A Late Eagle Sends Schmitz to the U.S. Mid-Amateur Finals

By Nick Hunter
nhunter@mngolf.org


  VERO BEACH, Fla. – A 36-hole match stands between Minnesotan Sammy Schmitz and an invitation to the 2016 Masters Tournament as Schmitz rolled in his eagle putt on the 17th hole Wednesday to win his semifinal match against Brad Wilder, advancing to the finals of the 2015 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at John’s Island Club.

“I’ve had good iron play and I’ve been chipping and putting very well,” Schmitz said following his semifinal victory Wednesday. “I’ve made a lot of good saves.”

“I've felt pretty calm and pretty confident throughout the entire tournament. Today was kind of a struggle. I didn't make anything and didn't really feel good early on. I made three bogeys in the first seven holes. I was pretty disappointed about that, but I've been playing holes—after hole No. 7—pretty decent for the tournament. I've got to come out firing tomorrow. I've got to get it early,” he said.

Schmitz, Farmington, Minn., grabbed an early 1-up lead with a par on the opening hole, taking advantage of a bogey by Wilder, but he was unable to roll his par putt at the second and Wilder evened the match with a par.

Wilder, Fort Wright, Ky., took his first lead of the match at the third, rolling in his birdie chance, but Schmitz came back with a birdie at the par-3 fifth hole to keep the match even.

A bogey by Schmitz at the par-3 seventh gave Wilder his second 1-up lead, which he would maintain until carding a double-bogey at the 10th as the match again drew even.

Wilder sank his birdie chance at the par-4 12th hole to regain a 1-up lead before Schmitz came back with a key par putt to win the 13th after Wilder put his tee shot in the water.

“[Wilder] just made a great birdie and then I hit a good shot into [the par-3 14th] to make par,” he said. “I was able to get one back and I felt pretty good.”

Both players found the 15th green off the tee and made two-putt birdies to remain even heading to the 17th hole.

Schmitz put his second shot at the par-5 17th 20 feet away from the pin and would sink his downhill putt for eagle to take a late, but crucial, 1-up lead with one hole to play.

“Going 1-up with one to go is a good feeling because the worst you're going to do is go into extra holes. You're not going to lose a tournament. It's not like a stroke-play event where you can take a double or a triple on the last hole and lose the tournament. I knew I wasn't going to lose it on the 18th, so there was a sense of calmness, I felt real good. It was a tough putt,” Schmitz said.

Finding trouble off the final tee, Schmitz hit what he considered one of the best shots of his life to reach the green from the rough, 178 yards from the pin.

“It jumped off the face just like we thought it would with that lie. I was lucky enough to hit the upslope, about four feet in front of the top of the upslope, and it popped up 25 feet above the hole,” Schmitz said of his approach on the 18th. “It was a pretty easy two-putt. A little bit of luck involved, but I think we had the right club.”

“The players that I’ve played in the last three or four matches have been very good players. It’s hard to play conservative on this course because the greens are really tough,” Schmitz said. “If you’re far away from the pin, you’re going to be left with such a difficult putt. There are times you can go [at the pin] and there are times when you need to stick within your comfort zone. If you’re opponent hits it close, then you have to go for it—you don’t really have a choice.”

Earlier Wednesday, Schmitz dropped his birdie putt on the 15th hole to clinch his quarterfinal match against Dallas, Texas, native Joshua Irving, 4 and 3, to advance to the semifinals.

Taking advantage of two early bogeys by Irving, Schmitz took a quick 2-up lead and increased his lead to 3-up after another bogey by Irving at the 11th.

A double-bogey by Schmitz at the par-4 12th narrowed his lead to 2-up, but he would bounce back by dropping his birdie chance at the par-3 13th hole.

Rolling in his second birdie of the back nine at the 15th, Schmitz clinched the match, 4 and 3, to move on to the semifinals.

Schmitz has now reached match play in each of his three appearances at the national event. He was eliminated during the opening round in 2011 before advancing to the Round of 32 in 2012.

With three Minnesota Golf Association Player of the Year honors already to his credit, Schmitz earned his fourth award over the past five seasons by posting seven top-5 finishes in 2015.

The winner of the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship earns an exemption to the 2016 Masters Tournament, April 7-10 at Augusta National Golf Club.

“That is something I'm definitely not going to be thinking about. I can promise you that,” Schmitz said. "I think the key to this week is staying in the moment, not getting ahead of myself and accepting the results."

Schmitz and Marc Dull, of Lakeland, Fla., will play a 36-hole final match Thursday beginning at 6:30 a.m. at John's Island Club.


For complete tournament results go to: www.usga.org/championships/2015/u-s--mid-amateur/scoring.html