BANDON, Ore. – By the point Tyler Strafaci reached the 18th tee at Bandon Dunes for the second time on Sunday, he had no longer performed both of the 2 outdated holes. His 2-up lead had snappily evaporated.
“We talked at lunch about how the 16th and 17th holes had no longer long gone properly the outdated three days, but he obtained 18 three straight times so it might maybe maybe come all the device down to that yet again,” Georgia Tech coach Bruce Heppler recalled. “It did and he hit the 2 photos of his existence.”
Strafaci, a senior at Georgia Tech, made birdie on the 36th and final gap to defeat Charles Osborne, 1 up, within the championship match of the U.S. Newbie at Bandon Dunes, a extremely ranked golf resort on the Oregon fly. In this marathon USGA championship, Sunday marked the fourth straight match that Strafaci had obtained on the final gap.
Strafaci came upon the golf green off the tee on the par-5 18th gap and knocked his second shot 15 toes previous the pin.
Leaderboard | Photos” data-reactid=”21″ type=”text”>U.S. Newbie: Leaderboard | Shots
“I told myself that I was going to hit a winning shot when it mattered most below primarily the most rigidity in amateur golf,” Strafaci talked about. “I valuable 225 yards to defend the bunkers and if I rip a 4-iron, it goes 225. I desired to hit it nearby hitting primarily the most attention-grabbing 4-iron of my existence. I knew I might maybe moreover attain it and trusted myself.”
Osborne hit his second shot appropriate in want of the fairway and pitched as a lot as 12 yards in want of the outlet. Strafaci appropriate ignored an eagle putt and made birdie sooner than Osborne ran his probability to power an additional gap appropriate previous the cup.
Strafaci hugged his father, Frank Jr., who used to be his caddie all week. He joined his grandfather as a USGA champion after Frank Strafaci Sr. obtained the U.S. Newbie Public Links title in 1935.
“This trophy has change into the holy grail of golf for my family for greater than 80 years,” Frank Strafaci Jr. talked about. “Here is something that my father constantly felt used to be an empty area on his competitive document and it meant plenty to him.”
Courtesy of his victory, Tyler Strafaci moreover earned a area on the 2021 Walker Cup crew, something else his grandfather never did.
Matt Kuchar, another U.S. Amateur champion from Georgia Tech, before his final round.” data-reactid=”29″ type=”text”>Strafaci gave Georgia Tech two straight winners of the tournament after his teammate Andy Ogletree obtained final yr. Strafaci moreover heard from Matt Kuchar, one more U.S. Newbie champion from Georgia Tech, sooner than his final round.
Osborne, an SMU sophomore, had eight birdies within the morning round as he went 5 up via 12 holes sooner than Strafaci closed within one gap to initiate the afternoon round.
Strafaci took his first lead with a birdie on the 25th gap, but Osborne tied it up with a birdie on the 31st gap.
Because the fog rolled in off the Pacific Ocean, Strafaci stepped to the tee of the 314-yard 14th gap and knocked his power eight toes previous the pin.
“I couldn’t peek the pin since the fog used to be so fallacious,” he talked about. “You couldn’t peek greater than 150 yards in front of you, but I knew it might maybe maybe well be comparatively appropriate.”
Osborne made a 30-foot birdie putt sooner than Strafaci drained his for eagle to circulation 1 up.
Strafaci hit the fairway on the par-3 15th gap and went 2-up when Osborne conceded the outlet after his tee shot went previous the fairway and two chips came up in want of the placing floor.
After Osborne’s power at the par-4 16th – a nearly blind shot thanks to the amount of fog hovering within the air – nearly hit the fairway, Strafaci landed his in a bunker. He blasted out on his second shot and flew into a penalty home late the outlet. He needed to concede when he couldn’t decide up the ball out of the sizable grass.
Strafaci hit his second shot into the penalty home on No. 17 after which took a topple and hit one more shot into the penalty home sooner than conceding yet again to Osborne.
For the third time in four days, Strafaci reached the final gap in a tie and obtained the outlet to clinch the match.
“That’s primarily the most attention-grabbing, most sensible match I’ve ever performed,” Strafaci talked about. “I achieved photos coming down the stretch and appropriate nipped him so it used to be fun.”
Osborne earned a area in subsequent yr’s U.S. Initiate and a likely invitation to the Masters with his runner-up function.
“I belief I performed truly properly,” he talked about. “I had just a few hiccups but I belief I performed huge this day. We were each and every playing truly properly so it used to be fun.”
The 2 men threw out birdie after birdie on Sunday.
“That must be certainly one of primarily the most attention-grabbing finals performed in U.S. Newbie history,” Frank Strafaci Jr. talked about.
Connected
U.S. Amateur: Wild finish as Tyler Strafaci wins on 18, will meet Ollie Osborne in final
U.S. Amateur semifinals set: Tyler Strafaci advances again on 18, Aman Gupta rallies to meet him
U.S. Amateur shocker: Caddie’s mistake sends player packing from Round of 16
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