At the 2024 U.S. Amateur, the real drama began with a raucous playoff
Gunnar Broin, pictured Tuesday at the U.S. Amateur, advanced to match play via a playoff on Wednesday morning.
Chris Keane/USGA
CHASKA, Minn. — Nate Deziel, all smiles, was waiting for Gunnar Broin near the scoring area at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. Broin’s adrenaline was still pumping.
“Did you hear it,” Broin asked, “or did you see it?”
The answer was both, but anyone who didn’t see Broin’s 15-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to clinch his spot in the match-play portion of the 2024 U.S. Amateur certainly heard the ovation.
Broin and Deziel were two of five Minnesotans to qualify for the U.S. Amateur, but Broin was the only one to advance out of stroke play. His was a rollercoaster ride, too, especially since Broin triple-bogeyed his first hole of the week and then made another bogey to begin the 14-for-11 playoff on Wednesday morning at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
There’s also that added bit of pressure that Broin caddied here for four years and has one of the biggest fan bases in the field.
“I thought I was done [after the bogey],” said Broin, a senior at Kansas last season. “The doubt starts to set in, but I hung in there and am just excited to have the opportunity. Just wanted to get in at this point. It was so stressful last night just thinking about it. So many emotions right now, it’s nice.”
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While the world’s attention on the U.S. Amateur picks up on the weekend as the match-play field narrows, the first bit of drama usually comes on Wednesday morning, when there’s a playoff to finalize the 64 players who make it through to match play.
The U.S. Am was robbed of this tasty tidbit of bonus golf last year — which was just the second time since 2000 there wasn’t a playoff after the 36-hole stroke-play portion — but it returned this year for some wonderful morning entertainment.
Fourteen players were stuck at even par after Tuesday, and they went off the 10th tee in four groups beginning at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. Eleven spots were up for grabs.
Broin was in the first group, and after hitting “about 100 perfect 3-irons” on the range he pulled his tee shot into the thick rough. With no angle to the green he laid up to about 70 yards out, pitched on to 15 feet and missed his par putt. Bogey.
Then, he waited. He sat with his caddie, Chris Baisch, off to the side of the 10th green as three more groups passed through, waiting to see if he’d be given a chance at another playoff hole. With 11 spots available, pars were probably good enough, or at least for another playoff hole. Birdies punched match-play tickets. Those who made bogey would need help.
“A couple of them are my friends, and you hate to cheer against him, but hey, I was cheering for bogeys,” Broin said. “I’m not gonna lie. I just wanted an opportunity. I’m the only one from Minnesota to get in match play, so I just wanted it really bad.”
Peter Fountain made the first birdie, and incoming Stanford freshman Ratchanon Tk Chantananuwat, in the second group, added another.
Fountain, a senior at North Carolina last season, made his from about 45 feet. He said in previous playoffs his mindset had been to make par and that’s backfired and led to bogeys. He changed that Wednesday.
“I told my caddie this morning, I’m just going to play golf,” Fountain said. “Not focus on trying to make a score because that’s usually when I play a little too conservatively, so thankfully was just able to get it done today.”
Luke Colton made bogey in the second group, and in the third Algot Kleen hit one left off the tee and had to drop. When Omar Tejeira Jaén found the greenside bunker and left about 20 feet for par, one volunteer said exactly what the swelling gallery, and Broin, were thinking: “There is a chance we are going to have the bogeys play on.”
He missed, and Colton, who had joined Broin off the green, glanced at his caddie, the universal look of we still have a chance.
In the final group, Matthew Comegys made birdie and Omar Morales got up and down for par to secure their spots. Ethan Fang three-putted from about 50 feet, making bogey, which meant he was joining the 5-for-3 playoff on the par-3 17th hole.
Broin walked the 100 or so yards to the 17th tee by himself and was first to play. It turned out to be the best of the bunch, settling about 15 feet away. Three others also found the green, and when Joseph Lenane missed left into the water — and snapped his club around his neck — it was essentially four players competing for three spots.
Fang was first to play, easily two-putting for par. Next was Colton, who left about 10 feet for par. Then Morales two-putted to secure his 3. Broin was last, about pin high, and with a gallery of about 150 spectators he watched as his ball tracked toward the cup. The speed was perfect — par looked guaranteed — but his ball caught the left edge and flushed around the cup for a birdie.
“Come on!” he yelled, as the crowd roared. He fist-pumped and screamed again. Minutes later, Colton missed from 10 feet, denying extra holes and ending the playoff.
“Honestly, can’t really describe the feeling,” Broin said. “It’s a whirlwind. Thought I was out and made a 15-footer and now we are in.”
Five days are left, but the drama’s already arrived.
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