Tyler Strafaci

Ed Repulski, who coached a Florida high school golf team for 40 years, and was the first athletic director, first basketball coach, one of its first teachers, dies

When there was a question about golf, no one consulted a rule book. They consulted with Repulski.

SARASOTA, Fla. – To friends and colleagues at his beloved Riverview High School, he was “The Ripper.”

But to the only child of Ed Repulski, he was, simply, “Ace.” Walking the hallways of Riverview, Ram student Jill Strafaci often would see her father. “But I couldn’t yell, ‘hey, dad’ down the hallway every time,” she said. “So, I called him Ace.”

When it came to the school of which Ed Repulski was the first athletic director, first basketball coach, one of its first teachers, and founder of the Ram golf program, Ace was all heart.

“His blood is the color of Riverview,” Joyce, his wife, said in a 2018 story on Repulski. “He just adored the school, and nowadays, the kind of loyalty that he had for it is, I think, non-existent.”

And the school that adored Ed Repulski today is in mourning. The man who coached the Ram boys team for nearly 40 years and won more than 600 matches, died peacefully Saturday at his assisted living facility at age 93.

The news of Repulski’s passing came as a shock to John Sprague, who replaced him as Riverview boys golf coach in 2011. Sprague visited Repulski two months ago and said his mind was clear, recalling people and places. “I was shocked,” Sprague said. “He was pretty sharp. I spent thousands of hours with that guy at Riverview. Tell you what, it felt good to talk to him.

“Mr. Ram. He was there the day they opened the doors at Riverview.”

Hired by school principal Ed Brown to coach football and serve as athletic director, Repulski arrived in Sarasota in 1958. And while his Ram football and, later, basketball teams didn’t flourish, the golf program he founded grew and succeeded under his leadership.

Under Repulski, the Ram boys won two state titles, two runners-up and 12 district crowns. He got Jill started in the sport and it paid off with a golf scholarship to Florida, where Strafaci was a four-year letter-winner on the Lady Gator golf team. Her son, Tyler, is a pro golfer who in 2020 won the U.S. Amateur Championship.

Golf was Repulski’s passion and it showed in his commitment to the sport. He was a three-time Florida Golf Coach of the Year, and three times won the District Golf Coach of the Year award, as chosen by the National High School Athletics Coaches Association.

He served 16 years as the state golf chairman for the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA), and in 1990, was inducted into the FACA Hall of Fame.

Sprague said that whenever the Florida High School Activities Association had a question about golf, they didn’t consult a rule book. They consulted with Repulski. The state golf tournament regularly was held at Bent Tree Golf Course. Why? “Because he did a great job,” Sprague said. “He had them organized.”

Away from the golf course, Repulski served as an FHSAA official in basketball for 22 years, football for six and baseball for one. Strafaci said it was common for her to do homework in the stands while her dad officiated a basketball game. He left teaching and coaching for a year to work in the Riverview administration. And only for a year.

“He just didn’t like it because he was away from his kids,” Strafaci said, “and he wanted to get back to teaching.” Her dad’s legacy, she said, is easy. “The kids,” she said. “The kids were really important to him.”

As Ed Repulski was to them.

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Great Britain & Ireland’s secret sauce, Tyler Strafaci’s grit and other Walker Cup takeaways

There was a lot to learn from the 48th Walker Cup.

JUNO BEACH, Fla. – Cole Hammer has long seemed destined for the kind of Walker Cup glory he found on Sunday at Seminole Golf Club. Hammer won his third match outright (after tying his morning foursomes match) to secure the Cup once again for the Americans. A few minutes later, 30-year-old Stewart Hagestad claimed the 14th and winning point.

“It means the world. I honestly had no idea that my match was going to be the clinching point but it is really special,” Hammer said. “Waited two years for this. It was really close going into this afternoon and to be able to be the one to clinch it is a cool deal.”

The Americans didn’t romp to a blowout victory the way many predicted they would this week. A stomach bug – which also affected the Great Britain & Ireland team – threw a wrench in the plans on both sides. Sickness aside, here are the major takeaways from the 48th Walker Cup:

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At the end of the day, WAGR is just a number.

There was never a head-to-head match at Seminole Golf Club where a GB&I player out-ranked his opponent. The Americans were wildly ahead according to the rankings, but if we’d all paid attention to those, and awarded points accordingly, this thing would have been over before it even started.

The closest Sunday singles match, according to the WAGR, was the one between Alex Fitzpatrick (No. 12) and Pierceson Coody (No. 2). Coody birdied the 17th hole to close out Fitzpatrick for the second day in a row.

Ranking doesn’t account for much in Fitzpatrick’s mind – especially not in match play. In fact, a better ranking might even create more pressure.

“The chances are that the higher ranked player is probably a better player, but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to win,” he said.

Asked if talk of rankings discrepancies lit a fire under his team, GB&I captain Stuart Wilson said he was unaware of it.

“There were a lot of comments about us hanging in well and fighting really hard,” he said. “I was more of the opinion we were letting the Americans away with it. My mindset on the whole thing, the guys played well and played really well. I think on another day, the match would have been a totally different result.”

Stuart Wilson, L-R, Mark Power and John Murphy watch the action on the 18th green during Foursomes at the 2021 Walker Cup at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla. on Sunday, May 9, 2021. (Scott Halleran/USGA)

What was GB&I’s secret sauce?

Windy conditions with firm, fast greens seemed to play a bit into GB&I’s hands this week, but the close outcome wasn’t so much about what GB&I did surprisingly well, as Wilson noted, but where they played solidly. There was no keep-it-close mindset, and GB&I displayed that all week.

Ultimately Wilson felt a few loose shots cost his team the victory, and took that all the way back to the foursomes sessions.

“Maybe let the Americans get away with a little but too much and a few slack shots here and there,” he said.

His plan was to win foursomes on Sunday (check) then frontload the singles lineup to try to pull it off. At times, it looked as if the math would work in their favor.

Wilson highlighted preparation and on-site practice early week, even if it was interrupted by illness, as being key in GB&I’s success.

“I felt like we were bonding really well all week, had some great team morale, some great advice from Paul McGinley, just felt good out there,” GB&I player Joe Long said.

The Walker Cup - Previews — The United States Walker Cup team, with only one player (John Pak) not pictured. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

What if the alternates were always in play at the Walker Cup?

As a Walker Cup alternate, it would be hard to bring a better disposition to the occasion than the one Cooper Dossey brought to Seminole. He found out three weeks before the matches that he would serve as an on-site alternate, a decision made in light of COVID.

As a stomach bug ripped through the team, Dossey had a real chance of playing. Ultimately, his fellow alternate Mac Meissner got into the opening four-ball session, but Dossey only spent the week outfitted with an earpiece. He appeared on the first tee with the team and walked most of Sunday afternoon with an ailing Tyler Strafaci.

“I got here on Saturday and that’s what really intrigued me was they have treated me like I was on the team from the get-go,” he said. “I’ve played every practice round with them, I’ve gotten every piece of gear they’ve gotten, my own hotel room. It’s been pretty sweet.”

Only eight players compete in the first three sessions as it is and choosing who sits among the core 10 players is already a hard decision. Interestingly, in 2019 Crosby had all four lineups decided before the matches ever started – that meant he ended up sitting some of his hottest players, notably John Pak. Crosby indicated he’d have done that again but for have to deal with so much sickness.

While alternates were certainly necessary this week, it seems unlikely they’ll be in the mix again anytime soon.

“I’m not so sure we really need traveling reserves in a regular year,” Wilson said. “I think the 10-man squad is quite good as it is because you’ve kind of got natural two reserves naturally for the first three sessions as it is. I think the 10-man squad is quite good as it is because you’ve kind of got natural two reserves naturally for the first three sessions as it is.”

The Walker Cup - Day 2 — Jack Dyer of Team Great Britain and Ireland (L) meets with Tyler Strafaci of Team USA after Dyer won their match during Sunday singles matches on Day Two of The Walker Cup at Seminole Golf Club on May 09, 2021 in Juno Beach, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

Applaud Strafaci simply for staying on his feet.

Strafaci, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, took himself out of Saturday singles at the last minute. The 22-year-old said later, after a trip to the hospital for IV fluids, that he was seeing two golf balls while he was trying to warm up. In close matches such as these, it was arguably the most heroic move he could have made – Strafaci’s withdrawal allowed William Mouw to step in and score a point against Ben Jones.

On Sunday, a slightly-recovered Strafaci appeared in two sessions and by late afternoon was bending over slowly and walking gingerly. Strafaci failed to put a point on the board on the final day – though he did nearly hole his final bunker shot on the closing hole – but the sheer strength it took just to stay on his feet will be a lasting memory from these matches.

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As stomach virus rips through Walker Cup, feisty Great Britain and Ireland team hangs tough

As a stomach virus ripped through Walker Cup, forcing four alternates to play, a feisty Great Britain and Ireland team is hanging tough.

JUNO BEACH. Fla. – It takes a strong stomach to play in the pressures of a Walker Cup.

Unfortunately for the 48th Walker Cup at Seminole Golf Club, that adage has proven to be true literally.

The gastro-intestinal issues that have hit more than 15 players on the U.S. and Great Britain and Ireland teams this week became more dramatic Saturday when reigning U.S. Amateur champion Tyler Strafaci had to withdraw from his singles match after he became sick on the range and was rushed to a nearby hospital.

Strafaci, who plans on turning professional next week, had built his year’s schedule by concluding his amateur career at the Walker Cup. After receiving fluids and three IVs, Strafaci returned to Seminole and hugged his replacement, William Mouw, after Mouw’s 4-and-3 win over Ben Jones.

“It was tough,” Strafaci said. “I wanted to come out and compete. I’ve been preparing for this my entire life. But I just couldn’t walk 18 holes. (Mouw) got the job done and I feel a lot better about it.”

Strafaci’s withdrawal – one of four players to be replaced Saturday for health reasons – overshadowed a day when the heavily-favored U.S. struggled to a 7-5 lead over feisty GB&I. The Americans won 5-of-8 singles matches in glorious conditions at picturesque Seminole.

This is not the walkover most expected. The average world amateur ranking for the U.S. team is 15, compared to 66 for GBI.

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“I think the guys have a lot of self-belief, and I don’t see why that should change,” said GB&I’s Jake Bolton, an alternate who helped his team win a foursomes match after replacing star Joe Long. “We’re all good players, and we all deserve to be here, so we’re going to give it our best shot.”

Both teams had to go to alternates for the first time in the Walker Cup’s 99-year history. The only reason alternates were on site this year was due to COVID-19 precautions.

Alternates Mac Meissner of the U.S. also was subbed into Saturday morning foursomes matches and led his team to a win.

Because of the stomach virus affecting both teams, the USGA changed its rules so the captains could delay announcing their foursomes and singles lineup. USGA officials ruled out COVID-19 and food poisoning as the cause. Strafaci is expected to play Sunday.

“It’s been bizarre for a lot of reasons,” said U.S. captain Nathaniel Crosby Jr., who also had to be hospitalized this week. “I think we have a one-up lead on guys who got sick this week (eight U.S. players to seven for GBI).

“Hat’s off to the USGA for being flexible. You don’t want to put guys out there who are sick and ask them to play 36 holes. It’s amazing we’re playing at all.”

The Americans dominated the morning foursomes matches and had a chance to take a 3 ½-½ lead until GBI roared back to flip a match and halve another one. The morning session ended in a 2-2 tie as all four matches went to the 18th hole for the first time since 1983.

The U.S. team, hoping to win on home soil for the fifth consecutive time, jumped to an afternoon lead. Florida sophomore Ricky Castillo won 5-and-3 over Ben Schmidt and Cole Hammer defeated John Murphy, 3-and-1, to both go 2-0 on Saturday.

“We were dropping like dominoes for a while,” Hammer said. “It’s not been easy. But we have handled adversity this week.”

Earlier, Hammer slammed home a 35-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to help him and partner Davis Thompson eke out a 1-up victory over Alex Fitzpatrick and Barclay Brown. Castillo and Meissner, pressed into action because of John Pak’s illness, defeated John Dyer and Matty Lamb, 2-up.

Mark Power was the lone GB&I player to go 2-0 Saturday. He defeated Davis Thompson, 3-and-2, after teaming with John Murphy for a 1-up victory over Quade Cummins and Austin Eckroat.

Pierceson Coody, grandson of former Masters champion Charles Coody, edged Alex Fitzpatrick, the younger brother of world No.17 Matthew Fitzpatrick, 2-up.

GB&I’s Barclay Brown beat John Pak, 2-and-1 and U.S’s Eckroat won two late holes for a 1-up victory over Angus Ferguson.

The U.S. team, which leads the series 37-9-1, needs 13 points to retain the cup. GBI needs 13 ½ to win the Cup. There are four foursomes matches and 10 singles matches Sunday.

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Tyler Strafaci withdraws before Walker Cup match after becoming sick on driving range

Tyler Strafaci withdrew from his Walker Cup match on Saturday after becoming sick on driving range with a stomach virus.

JUNO BEACH, FLA. – Tyler Strafaci decided to wait until next week to turn professional because he wanted to play in the 48th Walker Cup at Seminole Golf Club.

But Strafaci had to withdraw from his singles match just before his tee time Saturday when he became the latest golfer to be hit by the stomach virus that has marred this Walker Cup. The reigning U.S. Amateur champion was scheduled to play Ben Jones at 3:03 p.m. ET when he had to withdraw after becoming sick on the range.

“(Tyler missing the Walker Cup) is the least of my concerns,” Tyler’s father, Frank, said a short while later. “I’m following an ambulance that’s going to the hospital.”

The USGA said Strafaci was receiving fluids at a local hospital.

At least 15 players on the U.S. and Great Britain and Ireland teams have gotten sick this week from what USGA officials said was a gastro-intestinal issues (not COVID-19 or food poisoning). U.S. captain Nathaniel Crosby Jr. had to be hospitalized this week, as well.

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Both teams had to go to alternates for the first time in the Walker Cup’s 99-year history because of the virus. The only reason the alternates were on site this year was due to COVID-19 precautions.

Two alternates, Mac Meissner of the U.S. and Jake Bolton of GB&I, were subbed into Saturday morning foursomes matches and led their teams to a win. Strafaci was replaced by William Mouw. GB&I also replaced Joe Long with Matty Lamb in a singles match.

Because of the stomach virus affecting both teams, the USGA changed its rules so the captains could delay announcing their foursomes and singles lineup until late Friday night and midday Saturday, respectively.

“It’s been bizarre for a lot of reasons,” Crosby, a Seminole member, said before Strafaci’s WD. “I think we have a one-up lead on guys who got sick this week (eight U.S. players to seven for GB&I).

“Hat’s off to the USGA for being flexible. You don’t want to put guys out there who are sick and ask them to play 36 holes.”

Strafaci is scheduled to make his professional debut this upcoming week at the PGA Tour’s AT&T Byron Nelson Classic.

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After Walker Cup, Tyler Strafaci to make pro debut at AT&T Byron Nelson Championship

After playing the Walker Cup, which has long been a goal, Tyler Strafaci will make his pro debut at the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship.

Tyler Strafaci’s heart has been in the Walker Cup before he was even on the Walker Cup team. Strafaci, who won the North & South Amateur and the U.S. Amateur in 2020, did something his talented grandfather, Frank Strafaci, never did. Frank won the U.S. Amateur Public Links in 1935, but never was selected to represent the U.S. in the biennial matches against Great Britain and Ireland.

His grandson will be a key part of the matches at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida, next month. But after that?

Strafaci has revealed a date for his first pro start. The former Georgia Tech player will make his pro debut at the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship.

“Amateur golf will always have a special place in my heart, and I am proud that I was able to continue in my family’s legacy in the amateur game. I am excited to cap my amateur career by representing my country at the 2021 Walker Cup,” Strafaci said. “It has been my long-time goal to become a professional golfer and to chase my dream of being a full-time player on the PGA TOUR. I am thankful to the Salesmanship Club and AT&T for giving me the opportunity to make my first professional start. It is an honor to do so at an event that celebrates the life and legacy of Byron Nelson, especially given Mr. Nelson’s accomplishments on the course as well as everything he achieved as a humanitarian and advocate for the game.”

Strafaci, who will be represented by Fairwhay Management, is also scheduled to play the Charles Schwab Challenge, the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide and the U.S. Open in the coming weeks.

So far this spring, Strafaci has played in the Farmers Insurance Open and the Masters, missing the cut in both tournaments.

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Amateurs struggle at Augusta National but embrace first Masters experience

Augusta National amounts to a steep learning curve and one the three amateurs struggled with in the opening round of the Masters.

Ollie Osborne made his Masters debut Thursday, and the 21-year-old amateur could have become rattled after bogeying three of the first four holes at Augusta National.

But the junior from SMU settled into a groove — crediting his father, Steve, who is doubling as his caddie this week — for calming him down. Osborne was solid for the rest of the day and finished with a 4-over-par 76.

“The first tee shot was a little tough, but we made it through and I felt pretty good out there,” said Osborne, who qualified for the 85th Masters by finishing runner-up at the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes in August.

“When you bogey your first two holes it’s always a little tough, so it was nice to have someone you really know on your bag, and someone I love there to support me,” Osborne said of his father. “He brings up whatever he wants, whatever comes to mind and we have fun together.”

Osborne had an excellent up-and-down to save par on No. 17. His first birdie of the day came at the par-5 eighth hole, where he hit his second shot over the green, before making a great chip to kick-in range.

He said No. 15 was his most memorable hole of the day.

“I made a pretty good 20-footer on a big slider on No. 15, so that was a nice birdie,” Osborne said.

He said the slow start didn’t faze him.

“I didn’t feel like I was doing that bad. I just kind of kept doing my thing. I knew it was coming and I wasn’t nervous or anything,” Osborne said. “I hit some good shots and also some tough ones, but I thought I fought hard.”

U.S. Amateur champ Tyler Strafaci struggles in Masters debut

PGA: Masters Tournament - First Round — Tyler Strafaci chips onto the second green during the first round of The Masters. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)

It wasn’t the round that Tyler Strafaci was hoping for to open the Masters, but the Georgia Tech grad and reigning U.S. Amateur champion soaked up everything he could in his debut at Augusta National.

Strafaci shot 80 in a round without a birdie. He found Rae’s Creek with a wayward tee shot on No. 12 en route to a triple bogey — but he took his setbacks with a great sense of humor.

“I had a blast from the first hole on,” said Strafaci, who played with defending champion Dustin Johnson and Lee Westwood. “On the first tee shot, I’ve never been more nervous in my life, so it was good to kind of hit that one out there. I played really well for about 14 holes and the other four were disastrous. I still feel I can go out tomorrow and play a really good round.

“It was just a surreal experience just being a part of a tournament with such great names and history. It’s definitely something I’m going to look back on in of the future.”

Strafaci is carrying on a family tradition at Augusta National; his grandfather, Frank Strafaci Sr., the 1935 U.S. Public Links champion, played in the Masters in 1938 and 1950.

He never met his grandfather, but Tyler Strafaci carries his memory on with his game. Staying in the Crow’s Nest for a night was a memory he’ll cherish.

“I had a few beers and had a cigar in there,” Strafaci said. “I didn’t burn down the place, which is nice. That was probably the coolest part of being an amateur playing the Masters, staying in the Crow’s Nest with all that history. I remember getting in there, and it really hit me, the gravity of kind of what I’ve done. That was pretty cool.”

Joe Long takes Augusta National caddie in Masters debut

2021 Masters — Amateur Joe Long of England plays a stroke from the No. 2 tee during Round 1 of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Augusta National)

Joe Long of England qualified as the winner of the 2020 British Amateur played at Royal Birkdale. He had never played a full round of golf in the United States until two weeks ago, when he came to Augusta for his first practice round.

The 23-year-old came to Augusta with intriguing storylines. His regular caddie contracted COVID-19 and had to miss the Masters, so Long picked up the highly-respected John Chance from Augusta National to carry his bag.

“I was fortunate to have him for all four practice rounds. John has been here for almost 20 years and he’s awesome,” Long said after a practice round with Brooks Koepka and Shane Lowry on Wednesday. “He knows the course like the back of his hand, especially on the greens. That’s the biggest thing for me because some of the slopes are so extreme — so to have his knowledge on the bag is really helpful.”

Six weeks ago Long went on a trip to South Africa with a friend. He said he tore his left gluteus and has been hampered a bit by it since.

“It was my first time surfing, and I kind of got a little bit ahead of myself,” Long said. “I enjoyed it, but when my friend took us out to the deeper ones I messed up a bit.”

Long had a rough go of it Thursday, shooting an 82 that included a triple bogey on No. 5 and a double on No. 17. He closed out strong, though, with his only birdie on the day on No. 18, where he dialed in his approach to two feet.

“The finish was good,” Long said. “I think it almost went in the hole. So, that’s a bonus. It was just one of those days where you start off OK, quite steady, and then I made a triple on No. 5. I hit one right, and it just unnerved me a bit and took a while to get back into it.”

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

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Masters: Tyler Strafaci follows in family’s footsteps at Augusta National

U.S. Amateur champion Tyler Strafaci is following in his family’s footsteps at the Masters this week at Augusta National Golf Club.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Eighty-three years after his grandfather, Frank Sr., played in the Masters, Tyler Strafaci will continue to try to do him one better while extending the family’s impressive amateur golf legacy.

“My grandfather was a greater than life character,” Strafaci said. “He was a small guy with a big personality and people just gravitated towards him. I never met him but I feel like I met him.”

Strafaci, 22, experienced his own magical summer on the amateur circuit in 2020, claiming the North & South Amateur and Palmetto Amateur before bagging the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes. The latter was the “Holy Grail” of the Strafaci family, and it earned him an invitation to his first Masters, one of only three amateurs to play in the 85th Masters, as well as a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team that will compete at Seminole Golf Club in May.

“Winning (the U.S. Amateur) for me was the first time I felt a connection to my grandfather,” Strafaci said.

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Strafaci’s grandfather, the late Frank Strafaci Sr., cast a big shadow. He also was a former USGA champion, having won the 1935 U.S. Amateur Public Links title in addition to back-to-back North & South Amateur titles, in 1938 and 1939. After his family immigrated from Italy, he grew up in Brooklyn and won 27 amateur tournaments, including a seven-time Met (N.Y.) Amateur champion, finishing ninth in the 1938 U.S. Open and 58th in the 1950 Masters. In his inaugural appearance at Augusta National in 1938, he withdrew from the Masters after one round to go and defend his title at the North & South, which he won.

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“If I did that, I don’t think I would ever be invited back,” Strafaci cracked.

But the family has long treasured his bronze 1950 contestant, which Frank Jr., keeps in his office.

“He hasn’t let me touch it pretty much my whole life, but I’ve gone there and touched it a few times,” Strafaci said. “It’s really cool just seeing that part of history in his office and where he came from. That just shows how important that golf tournament was to him.”

Strafaci never wanted to play Augusta National until he followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and qualified for the tournament, but he eventually loosened that rule after committing to play golf at Georgia Tech since the golf team played there annually. He’s played the course 10 times in the lead up to the Masters, including a round with his father last week.

“That was probably as cool of an experience as I’ll ever have in my life,” the junior Strafaci said.

Strafaci, a fifth-year senior who earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in the fall, skipped his final semester of eligibility at Georgia Tech and plans to turn pro shortly after the Walker Cup. He displaced a few ribs and sprained his SC joint, where the collarbone and sternum meet, at the Genesis Invitational in February, but said it has healed.

“It hurt a lot. I couldn’t really extend probably more than a couple feet past the ball and I couldn’t really hit the ball very far,” he said. “I’ve been having kind of a pitch count. I’ve been hitting maybe 20, 30 balls a day for the last two or three weeks. But I’m hitting it really good. I feel healthy. My mind is clear, and so there’s no excuses for playing bad golf this week.”

Strafaci planned to spend Monday night in the Crow’s Nest, and he’s already introduced himself to Dustin Johnson in advance of the traditional pairing of the U.S. Amateur champion and defending champion of the Masters for the first two rounds. Other than that, his game plan is simple: Have fun.

“I’m competing for the love of the game this week, which is great. I’m an amateur. That’s a great thing about the Masters,” Strafaci said. “It’s probably going to be the last time that’s going to happen for quite some time other than the Walker Cup where it’s just for the purity and love of the game.”

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Tyler Strafaci is reaping the spoils of a U.S. Am win at Torrey Pines, but a big dream comes true in May

Tyler Strafaci, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, is in the transition period between amateur and professional golf.

The last time Tyler Strafaci was in San Diego, he was playing the Junior World Championship – a long-running junior event at Torrey Pines. Strafaci, now 22, wasn’t even a teenager then.

“I remember I walked with my dad out on the South Course after the tournament had finished, and just such a special place,” Strafaci said on the eve of the Farmers Insurance Open, which he’s playing as an amateur. “It’s beautiful. It’s very scenic”

Strafaci has had a lot of memorable walks with his dad Frank this year. A seven-day jaunt around Bandon Dunes in August is ultimately what got him back here. The Strafacis carted home the Havemeyer Trophy that week and as a U.S. Amateur champion, doors began to open.

Strafaci has made PGA Tour starts before. He focused intently on the cut and missed it at the 2018 Valspar Championship and U.S. Open. He was 19 then, and vastly less experienced. He bagged three major amateur titles this summer and has since closed out a career at Georgia Tech. Admittedly, Strafaci feels freed up as the U.S. Amateur champion.

Still, it’s a different arena.

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“Usually I play golf to win and put myself in position on the last day of the tournament to have a good chance to win,” he said. “That’s kind of what I’m going to do this week. I’m sure there’s going to be some growing pains. Winning out here’s going to take a lot better golf than winning in college or amateur golf. So I’m going to learn how to do that and hopefully I can learn how to do that very quickly so I can accomplish the goals.”

There is no formula or guidebook for turning professional. When is the time right? Only the player can say. But Strafaci won’t cross that invisible threshold until after he checks a box very important to his family.

It has been well-documented that Strafaci’s grandfather Frank, also a USGA champion after winning the 1935 U.S. Amateur Public Links, never was selected to play on the U.S. Walker Cup team. But Tyler played his way onto the squad by winning the U.S. Amateur. He’ll remain amateur through the matches May 8-9 at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida. A start in the Masters sits in between here and there.

“I definitely want to be the first Strafaci to play on the Walker Cup and that’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid,” he said.

Strafaci originally returned to Georgia Tech to take advantage of a fifth year granted after the end of his senior year was wiped out because of COVID. The ACC was not allowed to compete in golf in the fall, and Strafaci decided not to return in the spring.

It was a tough conversation with head coach Bruce Heppler, especially given that teammates Andy Ogletree and Luke Schniederjans were out the door, too. It was a formidable threesome that would have made Georgia Tech a favorite for a postseason run.

“He thought it was best that I would come back,” Strafaci said of Heppler. “He kind of wanted me to be there for the young guys, but at the same time I think he knew I was ready. So I know he was proud of me for the decision I made and I know he’s in my corner. I love the guy to death.”

Strafaci will likely have more Tour exemptions come his way as U.S. Am champ, and also could still tee it up in high-level amateur events to stay sharp. Asked the likelihood that he might show up in an event like the Jones Cup, where many players will make a run at being his Walker Cup teammate, or the Azalea Amateur, which often serves as a tune-up for amateurs playing the Masters, Strafaci didn’t totally rule out the latter.

Strafaci, a native of Davie, Florida, is now based out of Ft. Lauderdale. Arguably the best part of that location is his proximity to Seminole. Strafaci has found himself playing alongside Walker Cup captain Nathaniel Crosby.

“I’ve probably played five rounds there since I finished – since I knew I was playing on the team, so I’ve gotten some good prep,” he said. “It helps that it’s about an hour drive. We have some sort of in and out privileges where I can go there once a week and do some prep work, so I’m going to be ready for that tournament.”

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The Azalea Amateur will still offer a Masters tune-up, but also a place for top collegians to play

The Azalea Amateur moved back seven months because of COVID but has still drawn a top field, including a pair of Masters invitees.

The Azalea Amateur is typically a late-March affair at the Country Club of Charleston (South Carolina). Lukas Michel, the reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champ, originally planned to use it as a warm-up for the April Masters. That plan, like everything else in 2020, went out the window mid-March when the Masters was postponed.

The Azalea now will be played Oct. 29-Nov. 1. Michel will still be there, and so will a collection of the top amateurs and collegians in the game.

After the Masters announcement, the 26-year-old returned home to Australia, where his golf game endured weeks of COVID shut-downs. The next time Michel played stateside was the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes. He hadn’t touched a club for a week before that and had to get a special visa to remain in the U.S. these past three months.

“It was all very complicated,” he said of figuring out those details. “It would have been easy just to skip the U.S. Am but I wanted to play that at Bandon Dunes, such a cool course. And it was a good experience.”

Tee times: Azalea Invitational

In addition to the U.S. Amateur, where he missed the cut, Michel played the U.S. Open at Winged Foot last month. After the next few days at the Country Club of Charleston, Michel plans for his final Masters tune-up to take place at Pinehurst.

“Do a little bit of prep there, which should be a good spot to work on my game,” he said.

Michel’s caddie, friend and fellow U.S. Mid-Am competitor Will Davenport, is also teeing it up at the Country Club of Charleston. Davenport picked up the bag for Michel midway through the U.S. Mid-Am after he bowed out himself, and now will carry it at Augusta National.

Two other Masters competitors are also in the Azalea field: Abel Gallegos, the 2020 Latin America Amateur champion. Gallegos already played the Junior Orange Bowl, Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, Western Amateur and U.S. Amateur in the U.S. in 2020. USC’s Yuxin Lin, winner of the 2019 Asia-Pacific Amateur, is also playing.

Aside from those three names, here are five more to keep an eye on.

Did anyone author a better amateur summer than Strafaci? Take COVID craziness into consideration and Strafaci’s 2020 body of work is even more impressive. After victories at the North & South Amateur, Palmetto Amateur and U.S. Amateur, Strafaci could very realistically bag another title in Charleston.

Preston Summerhays

The 18-year-old owns a major summer amateur title of his own from the Sunnehanna Amateur, but he still splits his time between the amateur and junior circuits. Most recently, Summerhays finished sixth at the Junior Players Championship and ninth at the Ping Invitational. Sandwiched in between? A U.S. Open start (as the reigning U.S. Junior champion).

Todd White

The Country Club of Charleston is White’s territory. The Spartanburg, South Carolina, resident was an Azalea winner back in 2015 and tied for second in 2017. White doesn’t compete nationally quite as much as he used to, but the 52-year-old still stands in Walker Cup lore for playing a crucial role in a U.S. win in 2013 at National Golf Links.

Stephen Behr

Another formidable local. Behr, 27, was a second-team All-American at Clemson and a first-team All-ACC selection, and more recently was the stroke-play medalist at the 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur – the first one of those for which he was eligible. Behr, who was born in Charleston but now resides in Atlanta, never turned professional, but don’t let that fool you about his game.

Aman Gupta

We all got to know Aman Gupta, a sophomore at Oklahoma State, in his run to the semifinals at the U.S. Amateur. The South Carolina native played only one major stroke-play event since, finishing 53rd at the Colonial Collegiate, but went 4-0 in Big 12 Match Play. It’s a bit of a shame there’s no head-to-head component at the Azalea.

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Bryson DeChambeau: ‘I thought I was like pretty ripped and jacked back then’

At the Northern Trust, Bryson DeChambeau was asked about the 2015 U.S. Amateur, which he won: “I can’t believe how skinny I was back then.”

Bryson DeChambeau is buff. We all know this by now.

But it wasn’t that long ago that a much slimmer DeChambeau hoisted the Havemeyer Trophy after winning the 2015 U.S. Amateur.

The 2020 U.S. Am just concluded Sunday to stellar reviews at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon, and the event brought back memories for DeChambeau.

“I do remember a faint Bryson, a small, faint image of Bryson back in the day,” DeChambeau said when asked about the U.S. Am during Tuesday’s media session at the Northern Trust at TPC Boston.

“It’s funny, I was looking at an Instagram post of mine. … five years ago now, yeah, it’s 2015, 2016 when I just turned professional. I went to the Bahamas and had my shirt off and I can’t believe how skinny I was back then. I thought I was like pretty ripped and jacked back then.”

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Sunday’s final round saw fog roll in, creating oohs and aahs from everyone watching on TV and adding a layer of intrigue for eventual champion Tyler Strafaci and runner-up Charles Osborne.

“I saw a few pictures and it shocked me how different it is,” DeChambeau said. “That was pretty special seeing Strafaci and Osborne up there and them fighting it out. I watched it. It was a lot of fun.

“It just shows personally that a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication can get you to this whole new place in life, and that’s what I’m trying to hopefully do for a lot of people out there is to inspire people to work hard every day and do their absolute best to be the best they can possibly be.”

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