Gutschewski Overcomes Watts to win U.S. Junior Amateur

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. -- Trevor Gutschewski had the most eventful Round of 64 match this week during the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. The No. 33 seed, he was 4 up on the No. 32 seed, Rich Wills, after eight holes, but Wills played 1 under for the next 10 holes, and Gurtschewski was 3 over, including a bogey at the 495-yard, par-4 18th, which meant they were going iinto sudden-death overtime. It lasted five holes, and Gutschewski had to match Wills birdies on three of the first four extra holes, making birdie putts of 15 and 30 feet in the process.

He finally won the match on the 23rd hole, a 494-yard par 5, with a par.

As his reward, Gutschewski had to play the pre-tournament favorite -- and medalist -- Blades Brown in the Round of 32. Undaunted, Gutschewski won that one, as well, and just kept on winning.

On Saturday, it was more drama for the 17-year-old from Omaha (whose father, Scott Gutschewski, is a former PGA Tour player), but he came out victorious once again, with a 4&3 victory over the No. 2 seed, Tyler Watts.

Gutschewski, who is committed to sign with the University of Florida this fall and start playing for the Gators in 2025, went 3 up early, after he holed a 100-yard wedge shot on the sixth hole of the scheduled 36-hole final. That didn't last, and he was 2 down after 17 holes against Watts, 16, who became the youngest winner of the Alabama State Amateur title when he won it last year as a 15-year-old. Gutschewski came right back to win the 18th hole with a par, and after lunch, he started the afternoon part of the match by winning the 443-yard, par-4 first hole with a birdie. He went 1 up by winning the 23rd hole with a par, lost the 24th to Watts' par, but pulled ahead once again, this time for good, by winning 408-yard, par-4 25th with a birdie and the 473-yard, par-4 26th (No. 8, actually), with a par.

A birdie at the 147-yard, par-3 31st got him to 3 up, and when Watts found the rough -- again -- at the par-4 15th, missed the green and couldn't save his par, Gutschewski won the hole, and the match, 4&3.

Gutschewski wasn't really the favorite in any of his matches, and definitely not against Watts, who is No. 121 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. As for Gutschewski's WAGR number, it's 3,570, which makes him the lowest-ranked player ever to win the U.S. Amateur.

The guess here is that he doesn't care.


U.S. Junior Amateur Championship

At Oakland Hills Country Cluib

South Course, par 70, 7,330 yards

North Course, par 70, 6,808 yards

(All matches will be played on the South Course)

Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Stroke play

Final results

(The top 64 went into match play)

1. Blades Brown 66N-68S--134

2. Tyler Watts 65N-70S--135

T3. Mack Edwards 66S-70N--136

T3. Joshua Bai 71S-65-N--136

T3. Chase Kyes 70N-66S--136

T3. Lev Grinberg 67S-69N--136

T7. Sean Keeling 69N-68S--137

T7. Michael Riebe 71N-66S--137

T9. Nicholas Gross 69S-69N--138

T9. Luke Colton 70N-68S--138

T9. Chase Cline 71N-67S--138

T25. Jake Birdwell 70N-71S--141

Failed to qualify for match play

Joe Honsa 75S-74N--149

Thomas Meader 82S-74N--156


Match play

Round of 64

No. 1 Blades Brown def. No. 64 Alex Huang 3&2

No. 2 Tyler Watts def. No. 63 Ieuan Jones 3&2

No. 3 Joshua Bai def. No. 62 Brayden Molder 3&2

No. 4 Lev Grinberg def. No. 61 Hsuan -Yi Chen 6&5

No. 60 William Lisle def. No. 5 Mack Edwards 4&3

No. 59 Alex Holder def. No. 6 Chase Kyes 1 up

No. 58 Davis Hartwell def. No. 7 Michael Riebe 4&2

No. 57 Jaxon Bandelier def. No. 8 Sean Keeling 4&3

No. 56 Bailey Sutter def. No. 9 Chase Cline 1 up

No. 10 Luke Colton def. No. 55 Pavel Tsar 20 holes

No. 35 C.J. Winchenbaugh def. No. 30 Jake Birdwell 6&4

Round of 32

No. 33 Gutschewski def. No. 1 Brown 2&1

No. 2 Watts def. No. 34 Chase Hughes 4&3

No. 35 Winchenbaugh def. No. 3 Bai 2&1

No. 4 Grinberg def. No. 29 Kristoffer Kuvass 1 up

No. 37 Xihuan Chang def. No. 60 Lisle 3&2

No. 38 Jay Leng def. No. 59 Holder 5&4

No., 26 Matthew Diehl def. No. 58 Hartwell 4&3

No. 40 Brooks Simmons def. No. 57 Bandelier 3&2

No. 10 Colton def. No. 23 Henry Guan 2 up

Round of 16

No. 33 Gutschewski def. No. 48 Yixiang Wang 4&2

No. 2 Watts def. No. 18 Qwen Coniaris 1 up

No. 14 Miles Russell def. No. 35 Winchenbaugh 2 up

No. 52 Nguyen Anh Min def. No. 4 Grinberg 5&4

No. 37 Chang def. No. 21 Edan Cui 2&1

No. 38 Leng def. No. 54 Liam Pasternak 3&2

No. 26 Diehl def. No. 10 Colton 2&1

No. 40 Simmons def. No. 56 Bailey Sutter 5&3

Quarterfinals

No. 33 Gutschewski def. No. 40 Simmons 1 up

No. 2 Watts def. No. 26 Diehl 3&2

No. 38 Leng def. No. 14 Russell 1 up

No. 37 Chang def. No. 26 Diehl 3&2

Semifinals

No. 33 Gutschewski def. No. 37 Chang 2&1

No. 2 Watts def. No. 38 Leng 3&2

Final

No. 33 Gutschewski def. No. 2 Watts 4&3 (36-hole match)