Beau Hossler
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (June 17, 2012) -- Beau Hossler struggled on the final day of the 2012 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club but it didn't put a damper on his spectacular performance this week.
The 17-year-old incoming senior at Santa Margarita (CA) High School was just four shots off the pace heading into Sunday but finished with a final-round 76 to finish 9-over for the tournament and in a tie for 29th place.
Jordan Spieth, with a terrific weekend charge, captured low amateur honors. The University of Texas star shot a final-round 70 to go along with his Saturday 69, putting him at 7-over for the event and in a tie for 21st alongside Justin Rose, Nicolas Colsaerts and Tiger Woods.
Spieth, of course, nearly never made it to The Olympic Club. Following the Longhorns' run to the NCAA Championship earlier this month, Spieth suffered some fatigue and was on the outside looking in after sectional qualifying. He was able to get in as an alternate early during the week.
"It all happened so fast. I almost withdrew from that qualifier,"
Spieth told Golfweek. "Some things just go your way. I grabbed the breaks (this week)."
Patrick Cantlay, the world's top-ranked amateur player, was the third amateur to make the cut. The UCLA star, who had been rumored to possibly be turning pro this upcoming week at the Travelers Championship, finished tied for 41st at 11-over.
Hossler, despite his Sunday struggles, was the amateur story of the week. He captivated The Olympic Club crowd and made headlines throughout the event. It was reported prior to the final round that while Hossler entered the event with the lone goal of being the low amateur, he went into Sunday at the Open with a shot at winning it all.
"Any time you go consecutive bogeys for me at least I feel like it's kind of starting to slip a lit a little bit and you have to right the ship,"
Hossler told Golfweek. "And I couldn't do that today. I want to say I had maybe two or three birdies out there, but I just couldn't really stop the bleeding the whole round."
Hossler ultimately came to the 18th tee still tied for the low amateur honors. His tee shot found the rough and the competitor decided to go for the brutally tough pin position, seeking birdie and the outright honors over Spieth. He ended up with a nice sand save for a bogey and a whole lot of memories.
"(Winning low amateur) meant so much to Beau,"
Spieth said. "When he looks back (on this week), he will get chills. I just wanted to show my appreciation. "(Beau) was leading the U.S. Open (on Friday). A 17-year-old amateur. That is out of this world."
Additional information and quotes were used from rankings partner Golfweek in this report.
ABOUT THE
U.S. Open Golf Championship
The U.S. Open is the biggest of the 15 national
championships conducted by the USGA.
Open
to amateurs and professionals. Amateurs gain
entry via USGA win or runner-up finishes while having the opportunity
to qualify alongside non-exempt professionals in an 18-hole "Local' qualifying followed
by 36-hole "Final" qualifying which is affectionately known as golf's longest day.
Highly-ranked amateurs will be exempted past the 18-hole Local Qualifying. See the
USGA website for details. And if you are exempt on any level be sure to apply by the deadline anyway.
The USGA intends to make the U.S. Open
the
most rigorous, yet fair, examination of golf
skills, testing all forms of shot-making. The
USGA prepares the course after careful
consideration of 14 different factors.
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