Coming into the week at the U.S. Junior Amateur, Tommy Morrison was one of the favorites.
And he’s standing out after the first two rounds of stroke play. Morrison, who’s 6-foot-10 and the second-oldest player in the field, shot 8-under over the first 36 holes to earn the top match play seed at the 75th U.S. Junior Amateur at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, South Carolina, on Tuesday. The rising sophomore at Texas finished one shot ahead of his competition.
“It means a lot,” said Morrison of medalist honors. “I want to win as many medals and trophies as I can. Any USGA medal is a good one.”
Earlier this year, Morrison competed with Tony Romo in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Kiawah Island.
Andrew Gregory, 17, of Spartanburg, South Carolina, is one of five South Carolina natives in the field. He finished just one back of Morrison after shooting rounds of 66-70 for a two-day total of 7-under 136. Gregory, who will begin his freshman season at Liberty University in the fall, is playing in his third straight U.S. Junior Amateur. This is his first time advancing to match play.
“There is always a chance,” said Gregory about the match-play format. “Just let the other person make all the mistakes and just keep it in the fairway. Don’t show any emotion. Just make pars all day and when birdies come, birdies come.”
On Wednesday morning, there was a 14-for-7 playoff to determine the final match play spots. Then, the Round of 64 got underway.
Matches continue through Saturday’s 36-hole championship match.
A score of 5 under wasn’t enough for the Texas twosome to advance in South Carolina.
The most high-profile pairing in U.S. Amateur Four-Ball history is heading home early.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, now the lead NFL analyst for CBS, and his partner, 6-foot-10 University of Texas freshman Tommy Morrison, failed to qualify for match play after the duo finished three shots outside the 8-under cut.
Romo and Morrison were in prime position to advance at the 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship at Kiawah Island Club after a 4-under 67 at Cassique on Saturday, but a 1-under 70 on Sunday at the River Course wasn’t enough.
“It was great,” said Romo after his first USGA championship experience. “The USGA put on an incredible tournament. The course setup was amazing and just the way they go about the process, it’s just a special championship to be part of. It was rewarding.”
“This week was a great way for us to extend our friendship. I think we got closer after this week,” added Morrison. “Four-ball is a perfect format for that. We had a lot of fun, and I look forward to more events with Tony.”
Tony Romo smiles as he walks down the third hole fairway during the first round of the 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Kiawah Island Club (Cassique) in Kiawah Island, S.C. on Saturday, May 20, 2023. (Chris Keane/USGA)
Tony and Tommy met at a golf club when the Morrisons moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area back in 2019. The pair connected and started playing golf together and immediately hit it off. Over the years the two athletes have grown to cherish their unique relationship.
“I think ever since we met, I don’t want to speak for Tony, but I think we got off to a good start and became friends quickly,” said Morrison. “I mean, only age difference is I probably have to warm up my body a little bit less than he does.”
The 25-year age gap between Romo (43) and Morrison (18) was tied for the fourth largest gap in the field.
Morrison now heads to Arizona for the NCAA Div. I Men’s Golf Championship, which begins on Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, while Romo will go back to his offseason from calling NFL games for CBS.
The U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship and U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball were played for the first time in 2015 and were the first additions to the USGA competition roster since the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur was added in 1987.
Ten teams were in a playoff for the final two spots in match play at this year’s Four-Ball, and after the Monday morning playoff the first round of match play will begin, followed by the second and quarterfinal rounds on May 23. The semifinal matches will be played the morning of May 24, with the championship match slated for later that afternoon. Sampsonyunhe Zheng and Aaron Du claimed a share of stroke-play medalist honors with 2022 semifinalists Carter Loflin and Wells Williams.
Everything you need to know for the 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship.
Most golf fans have their attention on the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York this weekend, but don’t forget about the amateur championship being held down in South Carolina.
The USGA is hosting the 8th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, May 20-24, at Kiawah Island Club, where a field of 128 teams (256 players) will tee it up for 36 holes of stroke play May 20-21 before a cut to the low 32 teams is made. There will then be five rounds of match play with the first round on May 22 and the second and quarterfinal rounds on May 23. The semifinal matches will be played the morning of May 24, with the championship match slated for later that afternoon.
The U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship and U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball were played for the first time in 2015 and were the first additions to the USGA competition roster since the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur was added in 1987.
Get to know more about the field below, which includes a former NFL quarterback and a rising college star, a team of former college All-Americans, a current NHL referee and former goaltender, an Olympic swimmer and more.
The duo combined to shoot a best-ball score of 9-under-par 63 at Winter Creek Golf Club in Blanchard, Okla.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo teamed with Tommy Morrison, a 17-year-old University of Texas commit, to qualify for the 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship slated for May 20-24 at Kiawah Island Club.
The duo combined to shoot a best-ball score of 9-under-par 63 at Winter Creek Golf Club in Blanchard, Oklahoma, on Monday to tie for medalist honors and earned one of two qualifying spots.
Romo, 42, shot 66 on his own ball with eight birdies (five of which were used for the team score) while Morrison, a 6-10 high school senior from Frisco, Texas, shot a 72 with a pair of birdies.
Romo has been an active competitive golfer since he retired from the NFL in 2016, playing in numerous PGA and Korn Ferry Tour events through sponsor exemptions. He advanced to the 2010 U.S. Open sectional qualifying at Carton Woods Golf Club in The Woodlands, Texas, and qualified for PGA Tour Qualifying School’s first stage in 2018. He is a three-time winner of the American Century Celebrity Championship.
Tony Romo fired a 66 (-6) today at Winter Creek in Blanchard to qualify for the USGA 4-Ball with his partner Tommy Morrison, a Texas golf commit.
The 6-foot-10-inch Morrison has a developing game that could have him towering over the field in the future.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – On the eve of the AJGA’s Junior Players Championship, a reporter asked a cloud of people waiting out a rainstorm under the porte cochere at TPC Sawgrass if any of them had seen Tommy Morrison, the 17-year-old early commit to Texas who had nearly stolen the title a year ago with a Sunday 67.
“Just look up,” one junior’s parent said with a smile. “He’s pretty hard to miss.”
At 6 feet, 10 inches tall, Morrison does indeed stand out from the crowd. From birth – he weighed 9 pounds, 8 ounces despite arriving a couple of weeks early – he’s been a big boy.
“From first grade to now I was always the tallest in my class and everyone told me I should go play football,” Morrison said.
He played a little bit of everything until age 12, including basketball, and was good enough to compete on an AAU travel team coached by former Duke star Mark Alarie. But then, in 2017, Morrison went wire-to-wire to win the boys age 12 division at the U.S. Kids World Championship at Pinehurst Resort.
“On the airplane ride home, he said (of golf), ‘I just love this.’ I saw something different in his eyes,” his mom, Alison recalled. “After that, he didn’t want to go to basketball practice. He wanted to practice golf until dark.”
Tommy Morrison, AJGA Class of 2023, has verbally committed to attend University of Texas. Photo by Adam Schupak/Golfweek
Morrison’s grandfather, a college basketball player and an avid golfer, deserves credit for introducing him to the game. (His great-grandfather was a former catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, among other teams, and also influential in teaching him the mental side of sports and how to play at an elite level.) At age 9, Morrison began working with instructor Bernie Najar, the director of golf at Caves Valley. It was Morrison who made the decision to commit his efforts to golf. Why did the game win out over all others?
“I love the feeling of hitting a good shot and spending time on the golf course,” Morrison said. “I love spending time around the green, possibly too much time. It’s what I do.”
Morrison, a junior in high school, chose wisely. He’s gone on to win the 2020 Southern Junior Championship and was selected to the Rolex Junior All-American team last year. This year, he skipped several junior events to try his hand at the next level of amateur competitions. He hasn’t recorded a top-10 finish since March and as a result his Golfweek Junior Ranking has slipped to No. 20, but the long-term benefits of playing against tougher competition may outweigh the short-term setbacks.
Likewise, he’s elevated his instruction team, adding Jamie Mulligan, who is coach to FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay, as a consultant since the beginning of the year. Morrison, who moved to Frisco, Texas, two years ago, has been traveling frequently to Southern California to be under the tutelage of Mulligan at his home club, Virginia Country Club.
“He’s mature beyond his years not only physically but mentally,” Mulligan said. “When you talk to him, he sounds like a 25-year-old man the way he looks at golf and looks at life. He reminds me of a young John Cook or a Paul Goydos or even a Patrick Cantlay.”
Tommy Morrison, far left, during a practice round ahead of the AJGA Ping Invitational at Karsten Creek (Courtesy Alison Morrison).
Mulligan has evaluated a lot of junior golfers in his day and he hasn’t been wrong too many times. He sees Tour-caliber talent.
“His potential is unlimited,” Mulligan said.
So are Morrison’s ambitions. He dreams of someday being World No. 1. But first things first – finding golf shoes that fit.
“He’s got a size 17 foot and Nike only makes up to 16 in golf shoes,” his mom said. “He has this dream of meeting Michael Jordan some day and asking him to create a golf shoe in his size so he can wear the Jump Man logo.”
The first tournament was such a hit that the Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational 2.0 (or MSFI) is already scheduled for May 19-21.
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What started out last month as a casual conversation on the back patio at Maridoe Golf Club between a few members and the club’s owner ended up as a sort of exhibition for golf’s action-starved fan base. Pull back the curtain on last month’s Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational and you’ll get a window into how golf can continue amid a global pandemic.
The first tournament was such a hit, in fact, that the Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational 2.0 (or MSFI) is already scheduled for May 19-21.
The men’s game at Maridoe, a golf oasis in Dallas, is stiff. Morrison’s 15-year-old son Tommy, Golfweek’s top-ranked junior in the class of 2023, plays in it regularly. He was part of the conversation from which the tournament was born – a “what if” the club’s regular (and high-level) grudge matches got a little more formal?
As a get-together grew into a proper tournament – albeit one with strict social-distancing measures in place – word started spreading and everyone wanted in. Alison Morrison, the managing member at Maridoe, had filled the 72-player field in six days. Her phone was ringing off the hook.
The inaugural event was a wild success on many levels, from the more than $20,000 raised for Maridoe’s caddies to a stellar field that ranged from Korn Ferry Tour players to top collegians. Jordan Spieth played only as a marker (he was famously robbed of a hole-out by a spacer in the hole) because he was tied up early week with PGA Tour Players Advisory Council duties, but he’s in the field for the MSFI 2.0.
“This was a beautiful opportunity to contribute to the Maridoe Samaritan Fund and help those caddies who have been affected,” Maridoe owner Albert Huddleston said in a statement. “Simultaneously, it provides opportunity for tremendous pleasure and support when playing the sport I enjoy most. If you do things correctly, follow guidelines, and all things required under the Dallas County ‘Order’ – then golf is a perfect sport to play.”
Scottie Scheffler logged his first win of 2020 (though unofficial) at the 54-hole event played April 28-30. Scheffler was one ahead of Korn Ferry Tour player Will Zalatoris and two ahead of PGA Tour rookie Viktor Hovland.
The event has the unmistakable touch of a golf mom. As Morrison saw Hovland off at the end of the event, she asked for a text when he arrived home, to let her know he had made it safely. But she got more than that.
“Do it again!” came the request from Hovland, adding that he had Scheffler in his sights. Morrison passed it along to the winner, who seemed up for the challenge. He wanted bookend trophies, he said in returning the rib.
Once again, the requests flooded in and this time the field is expanding to several recognizable Tour names. The 78-player field is nearly finalized, with almost 30 more players on a waiting list. The encore 54-hole event falls a week before the Tour’s scheduled return at Colonial Country Club in nearby Fort Worth for the Charles Schwab Challenge.
“Colonial is in a few weeks, so why wouldn’t you want to play?” Morrison reasons.
It’s not just that. Maridoe is hosting the Southern Amateur, an elite amateur event, July 15-18. That’s a big plus for the collegians in the field. Initially, the NCAA prohibited collegians from competing until the end of the regularly scheduled college season, but that’s cleared up now.
A juiced-up field isn’t the only new detail this time around. This time, pros can play for whatever charity is close to their hearts.
“The tagline is, who do you play for?” Morrison said.
Among the confirmed Tour players in the field are Abe Ancer, Austin Cook, Beau Hossler, Brandon Wu, Doc Redman, Davis Riley, Harry Higgs, John Senden, Scheffler, Sebastian Munoz, Talor Gooch, Hovland, Zalatoris and Spieth.
Tony Romo, who plays golf as an amateur, will return and so will some of college golf’s best, including recent Haskins Award winner Sahith Theegala. The college presence also includes U.S. Amateur runner-up John Augenstein, Cooper Dossey, Austin Eckroat (low amateur at the last event), Cole Hammer, Travis Vick, Parker Coody, Pierceson Coody, Noah Goodwin and Quade Cummins.
Tommy Morrison, right, with PGA Tour player (and Maridoe member) John Senden.
Version 2.0 of the Maridoe event also includes Tommy Morrison’s hand. The junior golfer, who is verbally committed to Texas, wondered if the top two ranked juniors from each of the next four high school classes could have a place in the field. He and close friend Gaven Lane, verbally committed to Oklahoma State, will represent the class of 2023.
“It will be kind of be interesting to see how (the juniors) stack up against the bigger stage players,” Morrison said.
That makes the Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational the ultimate – and the rare – hybrid event. Morrison teed it up in the first event, too. It was his first real (albeit unofficial) Tour start. He had an opening 72 playing alongside Scheffler.
There’s maybe no one in the field who knows Maridoe – a challenging course that can tip out to nearly 8,000 yards – as well as Morrison. His family has lived in the area for nearly a year now, though it feels like much longer – probably because Morrison plays the course every day.
Before the MSFI, Morrison last teed it up for a tournament at the Sage Valley Junior Invitational on March 12-14, a can’t-miss event for junior golf’s best. He played a handful of junior events before that. The stretch in between was as long as he’s gone without a tournament start. Golfers at all levels are finding themselves there.
This time of year, Tommy and Alison are generally jetting around the country together chasing junior golf tournaments. It’s time Tommy cherishes, though in a recent dinner-table conversation, the family discussed how nice the time at home has been, too. He can get competitive reps in his backyard, afterall.
“I’m spoiled,” he said. “I’m lucky.”
In many ways, the tournament is an obvious fit for a club with just over 200 members, many of them professional athletes (across many sports) or captains of industry.
Practices in place at Maridoe will include a walking scorer with each group who also rakes all bunkers and is the only person allowed to touch the pin (no spacers in the cups this time). Social distancing is enforced, but that often comes down to courtesy – don’t stand on top of other players on the tee boxes or crowd the same side of the putting green.
The rest of the industry should be watching closely.
“Somebody has to be courageous enough and smart enough and responsible enough to display to the world that (golf) is different,” Morrison said. “It’s not basketball, it’s not football, you’re not sweating on top of each other. This has taught them to just be very respectful of the game. . . . We have to get back to a place where we can start to compete.”
