U.S. Amateur notebook: 12 things I loved from a week at Hazeltine

Hand up, I have covered nearly two dozen major championships on-site, but last week was my very first U.S. Amateur. This one was convenient, since Hazeltine National Golf Club is only about 30 minutes from my house (still waiting for the membership invite to arrive in the mail, guys), so I had it circled on my calendar all year.

And? It was awesome. I watched Jose Luis Ballester hoist the Havemeyer Trophy, Noah Kent introduce himself to the world and got to learn — and tell — the story of Godfrey Nsubuga, the first Uganda native to play in the U.S. Amateur.

As for my other takeaways? Let’s clean out the notebook. Here are 12 things I loved from last week’s U.S. Amateur.

Playoff madness

I woke up early on Wednesday morning to catch the 14-for-11 playoff to finalize the 64-player match-play field. Birdies were good enough to advance, but playing the difficult par-4 10th — where the tee shot and approach were crucial — led to lots of bogeys and a bonus playoff. It was also interesting to watch the players watch their peers. As Gunnar Broin said, “A couple of them are my friends, and you hate to cheer against him, but hey, I was cheering for bogeys, I’m not gonna lie.”

Broin was the first to make bogey, so he needed more to stay alive. After he did, he birdied the second playoff hole (the par-3 17th) in epic fashion to secure his spot. As a Minnesotan and Hazeltine caddie, he received a huge ovation.

Second chances

Speaking of that 14-for-11 playoff, Ethan Fang found himself in it as well. He was in good position and on the green in 2, but he three-putted for bogey and had to see if he’d get another chance. Once he did, he made par on the 17th to advance. He also made the most of it in match play, advancing all the way to the quarterfinals, where he lost 3 and 2 to Kent.

Driver off the deck

I wrote this is my Sunday gamer on Ballester, but his driver off the par-5 3rd fairway — into the wind from about 315 yards, to about 15 feet — was the most-talked-about shot I saw all week. It was also one of the more impressive ones I’ve seen up close while walking with players. Another that comes to mind happened just a couple hundred yards away from there, when I was standing behind the green when Patrick Reed holed out from the fairway at the 2016 Ryder Cup.

Good friends

Ballester gave out just one guest pass at Hazeltine, which was for his best friend Navid Mousavi. He grew up with Ballester in Spain and now plays on the William Carey University men’s golf team in Mississippi. Mousavi walked inside the ropes most of Sunday afternoon and later waited for USGA communications staff to give him the go-ahead to greet his friend on the 18th green so they could celebrate together. When Ballester finished his Sunday night press conference, he joked in Spanish, “You’re going to be in all the highlights!”

No. 1 fans

In the Round of 64 matches on Wednesday, top-ranked amateur Luke Clanton faced Dylan McDermott. Clanton was 4 up after 12, but on the 13th McDermott chipped in to save par. Two women watching next to each other celebrated. It was both of their moms. They talked and walked several holes together. “She’s so nice,” Rhonda Clanton said.

No. 1 fans (Part II)

Luke Clanton’s sister, Abby, might actually be his No. 1 fan, especially since she wears a shirt that says “LUKE’S #1 FAN” and can easily be heard rooting him on at events. The former soccer player at the University of West Alabama carries around a golf ball that he tossed to her during a tournament earlier this year. Now it’s always in her hand as she watches. She calls it her fidget widget.

Souvenirs

What’s unique about the U.S. Amateur is that players, caddies, volunteers and media share the same dining area. On Thursday I happened to sit next to a player-caddie duo talking strategy. I eventually learned it was 36-year-old mid-am Christian Brand — who won the West Virginia Am by 21 strokes — and his looper Jason Grimmett. (“I’m the old guy,” Brand said.) They were preparing for their Round of 16 against Ballester, the eventual champ. While they lost 2 and 1, they at least left Minnesota with a keepsake. Earlier on Thursday, in their Round of 32 1-up win against Ethan Evans, Brand holed out from the fairway for an eagle 2 on the par-4 9th. He kept the ball — and the divot.

News

Brand’s Instagram bio

It reads: “I used to be good at golf and I used to have a sick mullet.”

The par-4 16th hole

What an absolutely awesome match-play hole and in an incredibly perfect part of the golf course.

Boredom cures

A security guard, maybe in his early 20s, at the oldest, sat in a chair outside one of the entrances to the Hazeltine clubhouse, which was one members and media frequented. He just needed to make sure people going through had the correct color badge, which isn’t necessarily the most difficult or thrilling line of work. I almost asked one day if he was bored. I didn’t, but returned a couple of hours later to see him laughing and playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with a couple of teenagers.

Now what?

After his press conference with the media, Ballester lifted his new trophy, inspected it and asked, “What do we do with this? Do we get to keep it for a year?” (Yes, he does.)

The secret

Which is just how great of an event this is to attend (and cover). The U.S. Amateur is everything that’s wonderful about golf rolled into one delightful week in August. Fans walk fairways, they feel the grass; the bold even remove their flip flops, feeling the cool bentgrass beneath their toes. Tickets are cheap ($30!), access is unprecedented and views (with no grandstands) are spectacular. Lacking all the pomp and circumstance normally seen at major tournaments, the U.S. Amateur feels like you’ve stumbled onto an intense match at your local club. What a week.