Tag: Garrett Rank

Western Amateur preview: Defending champ, big winners, ‘sweet sixteeners’ turn up at Crooked Stick

This week’s Western Amateur is essentially the final stop before the U.S. Amateur is played at Bandon Dunes.

The summer amateur marathon continues at the Western Amateur. This week’s championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, is essentially the final stop before the U.S. Amateur is played at Bandon Dunes in two weeks. The Western is famously grueling, with four rounds of stroke play in three days followed by four more matches over the next two days before a player is crowned the champion.

This year’s 159-man field includes nine of the top 10 Americans in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Several players in the Western field appeared in the Sunnehanna Amateur, which wrapped up three days ago roughly 400 miles east in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

Western Amateur: Tee times (Rds. 1 and 2)

The Western Amateur begins on Tuesday. Here are some angles of interest:

Big winners in 2020

Competition opportunities were scarce in the spring and early summer, but several major amateur events have been played as scheduled. These players in the Western field have already won significant amateur titles so far in 2020:

Davis Thompson, Jones Cup
Canon Claycomb, Rice Planters Amateur
Tyler Strafaci, North & South Amateur and Palmetto Amateur
McClure Meissner, Southern Amateur
Preston Summerhays, Sunnehanna Amateur

Returning from the bracket

After four rounds, the 16-man Western Amateur match-play bracket is formed. Eight players who reached the Sweet 16 in 2019 are in the field again this year (including defending champion Garrett Rank):

Davis Thompson
David Laskin
Quade Cummins
Turk Pettit
John Pak
Garrett Rank
Ricky Castillo
Frankie Capan

Practice run

As tournament directors were figuring out how to modify their summer events to keep players and staff safe from COVID-19, the Western Amateur venue underwent a bit of a test run in May. Crooked Stick hosted the inaugural Dye Junior Invitational, which included a field of 33 girls and 33 boys. The Western also benefited from its position on the back half of the summer schedule.

Steve Prioletti, the Western Golf Association’s director of amateur competitions, said in June he wouldn’t be shy about asking other tournament directors how they were managing COVID-19 challenges.

“Really getting granular with all those tournament details to make sure – obviously safety is the main priority – but you have to make sure it’s a good experience for all involved as well.”

In terms of players who garnered some meaningful experience competing at Crooked Stick earlier in the year, look no further than Michael Brennan and Clay Merchent, who finished fifth and seventh, respectively, at the Dye Junior.

Brennan, Golfweek’s No. 20-ranked junior, went on to win the Maridoe Junior Invitational in June and Merchent finished in the top 6 at both the Southern Amateur and Rice Planters Amateur.

Keep an eye on coach

With college golf recruiting in a COVID-forced dead period, coaches have found more time on their hands. Oklahoma coach Ryan Hybl, a regular on the amateur circuit while a two-time All-American at Georgia from 2001-04, made headlines at the Sunnehanna with the early lead. He finished an eventual T-15.

This week, it’s all eyes on Justin Tereshko. The 30-year-old, who is the head men’s and women’s golf coach at Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana, also finished second at the Orlando International to start the year and 21st at the New Year’s Invitational.

Tereshko, who played collegiately at Transylvania, also finished T-49 at the Sunnehanna last week.

Circle this on your tee sheet

If you were planning on attending the Western Amateur in person, well, better luck next year. After carefully monitoring the pandemic, the Western Golf Association has decided not to allow spectators. Only approved player guests, Crooked Stick Members and WGA guests may attend on site but must wear a face mask and practice social distancing.

So if you’re watching from afar, be sure to hone in on the 8:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. time slots. We like to call those the featured pairings for this event. Check them out:

Tuesday 8:30 a.m. on No. 1 / Wednesday 1:30 p.m. on No. 10

Garrett Rank, defending Western Amateur champion
Cole Hammer, U.S. Walker Cupper; 2018 Western Amateur champion
Davis Thompson, 2020 Jones Cup champion; 2019 Western Amateur medalist

Tuesday 8:30 a.m. on No. 10 / Wednesday 1:30 p.m. on No. 1

Quade Cummins, 2019 Pacific Coast Amateur champion
Andy Ogletree, U.S. Walker Cupper; 2019 U.S. Amateur champion
Pierceson Coody, 2019 Trans-Miss Amateur champion

Tuesday 1:30 p.m. on No. 1 / Wednesday 8:30 a.m. on No. 10

John Pak, U.S. Walker Cupper
John Augenstein, U.S. Walker Cupper; 2019 U.S. Amateur runner-up
Ricky Castillo, World No. 2-ranked amateur

Tuesday 1:30 p.m. on No. 10 / Wednesday 8:30 a.m. on No. 1

Austin Eckroat, World No. 17-ranked player
Matthias Schmid, 2019 European Amateur champion
Cooper Dossey, 2019 North & South Amateur champion

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