U.S. Amateur Public Links Blog

Friday, July 13, 2007

Friday Observations

So now we're down to just two players: Colt Knost and Cody Paladino. Watched Knost play quite a bit today and noticed he uses a belly putter. That's not something you see a lot of with younger players. Then again, Clayton Rask, a University of Minnesota fifth-year senior, was using a long putter. Sure he gets a few weird stares, but the ball goes in the hole for him. Knost made some clutch putts today, including a 10-footer for par on No. 10 in his semifinal match against Corey Nagy. Nagy then missed a 7-footer for par and the match went to all square. From there, Knost took control, winning holes 13, 14 and 15 with birdies. Knost's caddie is Ben Bartell, a local who works in Cantigny's caddie program as well as other duties around the facility. Had Derek Fathauer won his semfinal match, it would have been a weird caddie matchup in the final. Fathauer's caddie is Naperville North senior Amanda Bruski. Bruski and Bartell used to date each other. You would have had a match within a match. Bruski is a promising player who hopes to play Division I college golf. Bartell is headed out to Pepperdine in the fall. Forty local Cantigny caddies were used this week. Bruski was actually carrying for Knost's former Southern Methodist University teammate James Minihan, but he failed to make match play and Fathauer needed a caddie. So they joined forces and made quite a team until the semis, where he lost, 1 down, to Cody Paladino. Some of the Cantigny caddies have gone on to earn Evans Scholarships, a program funded by the Western Golf Association, whose headquarters are in Chicago. APL General Chairman Jim Sutherland told me five Cantigny caddies have earned Evans Scholarships. It should be an entertaining final on Saturday. Knost definitely is the hotter player, having played 7-under-par golf on Friday (34 holes). He desperately wants to play on the 2007 USA Walker Cup team and winning the APL title would definitely add to his portfolio. Cody Paladino would be the first player from Connecticut to win this title. Connecticut hasn't produced a lot of great players, but PGA Tour star J.J. Henry grew up there and U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Jerry Courville is from the Nutmeg State as well. Paladino would also be the fourth 18-year-old to win the APL since its inception in 1922. Before the championship, one of the Cantigny guys asked me who I liked to win. I said there were 20-25 guys who I thought had an excellent chance, but when pressed for an answer, I randomly said Colt Knost. I knew he had some pedigree and coming off his Byron Nelson experience, I thought he might be tough to beat. Sure enough, he's in the final. But I think he's going to have a heckuva battle against Paladino, who is very mature and articulate for someone his age. He talks and acts like someone twice his age. May the best player win. David Shefter USGA Staff Writer

Posted By David Shefter At 11:16 PM •

Friday Thoughts

We have another glorious day in store here in Chicago. It may be hard to believe after all of our weather issues on Monday and Tuesday. But there's hardly a cloud in the sky and we have cool, pleasant temperatures for the morning quaterfinals. Interesting to note that all three NCAA Division I third-team All-Americas who qualified for the APL, have advanced to the quarters: Colt Knost (SMU), Derek Fathauer (Louisville) and Lucas Lee (UCLA). Corey Nagy was on the first-team All-Freshman squad and an honorable-mention All-American. Then you have the story of the championship in Andy Roberts and a couple of guys trying to make a name for themselves in Penn State's Robert Rohanna and San Diego State's Aaron Goldberg. Cody Paladino is one of the best juniors in the Northeast who is headed to Baylor in the fall. Knost might be the man to beat. He won three college events this past season and he made the cut at the Byron Nelson, shooting a second-round 64. He also was invited to the Walker Cup practice session held in January at Old Memorial in Tampa, Fla. Of the seven U.S.-born players left in the field, he has the best chance of getting on to the 2007 Walker Cup team. Three more wins here would certainly help his cause.

Posted By David Shefter At 8:08 AM •

Disappointing Decision

Tadd Fujikawa could have been playing in the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship this week at Cantigny. He chose not to file an entry and go through sectional qualifying. Tadd Fujikawa was fully exempt into the U.S. Junior later this month outside of St. Louis. He chose not to file an entry. Now we know why. Fujikawa was working a back-room deal to turn professional at the tender age of 16. My question is what's the rush? Why turn pro before graduating from high school? The last time I checked, the PGA Tour isn't folding up shop any time soon. It's not the World Football League. This is becoming a disturbing trend in golf today. So many "kids" are rushing to the play-for-pay ranks, some before receiving high school diplomas; others without ever stepping foot inside a college classroom. What happened to having fun in junior golf? What happened to enjoying your college years while maturing and growing up at the same time? Just because Fujikawa became the youngest-ever qualifier for a U.S. Open at age 15 (Winged Foot in 2006) and made a cut in a PGA Tour event this past January in his home state of Hawaii (Sony Open) doesn't suddenly make him ready for the professional ranks. A few years ago, Derek Tolan and Tom Glissmeyer, both Colorado residents, qualified for U.S. Opens in back-to-back years (2002 and '03) at the age of 16. Neither has turned pro yet. Tolan, in fact, qualified for the 2007 APL and missed the match-play cut as one of the final players eliminated in Wednesday's large 19-for-16 playoff. Colt Knost, one of the quarterfinalists this week, was talking about his future professional plans on Thursday after his victories. Knost shot a 64 earlier this year at the PGA Tour's EDS Byron Nelson Championship and made the cut, eventually finishing in a tie for 67th. He said he isn't quite ready yet to make the jump. This from a kid who was a third-team All-American at Southern Methodist University this past season and spent four solid years in college. This is a kid who could be on the 2007 USA Walker Cup team. We have even heard Jamie Lovemark saying he is going to come back for his sophomore season at the University of Southern California. Lovemark won the NCAA Division I title with back-to-back 64s at Golden Horseshoe in Williamsburg, Va., this spring and lost in a playoff to Chris Riley at a Nationwide Tour event. He also made the cut at last week's AT&T Invitational hosted by Tiger Woods. He, too, could be on the 2007 Walker Cup team. The point is that kids should let their talent develop. They should go through the junior and amateur ranks and learn how to win and be successful at those levels. It didn't hurt Tiger Woods to spend two years at Stanford University. Why not go to college and get a degree in case the pro-golf thing doesn't pan out and you have something to fall back on. Instead, we see guys like Fujikawa and 16-year-old Canadian Richard Lee, who qualified for the 2007 U.S. Open, turn pro at the time they should be getting their driver's licenses. It's sad to see. Maybe they should contact Ty Tryon. David Shefter USGA Staff Writer

Posted By David Shefter At 8:08 AM •