Brandon Holtz said he was planning to take an ice bath Wednesday night.
After two rounds of stroke play and five of match play in the searing heat of the Arizona desert, Holtz’s 38-year-old legs were feeling it. And he still had one more hill to climb: the 36-hole final at the 44th U.S. Mid-Amateur.
“I wish you guys would just give us some damn carts,” Holtz quipped of the tournament’s organizers.
There would, of course, be no E-Z-GOs. On Thursday morning, Holtz, who moonlights as realtor in Indiana, put one foot in front of the other at Troon Country Club and set out the play the biggest match of his life. If he could topple 28-year-old Jeg Coughlin III of Dublin, Ohio, Holtz would claim not only his first USGA title in his first attempt but also Thursday and Friday tee times in the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills and, more than likely, the Masters. (Augusta National has extended an invitation to the Mid-Amateur winner every year since 1989.)
Riding shotgun with Brandon at Troon CC, in the form of his caddie, was Brandon’s father, Jeff. “He’s a golfer,” Brandon said. “He’s a gamer. That’s where I get all my fire.”
Jeff also gave his son something else: Masters badges. That came back in 2010, the year Phil Mickelson won his third green jacket. Jeff hit the ticket lottery that year and took his son along for the ride. “We know how special it is,” Brandon said of pacing the fairways at Augusta National. Brandon knows all too well that entrée to the U.S. Open also is nothing to sniff at. He said he has advanced to sectional qualifying “probably seven times” but never punched his ticket to the big dance. On Thursday morning Phoenix local time, just one last match stood between him and a June date at Shinnecock.
This year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur raised a few eyebrows for the number of former pros who advanced deep into match play; of the eight quarterfinalists only two had never played professionally. Holtz’s run in the pro ranks included a half-dozen years on the mini-tours before he regained his amateur status in 2024. “I liked to play for cash,” Holtz said. “[But] it got to the point where I just wasn’t playing any events anymore, so decided to get my amateur status back.”
Smart move.
Holtz came out firing, making two conceded eagles on par-4s (aided by shaky tee shots from Coughlin) in the first six holes to grab a 2-up lead. Through 18, he had extended his advantage to 3 up. With a break between 18s, Coughlin used the time not only to hit balls on the range but also clear his mind by meditating with his girlfriend in the clubhouse.
The second loop was a rollercoaster. Holtz won the 19th and 20th holes to move to 5 up but Coughlin slugged back, cutting his deficit to just one 1 down through 28. On the 34th tee, with a 2-up edge, Holtz landed a championship-winning haymaker, stiffing his tee shot on the 308-yard par-4 to 7 feet.
After his 3-and-2 victory, Holtz was asked to look ahead to the major exemptions he’ll enjoy next year. Any player, in particular, he’d like to play a practice round with?
“There’s a list for sure,” he said. “Whoever likes to have fun and talk a little trash. That’s who I’d like to play with.”
