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Notebook: Some Players Turn Marathon Day Into Sprint At U.S. Mid-Amateur

By David Shefter, USGA

Kiawah Island, S.C. – Here’s is your 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur statistic of the day: co-medalist Mike McCoy of West Des Moines, Iowa, completed his two matches Tuesday at Cassique before two first-round matches were finished.

Thanks to Monday’s rainout, USGA officials were forced into playing the first two rounds of match play on Tuesday. So once the 46-year-old McCoy defeated first-round foe Robert Crocket II of Louisville, Ky., 4 and 3, he barely had enough time to digest his lunch before heading back to the first tee.

And by making quick work of former major-league pitcher Erik Hanson of Kirkland, Wash., 7 and 6, in the round of 32, McCoy was relaxing inside Cassique’s locker room as the last two first-round matches in the lower bracket were being completed.

Randal Lewis ousted a pair of South Carolinians on Tuesday at the U.S. Mid-Amateur. (John Mummert/USGA)

Given the amount of limited daylight at this time of year, McCoy and the rest of those competitors in the upper bracket, as well as co-medalist Nathan Smith from the lower bracket, won’t have to complete second-round matches Wednesday morning.

Others like defending champion Steve Wilson of Ocean Springs, Miss., only finished nine holes of his second-round match with Scott Harvey of Greensboro, N.C. (Harvey has a 2-up lead).

So in McCoy’s case, it’s quite a bonus to have showered, eaten a nice dinner and perhaps visited the whirlpool before some of the players in the round of 32 ever left the course.

“It was a great day,” said McCoy. “I might sit in the tub or something and soak a little bit.”

With Monday’s unexpected “off-day,” McCoy took advantage of the respite by not touching a club and enjoying the hot tub. It kept him refreshed for what could be a lot of golf over the next several days.

The current Mid-Amateur schedule is calling for the third round and quarterfinals to be played Wednesday, followed by the semifinals on Thursday and the 36-hole final on Friday. Some competitors could be playing 40-plus holes on Wednesday.

“It’s not too bad on the young guys,” said 41-year-old Patrick Carter of Huntington, W.Va., who only needed 26 holes to eliminate Michael Brown (7 and 6) of Chellenham, Pa., and Baltimore’s Andrew Rice (5 and 4), at 25 years, 3 months, the youngest player in this year’s field. “But us 40-plusers, anytime we can get a round in that’s a little bit short, it’s advantageous later on the week for sure.

“If I can get one more short round in that would be fantastic. But that’s just not the way these things work. My next match will probably go 24 or 25 holes and I’ll be back to even with the field.”

Added Sean Knapp of Oakmont, Pa., who is 1 up on fellow western Pennsylvania Arnold Cuttrell through 13 holes despite six birdies from his opponent: “I play 36 holes every Saturday and Sunday carrying my own bag to help prepare for this. It definitely helps.”

Another one of those older players, 52-year-old Randal Lewis of Alma, Mich., also had a relatively easy day, beating a pair of local South Carolinians, Mike Cobb of nearby Summerville, 5 and 4, and 1991 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up and fellow senior Bert Atkinson, 51, of Charleston, 4 and 3.

Because of the short golf season in Michigan, Lewis says he doesn’t get into a workout routine in the summer. While he walks during weekend rounds with his wife, Melanie, he hasn’t done so much of that over the last seven weeks when she started coaching the girls’ golf team this fall at Alma High.

So Lewis, the 1996 Mid-Amateur runner-up and a semifinalist in 1999, said his legs were tired after going 29 holes. He planned to relax, grab some dinner and watch the American League Central Division tiebreaker between his beloved Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins before going to bed.

“The big question for me will be can I physically hold up,” said Lewis. “I’m 52 and I’m tired. You know the adrenaline kicked in [today] and hopefully that will get me through.”

Memorable Shot

As Lewis played his final hole during sectional qualifying for the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Cascade Hills C.C. in Grand Rapids, Mich., he knew a par wasn’t going to cut it. He needed at least a birdie to be in a playoff, but Lewis went one better. His 66-yard sand-wedge approach to the par 5, dropped into the hole for an eagle-3. It gave Lewis a 69 and a share of medalist honors. More importantly, it kept him out of a playoff for the final spot.

“I stuffed it,” he said. “I had never had anything like that happen before. You’ve got to get a little bit of luck in these things.”

And now Lewis is into the final 16 at the U.S. Mid-Amateur.

“I have to tell you this is as good as I’ve hit the ball in 10 years,” said Lewis. “This has been exceptional for me. My ball striking was exceptional today. I hit almost every fairway and almost every green in both matches.

“Bert [Atkinson] is such a great player. I knew I would have to play my best to beat him, and that was the case.”

Nice Boss

At one point on Sunday, Pat Carter thought he might have to withdraw from the U.S. Mid-Amateur. But it had nothing to do with a physical ailment. An area manager for an insurance company, Carter was supposed to be in Omaha, Neb., this week for a leadership conference. Fortunately, his superiors allowed the three-time Mid-Amateur quarterfinalist a reprieve.

“I got permission from our national field manager to stay,” said Carter, who has advanced to the third round at a Mid-Amateur for the first time in five years. “When he said just go ahead and play … I was relieved. And he said if you’re going to stay, just win. Hopefully that will happen.”

Of course, should Carter win the title, he might have to supply his superiors with some Masters tickets. Since 1989, the Mid-Amateur champion has traditionally received an invite to Augusta National for the following year’s Masters.

“That’s still four matches away,” said Carter.

Add Carter

Carter credits his good play this week to 70 consecutive days of either practicing or competing. Since the two weeks prior to the West Virginia State Amateur, Carter has at least hit the range or played in a competition. That includes the recent Crump Cup at Pine Valley and the USGA Men’s State Team Championship held two weeks ago at the Country Club of St. Albans in suburban St. Louis.

“I feel like my game is solid and the clubs feel good in my hands,” said Carter. “And fortunately, I saw some balls go in the hole today. That’s one thing about match play. If you can hole some putts, it’s confidence and keeping the momentum. I only lost the tee on one hole [in two matches]. That’s really mind-boggling to me. Match play is normally back and forth and it just wasn’t that [way] today.”

David Shefter is a USGA Digital Media staff writer. E-mail him with questions or comments at dshefter@usga.org.