day, at least. In Saturday’s first semifinal, Armstrong will face Robby Shelton, whose victories over Jack Maguire (3 and 2) and Ryan Ruffels (4 and 3) on Friday featured blazing starts. He dropped a 35-footer for a birdie against Maguire on the first hole and was 2-up after four holes. Maguire squared the match on the seventh green, but Shelton was 2-up again after a birdie on the 10th hole. Ruffels, a 17-year-old Australian, felt a similar breeze by Shelton passing him by in the quarters, since the 19-year-old junior-to-be at Alabama birdied the first and third holes, then the sixth, seventh and eighth.

Shelton is now 6-0 in match play at Rich Harvest, including his 4-0 mark in the Palmer Cup earlier in the summer. The Alabama stalwart figures it was “because I hit fairways,” he said. “Now that I’ve gotten a feel for the place, I’ve made some putts. And I love match play.”

Aaron Wise will face Jake Knapp in the second semifinal. Wise, from Lake Elsinore, Calif.,  knocked off Florida-based Sam Horsfield of Manchester, England, 3 and 2 in his quarterfinal. Knapp needed 24 holes to oust Gavin Hall, doing so with a birdie. It was the longest match since matches went to 18 holes in 1961.

Knapp was the fly in ointment for Illinois senior Charlie Danielson of Osceola, Wis., in the round of 16. Danielson played 2-under for the 16 holes of the match and never made a bogey, but Knapp was a steamroller, going out in 7-under 29, including an ace on the third hole to go 1-up. Danielson never had a chance.

Jerry Rich remembers Louise Suggs

Louise Suggs, one of the LPGA’s founders, died Friday at 91. Rich Harvest owner Jerry Rich knew her well from his membership at Pine Tree Golf Club in Boynton Beach, Fla.

“When I was putting the Solheim Cup (bid) together in 2003 (for 2009), Ty Votaw, who was the LPGA commissioner, was avoiding me. I called Louise and said, ‘Could you put in a call to Ty to see if we could have breakfast together.

“In 10 minutes, Ty called.”

By then, Rich and Suggs had known each other for 20 years.

“ My first foursome as a new member (at Pine Tree) in 1983 was Sam Snead, JoAnne Carner and Louise Suggs,” Rich said. “How good is that?

“Halfway through the round, Louise said, ‘You could be a pretty good player. When we get in, I’m going to give you a little hint.’ We’re having a Coke, and she said, ‘Mr. Rich, you have one major flaw in your swing. When you get to the top of your backswing, you release your top right hand grip. You’ve got to work them together.’

“I said, ‘Thank you very much.’ It took me at least eight to 10 years to feel comfortable with both hands put together. She was a great teacher. She said the most important thing in golf was the grip. She was a great lady.”

Friday

Round of 16

Robby Shelton d. Jack Maguire, 3 & 2

Ryan Ruffels d. Luke Toomey, 5 & 4

Jordan Niebrugge d. Adam Wood, 3 & 2

Dawson Armstrong d. Harrison Endycott, 5 & 4

Gavin Hall d. Jonathan Garrick, 1 up

Jake Knapp d. Charlie Danielson, 3 & 2

Aaron Wise d. Alex Franklin 3 & 2

Sam Horsfield d. John Coultas, 19 holes

Quarterfinals

Shelton d. Ruffels, 4 & 3

Armstrong d. Niebrugge, 3 & 1

Knapp d. Hall, 24 holes

Wise d. Horsfield, 3 & 2

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