Vick new favorite after upsets at Western Amateur

Writing from Highland Park, Illinois

Friday, August 5, 2022

Match play golf plays no favorites. Make too many mistakes, or run into a hot player, and you’re going home.

The 120th Western Amateur’s defending champion and its medalist found that out Friday at Exmoor Country Club. Michael Thorbjornsen, the winner last year at Glen View Club, was bounced in the morning, and medalist Ross Steelman was summarily dismissed in the afternoon quarterfinals after holding a 4-up lead at the turn.

“I was literally booking my plane ticket after nine,” said Travis Vick, Steelman’s conquerer by a 2 and 1 margin.

Vick, a senior at Texas, was all over the map on the front nine, including playing a shot from between the Oakhouse, used for curling and tennis, and some tennis courts back to the ninth green. But on the back nine, he found fairways and greens and Steelman found trouble, including drowning his tee shot on the par-3 12th.

Vick ended up making five birdies in eight holes on the back nine, squaring the match on the 14th hole and winning with a birdie on the par-4 17th. The surprise wasn’t that the low amateur in this year’s U.S. Open and a second-team NCAA All-America won, but how.

The Houston native will play Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira of Argentina, an Arkansas Razorback, in Saturday’s first semifinal. Fernandez de Oliveira beat Cole Sherwood, 2 and 1, after routing Yuxin Lin, the Florida Gator hailing from Beijing, China, 6 and 4, in the morning.

Austin Greaser of Vandalia, Ohio, advanced to the semifinals for the second straight year with a 1 up quarterfinal victory over Kelly Chin of Great Falls, Va. Put another way, North Carolina beat Duke. Greaser plays William Mouw of Chino, Calif., a 1 up winner over  Pepperdine teammate Derek Hitchner.

Mouw broke away with a 15-foot eagle putt on the 15th and a two-putt par from the same distance on No. 16, then hung up with a 55-foot two-putt at the last, the second from about seven feet, after Hitchner birdied the 17th.

“I was going to do whatever it took to win,” Mouw said. “I know what Derek’s capable of doing. I knew it was going to take some really good golf to come down and win it. I’ll take that last putt.”

The morning Sweet Sixteen, aside from seeing Thorbjornsen ousted, 4 and 3, by Cole Sherwood, also featured the three members of Illinois’ golf team dealt losses.

Tommy Kuhl of downstate Morton lasted the longest, falling 2 up to Vick in a match where Vick birdied seven of the first 11 holes, then saw Kuhl penalized and lost the hole because his ball moved on the collar of the 12th green when he put his putter down. Kuhl then rallied to close a 4-down gap to 1-down on the 18th tee, but an errant drive at the last cost him.

“It was a tough draw, and that’s all part of it,” Kuhl said. “He has quote the resume, and he played well today. I’m just glad I fought hard and had a chance.

“I was not too happy after (the penalty). Just tried to make some birdies and I did.”

The highlight of that run was his third shot on the par-5 15th, a gouged wedge from a horrible lie to two feet for a birdie to win the hole, cutting Vick’s lead to 2 up. Kuhl won the 16th as well, but halved the 17th and lost the last.

Still, he found something in the effort that can carry him to the U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay later this month.

“It was a fun week; glad to be here,” Kuhl said.

Steelman knocked out Illini Adrien Dumont de Chassart, 5 and 4, and Austin Greaser beat incoming Illini transfer Matthus Besard, 3 and 2, to complete the wipeout of the Champaign-based contingent.

Sweet Sixteen Results

Ross Steelman d. Adrien Dumont de Chassart, 5 & 4

Travis Vick d. Tommy Kuhl, 2 up

Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira d. Yuxin Lin, 6 & 4

Cole Sherwood d. Michael Thorbjornsen, 4 & 3

Austin Greaser d. Matthus Besard, 3 & 2

Kelly Chinn d. Ricky Castillo, 6 & 5

William Mouw d. Spencer Tibbetts, 3 & 2

Derek Hitchner d. Connor Mckinney, 21 holes

Quarterfinal Results

Vick d. Steelman, 2 & 1

Fernandez de Oliveira d. Sherwood, 3 & 1

Greaser d. Chinn, 1 up

Mouw d. Hitchner, 1 up

Saturday Semifinals

8 a.m. – Vick vs. Fernandez de Oliveira

8:12 a.m. – Greaser vs. Mouw

Around Exmoor

Golf Channel’s TV stream, available at the Western Amateur and Golf Channel websites, starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Friday, neither the morning nor afternoon telecast carried through to the conclusion of the last match. … Admission is free. Friday’s gallery probably numbered at least 800, with people coming and going all day. 

– Tim Cronin