Very seldom during Sunday’s nine-hour-long U.S. Amateur final at Cherry Hills Country Club did Steven Fox seem much of a threat to win the national title.
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga golfer was 8 over par through 27 holes of the final, and even though he heated up after that, he was still 2 down with two holes left to play.
Yet there he was late Sunday afternoon raising the Havemeyer Trophy and hugging his dad, caddie, coaches … just about anyone who wanted to celebrate with him.
And University of California golfer Michael Weaver was left wondering what hit him.
“The whole match is the definition of being ‘Foxed,'” the term’s namesake said after his 37-hole title-match victory over Weaver on Sunday. “Definitely 2 down with two to go, then winning the first playoff hole by making a 20-footer there, that’s the definition of being ‘Foxed.'” (Fox is pictured above with his dad Alan during Sunday’s awards ceremony.)
And maybe the whole 312-man field for the 112th U.S. Amateur was “Foxed”. Even going back to the 36-hole U.S. Amateur qualifying, Fox shot 73-64 to finish one shot ahead of a competitor who failed to make the national field.
Then at the Amateur itself, Fox needed a four-hole playoff to earn the second-to-the-last spot in match play. Then as the 63rd seed — the highest to win the U.S. Amateur since the USGA began the seeding process in 1985 — he knocked off the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world and five other opponents to reach the promised land. And on Sunday, he was 3 down after 22 holes and 2 down after 34.
With apologies to George Clooney, this was the real Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Let’s face it: Winning the U.S. Amateur is quite an accomplishment for a guy who a year ago would probably consider the 2011 Tennessee Golf Association Match Play title his biggest feat in golf.
“This is unreal,” the 21-year-old from Hendersonville, Tenn., said. “I mean, it doesn’t even feel real. The whole week is like a dream to me.”
And the end of Sunday’s match seemed particularly dreamlike. Through 27 holes, Fox had made a double bogey, eight bogeys and two birdies (one of which was a conceded 10-footer after Weaver made the mess of a hole). But Fox was still only 2 down because Weaver wasn’t playing great himself (roughly 4 over through 27).
But Fox came to life down the stretch, making five birdies in the last 10 holes.
Still, when Weaver sank a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 16 in the afternoon, you couldn’t blame him for feeling the Havemeyer Trophy was almost in his grasp.
“Just to see (the title) slip through my fingers, it sucks,” he said. “I know I had a great week and all that, but I’m not really thinking about that now. I know I led from the seventh hole and I lost on the 37th. I never trailed between then.”
Even Fox said that after Weaver’s birdie on 16, “I thought it was over. I definitely thought it was his day. Then it kind of switched.”
This Chattanooga Choo-Choo apparently couldn’t be stopped, no matter how bleak things looked.
“I’ll never be one to give up,” he said. “Things can click at any moment. You can find your swing or stroke wherever throughout a round.”
After Fox drained 12-foot birdie to win No. 17, Weaver had a 4 1/2-foot uphill par putt on 18 to win the title, but it horseshoed out, leaving him in disbelief (pictured at left).
“I hit a good putt, hit my line, and for it to lip out like that, I would rather it just not even have hit the hole. I mean, I would have rather just hit a bad putt. But to have that happen, I don’t know what to say.”
Even Fox thought the match was over.
“It was like dead center from my angle, and when I saw it bounce out, I kind of gasped a little bit,” he said. “I think I put my hand over my mouth. I was shocked. And quickly I had to gather myself to go to the playoff.”
On the extra hole, Weaver pulled his drive near the second tee, and while keeping his ball under tree limbs, he left his pitch short of the green. His chip then came up 18 feet short of the cup.
Fox hit a 6-iron off the tee and wedged to 20 feet past the flag. With Weaver already lying three, Fox trickled his downhill putt into the cup for a birdie and the victory, setting off a frenzy of celebration.
Among the people who hugged Fox were his dad, who caddied for him in the first 18 on Sunday; Chattanooga assistant coach Ben Rickett, who caddied for him the final 19; and Chattanooga head coach Mark Guhne. Rickett was especially happy to be along for the ride Sunday afternoon.
“I’ve never seen someone so clutch down the stretch.” Rickett said of Fox. (At left, Rickett celebrates Fox’s birdie on No. 17.)
Asked why he changed caddies after the morning round — he was 2 down after 18 — Steven Fox said, “I made a few mistakes and would just fire and not pick a target. And with Ben as my caddie, we did talk about every shot. Ben was perfect for the job.”
Fox had quite a large — and vocal — rooting section on Sunday, especially down the stretch.
“This is by far the coolest thing I’ve done,” he said. “Seeing them cheering, it was unreal. And we just kind of kept calm. For some reason, I wasn’t nervous at all. I don’t know why.”
Besides being U.S. Amateur champion, Fox receives some prestigious exemptions in 2013 — for the U.S. Open, British Open and probably the Masters, all provided he remains an amateur.
“I’ve tried picturing myself on the first tee at Augusta, and it doesn’t seem real,” Fox said.
Weaver, as the runner-up, also earns a berth to the U.S. Open and likely the Masters, also only if he’s still an amateur.
Sunday marked the first time the U.S. Amateur final has gone extra holes since 2003.
Finalists Bronco Buddies on Saturday Night: The night before they squared off for the U.S. Amateur title, Fox and Weaver attended the Denver Broncos-Seattle Seahawks game together at Sports Authority Field in Denver.
“We went to the Denver Broncos game last night and had a great time,” Fox reported.
Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway, a member at Cherry Hills, was on hand several times during the U.S. Amateur, and he spoke at the players’ dinner on the eve of the championship.
Attendance Report: USGA officials were very pleased with the attendance at the U.S. Amateur, saying the crowds were among the largest of any of the recent Amateurs.
On Sunday, the association reported that about 4,500 people watched the title match. That was roughly the same number that was on hand for Saturday’s semifinals.
Beyond that, the entire week was nearly ideal from the USGA’s perspective.
“It was wonderful,” USGA executive director Mike Davis said. “Every time we come to Cherry Hills, something magical just happens. Whether it’s the 1960 U.S. Open — which is one of the great U.S. Opens we’ve ever had … And this is where (Phil) Mickelson kind of made his name (at the 1990 U.S. Amateur). And you think about Jack Nicklaus winning here at the (1993) U.S. Senior Open. And we had a great Women’s Open (in 2005).
“The club couldn’t have done a better job. CommonGround couldn’t have been a better companion course for stroke play. The weather couldn’t have been better. And the golf course (at Cherry Hills) was a true championship test.”
For U.S. Am results, CLICK HERE.
