Ken Bakst

Ken Bakst of New York, N.Y., defeated Rick Stimmel of Allison Park, Pa., 1 up, to win the 1997 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at the Dallas (Texas) Athletic Club.

Both players shot the equivalent of 1-under-par 71 in the championship match, but Bakst made four birdies in the final 10 holes, including one on the 18th, to win his first national title.

"Did I just do that?" asked a stunned Bakst after rolling in his 4-foot birdie putt on 18. "Somebody pinch me. I wasn't thinking about anything except hitting the ball on the line I needed to. When it went in, I dropped my putter because I just couldn't believe it. This is a dream. "

Bakst was 2 down with six holes to play when he birdied the par-5 13th to get within one hole.

"That was definitely the turning point," said Bakst. "If I don't win that hole, then I'm 3 down with five to play. I couldn't afford to do that, so I had no choice except to turn it on.

"I hit some pretty good shots today. I missed some important putts, but I made enough to get the job done. When I stood over my putt on 18, it was the longest 4-footer of my life."

Stimmel, who was playing in the first match-play championship of his life, was proud of his performance but still disappointed in the outcome.

"My ball striking wasn't as good today as it had been this week," said Stimmel. "I'd love to be in his place right now, but I'm not. I guarantee that I'll give it another shot next year."

Stimmel was quick to give Bakst all the credit. "I couldn't believe that he didn't make more putts today than he did. When he stood over his putt on 18, 1 was 100 percent positive that he would make it, no matter how nervous he was. He was long overdue."

Said Bakst of Stimmel: "I hope that he will have a chance to do this some day, because he deserves it. He was a fun competitor, a complete gentleman, and a pleasure to play with."

Both finalists gained exemptions for the 1998 U.S. Amateur, and Bakst received a chance to play in the 1998 Masters Tournament.

Bert Atkinson of Charleston, S.C., won medalist honors (68-64-132) with his record-breaking performance in the stroke-play portion of the championship. His 7-under-par 29 on the first nine holes of the second round and his second-round score of 8-under 64 tied both USGA and championship records.

His two-round total of 12-under 132 set the new U.S. Mid-Amateur mark and equaled the lowest two-round total in USGA championship history. From there, Atkinson's match-play chances lasted until the third round, where he lost to Bill McGuinness, 3 and 2.

The USGA accepted a record 5,271 entries for the 1997 Mid-Amateur, breaking the previous high of 4,102 set in 1996. It marked the fourth consecutive year that a record-entry mark had been set.