DAYTON, Ohio -- When Ian Gilligan was 15 years old, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer known as ALK-negative large cell lymphoma. Normally found in elderly people, that kind of cancer was believed to be present in fewer than two doezen kids worldwide at the time. Gilligan spent more than seven weeks in the hospital, and 10 of those days in the ICU. But after seven months of treatment, including chemotherapy, and the loss of roughly 40 pounds, he was determined to be cancer free.
So it would not be a stretch to describe Gilligan as a "survivor." and he demonstrated the same kind of tenacity and durability during the last week, while winding his way through the stroke- and match-play portions of the Western Amateur. And on Saturday afternoon, he emerged as the winner. To claim the George R. Thorne Trophy that goes to the champion, he had to go 19 holes to beat Parker Bell in the morning semifinals, and 29 holes in the longest championship match in Western Am tournament history, to subdue -- finally! -- Jack Turner in the title match. Gilligan, who will start his senior year at the University of Florida in a few weeks, brought an end to a 13-hour day of golf by making an 8-foot putt for birdie on the 29th hole against Turner.
It turned out to be great day for Gilligan, and it was also a really good day -- or week -- for Florida. Three of the four players in the Saturday morning semifinals at Moraine Country Club were Gators. Gilligan faced off against teammate and soon-to-be-junior Parker Bell, who had to birdie three of the last four holes in the fourth round of stroke play Thursday afternoon just to get into a playoff for the last spot in The Sweet 16 (match play). He then had to win an 8-for-1 playoff. It took 19 holes Saturday morning, but Gilligan ultimately prevailed.
Gilligan tied for third in stroke play (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) with a 272 total (69-65-68-70), and was the No. 4 seed for match play. He beat No. 13 Blades Brown, the 16-year-old boy wonder from Nashville (Brown made the cut in a PGA Tour event this spring) 2&1 in the first round, and Virginia All-American Ben James 2&1 in the quarters. Bell, after barely getting into the Sweet 16, took out the medalist, Jackson Koivun, who in his freshman year at Auburn tied for second individually at the NCAA Championships, led the Tigers to the team title and won virtually all of the national awards for individuals -- the Nicklaus Award, Hogan Award, Haskins Award and the Mickelson Award. That 3&2 Bell victory came in the Round of 16, and it was Friday's big upset, although at this level, nothing is really an upset.
In the other semifnal Saturday morning, No. 10 seed Jack Turner, who will be a sophomore at Florida for 2024-25, took on the precocious Henry Guan, who hasn't yet started his junior year of high school in Irvine, Texas. Like his fellow Gator Gilligan, Turner won in 19 holes.
The Sunday afternoon duel between Gilligan and Turner that just didn't seem to want to end set records for longest final in the 122-year history of the Western Amateur, and the longest match, period.
There are two 18-hole days of stroke play to start the Western. Then, after the 36-hole cut, the final two rounds of stroke play are completed in one day, weather permitting. The first two rounds of match play are taken contested the next day, and the semifinals and final are the next day, which means, basically, three 36-hole days in a row. In theory, that's a potential 144 holes in five days. But this year, for Gilligan, it turned out to be 154 holes in five days. (For Turner, it was 151 holes.)
In other words, Gilligan averaged 31 holes of tournament golf -- which, for anyone who doesn't play tournament golf, is vastly different from recreational golf -- per day for the last five days. That is yet another reminder that it's good to be young.
22nd Western Amateur Championship
At Moraine Country Club
Par 71, 7,246 yards
Dayton, Ohio
Second-round results
(44 players and -- lots of -- ties made the cut after 36 holes; the top 16 after 72 holes went into match play)
1. Jackson Koivun, Chapel Hill, N.C., 65-66-69-69--269 (-15)
2. Tyson Shelley, Holladay, Utah 66-70-64-71--271
T3. Henry Guan, Irving, Texas 68-69-68-67--272
T3. Ian Gilligan, Reno, Nev. 69-65-68-70--272
5. Ben James, Milford, Conn. 66-68-66-73--273
T6. Jackson Herrington, Dickson, Tenn. 70-69-68-68--275
T6. Jake Peacock, Milton, Ga. 69-66-71-69--275
T8. Gregory Solhaug, Norway 71-69-69-67--276
T8. Mikkel Mathiesen, Denmark 72-66-69-69--276
T8. Jack Turner, Orlando, Fla. 66-75-68-67--276
T8. William Sides, Tulsa, Okla. 71-70-70-65--276
T8. Zachary Pollo, Rocklin, Calif. 66-67-70-73--276
T13. Blades Brown, Nashville, Tenn. 68-70-69-70--277
T13. Mahanth Chirravuri, Chandler, Ariz. 68-73-68-68--277
T13. Max Herendeen, Bellevue, Wash. 68-66-69-70--277
T16. Parker Bell, Tallahassee, Fla. 72-68-70-68--278
After a rain delay on Thursday that forced a suspension in play, the medal-play portion of the tournament was completed Friday morning.
After that there was an 8-for-1 playoff for the last spot in the Sweet 16, which Parker Bell won.
The following players tied for 16th place, but did not advance to match play:
T16. Ben Warian, Stillwater 66-70-70-72--278
T16. Carson Bacha, York, Pa. 73-66-69-70--278
T16. Miles Russell, Jacksonville Bch. Fla. 71-70-69-68--278
T16. Alexander Yang, China 71-69-69-69--278
T16. Tommy Morrison, Dallas 68-71-69-70--278
T16. Matthew Troutman, Louisville, Ky. 70-70-68-70--278
T16. Matthew Comegys, Van Alstyne, Texas 68-69-72-69--278
What it took to make the 36-hole cut -- 141 (19-way tie for 36th)
Failed to make the cut
Nate Stevens, Northfield 73-37--146
Gunnar Broin, Shorewood 73-75--148
Sweet 16 Matches
First round
No. 16 Bell def. No. 1 Koivun 3&2
No. 9 Mathiesen def. No. 8 Solhaug 3&2
No. 4 Gilligan def. No. 13 Brown 2&1
No. 5 James def. No. 12 Pollo 5&4
No. 2 Shelley def. No. 15 Herendeen 5&4
No. 10 Turner def. No. 7 Peacock 2&1
No. 3 Guan def. No.. 14 Chirravuri 2&1
No. 11 Sides def. No. 6 Herrington 1 up
Quarterfinals
Bell def. Mathiesen 3&2
Gilligan def. James 2&1
Turner def. Shelley 5&4
Guan def. Sides 3&2
Semifinals
Gilligan def. Bell 19 holes
Turner def. Guan 19 holes
Final
Gilligan def. Turner 29 holes
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