Tyler Watts (left) and Trevor Gutschewski (USGA Photo)
Tyler Watts, 16, of Huntsville, Ala., and Trevor Gutschewski, 17, of Omaha, Neb., each won quarterfinal and semifinal matches on a picture-perfect Friday to advance to Saturday’s 36-hole final match of the 76th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club.
Watts, who is coming off a Round of 32 exit last year, defeated Jay Leng, Jr. 18, of San Diego, Calif., 3 and 2, in the semifinals. Gutschewski, who is attempting to become the first U.S. Junior Amateur champion from Nebraska, held off Xihuan Chang, 2 and 1, of the People’s Republic of China.
The lefty Watts, the youngest reigning Alabama State Amateur champion, started his semifinal match with two pars before pouring in a birdie on the par-3 third hole and making the turn at 2 up after a stuffed tee shot, resulting in an easy birdie at the ninth. Leng, who never trailed in either of his matches on Thursday, couldn’t make a run at Watts during the afternoon. He hit his approach to six feet on the 11th before Watts zipped a wedge inside his ball to three inches, tying the hole with birdies. Watts continued to pepper greens, building a 3-up lead after a conceded birdie on the 13th and a par on the tough 15th. On the short par-4 16th, Watts roasted a 3-wood to the front of the green and chipped it close to a couple of feet, closing the match in fashion.
"I definitely wanted to make match play; that’s obviously the first goal you have coming into the event,” said Watts. “After that, I just try to go one match at a time and see how long you can go. I’m one match away.”
Watts, the lone U.S. Junior National Team member left in the field, won the first hole of the day in his quarterfinals match to go 1 up but quickly relinquished the lead on the 5th hole to a birdie by Diehl. The duo tied the next five holes with pars before Watts birdied Nos. 11, 12, and 14 with stellar iron play, eventually closing out Diehl, 3 up.
Gutschewski took a 1-up lead on Chang after three holes of his semifinal match and didn’t trail for the rest of the day.
Despite battling an errant driver throughout the middle part of the round, the University of Florida commit scrapped his way around “The Monster.” Gutschewski buried a 22-foot downhill slider for a birdie on the 11th and followed that up by walking in a 12-footer on twelve for another birdie, taking a 2-up lead.
Chang grabbed one back on the 13th when Gutschewski lipped out a 3-footer and snagged another with a downhill 8-footer for birdie on the 14th to even the match.
On the 338-yard driveable par 4, Chang found the water with his tee shot, prompting Gutschewski to lay up, play for par, and take a 1-up lead.
“I had driver out,” said Gutschewski about the tee shot on 16. I was thinking it's 290 carry over, so I thought I had that, and then he goes in the water, so there is no reason to try it. I figured I'd just hit one up there and make par. I figured that would be good enough unless he hit a really good shot.”
Gutschewski then closed the match on the next hole, the enormous 241-yard par 3, and got some exciting news that both he and Watts would be throwing out the first pitch at the Detroit Tigers game.
"I couldn't have had any better news coming off the 17th green,” said Gutschewski. “I got to work on getting my arm ready. I feel like I got to throw out a faster pitch than Tyler today. Strike some fear into him before the first tee tomorrow.”
Gutschewski outlasted Simmons with a 1 up victory in the morning quarterfinals match. Simmons jumped out early, winning the first two holes and building a 2 up lead, but Gutschewski charged back and opened a 3 up lead through the 12th. He was able to hang on down the stretch, closing the match with a 6-footer on the final hole.
Trevor is the son of PGA Tour veteran Scott Gutschewski, who is teeing it up this week at the 3M Open in Minnesota. Scott was at the Junior Amateur on Monday and Tuesday and has been getting updates from his wife on the family group text.
Earlier in the morning, Leng outlasted his Junior Ryder Cup teammate Miles Russell in a hotly contested match which went the distance. Russell, the 15-year-old who became the youngest golfer ever to make a cut on the Korn Ferry Tour earlier this season and made a PGA Tour start last month at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, jumped out to 1 up lead after three holes, but Leng tied the match on the next hole and never looked back.
“I was really excited to finally be in front of a big crowd this week,” said Leng. “I was looking forward to it all of last night.”
Russell found himself 3 down after 11 holes and clawed back to 1 down on the 18th hole but was unable to make birdie from the fairway rough and conceded the match after a nifty lag putt from Leng.
What's Next
Saturday’s 36-hole championship match will commence at 8 a.m. EDT and is scheduled to resume after the lunch break at 1:30 p.m. Peacock has live coverage from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. EDT. Admission is free and spectators are encouraged to attend.
View results for U.S. Junior Amateur
ABOUT THE
U.S. Junior Amateur
While it is not the
oldest
competition, the U.S. Junior Amateur is
considered the premier junior competition,
having been around since 1948. The event
is
open to male golfers who have not
reached
their 19th birthday prior to the close of
competition and whose USGA Handicap
Index
does not exceed 6.4. The U.S. Junior is
one of
14 national championship conducted
annually
by the USGA, 10 of which are strictly for
amateurs.
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