Kiwi Kobori captures Western Amateur

Writing from Glenview, Illinois

Saturday, August 5, 2023

Kazuma Kobori is a 5-foot-7 dynamo from Rangiora, New Zealand, who will be better known in North America within a few years.

He doesn’t hit it long, but he can putt, and even in this era of extreme length, a great putter is a match for anyone.

Kobori proved that on Saturday, scoring a 1 up victory over Christiaan Maas of Pretoria, South Africa to capture the 121st Western Amateur. His 15-foot birdie putt at the last locked up the title in the first all-Southern Hemisphere championship match in Western Am history.

It also made Kobori the first player to win a Western Am after capturing a professional tournament since Phil Mickelson, whose Western Am crown came eight months after he won the 1991 Tucson Open as an amateur. The Japanese-born Kobori, 21, has won two events open to pros, including the New Zealand PGA.

Joining a list of champions featuring Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, along with Mickelson, Ben Crenshaw, Chick Evans and Francis Ouimet, well, that’s another level.

“To win one is something I never imagined,” Kobori said. “It feels incredible.”

Kobori also locked up the Elite Amateur Series title with the victory, and that brings him an exemption into the 2023 U.S. Amateur, a Korn Ferry Tour start in 2024 and an exemption into final qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Open. He’ll also get an exemption into the WGA-sanctioned NV5 Championship next year at The Glen Club for a second Korn Ferry start.

For a while in the championship match, it appeared neither Kobori nor Maas really wanted to grab hold of the George Thorne Trophy. The grind of the format – the title match is their eighth round of competition in five days, plus a pair of practice and co-am rounds – mitigates against really crisp play at the end.

First, Maas hooked an approach into the hedge well left of the par-4 second green. That he escaped with a miraculous par from out of the front green side bunker following chopping our from the hedge is to his credit. 

“He’s left of left, finds it, and then I had a weird feeling he was going to hole the bunker shot,” Kobori said.

But Maas bogeyed the next two holes to give Kobori a 2 up lead. Then Kobori watched Maas go around the turn at North Shore Country Club 3-3-3, winning the ninth and 10th holes to take the lead. Kobori needed to answer.

“I was playing well, but Christiaan was playing well and I knew it was a matter of time,” Kobari said. “He putted unreal.”

Kobari’s answer came on the 12th hole, a short birdie putt to square the match and regain the tee. Kobori wasn’t completely in control – both he and Maas plunked their approaches in the pond on the par-5 15th – but he made the most of it on 17, with a sturdy par 4 while Maas hit his tee shot behind a tree and failed to get up and down from behind the green.

Kobari’s 15-foot birdie putt at the last finished the match. Inches farther away from the cup than Maas, he rolled it perfectly, the ball falling into the cup with its last turn as 300 spectators, many of them North Shore members, watched.

“I just told myself that Christiaan hits unbelievable golf shots,” Kobari said. “If he does that and he beats me, I can live with that as long as I play my game and give it my all.”

For Maas, who at 21st was the highest-world ranked amateur remaining after Friday’s Sweet Sixteen and quarterfinal carnage (Kobori was 49th), it was a case of the swing betraying him at the worst moments.

“It’s kind of sad,” Maas said. “I know there’s a lot of shots out there I should have (made). I three-putted 12 from the fringe, I should have made an 8-footer on 14, and he hits it in the water on 15 and I follow him, flaring it. He kind of gave it to me. I should have been 2 up.”

Instead, the match remained all square. Then came the 17th, where Kobori found the fairway and Maas found a spot behind a giant oak tree to the left of the fairway leading to the bogey that effectively sealed his fate.

“I didn’t feel comfortable over that tee shot the whole week,” Maas said.

Kobori, of course, has the goal of making it to the PGA Tour. He says he drives about 280 yards, which is about 20 yards under the circuit’s average and would place him almost at the bottom of the list, at 190th. Only David Lingmerth and Brian Stuard average less than that.

Kobori was mentored around North Shore by Jack Hammond, a 42-year-old member who caddied at the club as a kid and picked up his bag as well as hosting him. That knowledge was critical at times.

“I’m so happy he jumped on,” Kobori said. “He provided a lot of insight.”

The morning semifinals didn’t get past the 16th green. Maas led Drew Goodman of Norman, Oklahoma and the Sooners all the way, but only by 2-up at the turn, and only 1 up after Maas bogeyed the 10th hole. But Goodman’s putter betrayed him and Maas used birdies on 14 and 15 to go dormie 3, winning 3 and 2.

Kobori made even quicker work of Matthew McClean of Belfast, Northern Ireland, racing to a 5-up lead at the turn even after losing the first hole. Kobori won the par-5 12th with a birdie to go 6 up and eliminated the optometrist on the par-3 13th by matching McClean’s par for a 6 and 5 outcome.

– Tim Cronin 

Semifinals

Kobori d. McClean 6 & 5

Maas d. Goodman 3 & 2

Championship

Kobori d. Maas 1 up