Polland Finds Redemption with PGA Club Pro Title
May 2, 2024
PARAMUS, N.J. -- Michael Thorbjornsen fought an uncooperative driver on Tuesday during the second round of stroke-play qualifying for the U.S. Amateur, but the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur champion appeared to be winning the fight as he arrived on the 18th tee at Arcola, one of the two courses being used for the tournament this week. (Ridgewood Country Club is the other course.) That was when his recalcitrant driver launched an errant missile, and Thorbjornsen ended up making a double bogey on the 452-yard finishing hole.
So instead of being the the one and only medalist -- he could have made a bogey and still had medalist honors all to himself -- he wound up sharing the honors with three other players -- Fred Biondi, Luke Gutschewski and Hugo Townsend.
Thorbjornsen, who will be a junior at Stanford in a couple of weeks, had to settle for an even-par 70 at Arcola on Tuesday, which gave him a 36-hole total of 138 (3 under). Biondi, soon to be a senior at Florida, shot a second straight 69, this one at Ridgewood on his way to the same number. Gutschewski, a sophomore to be at Iowa State and the son of PGA Tour veteran Scott Gutschewski, matched Thorbjornsen's 70 at Arcola. Townsend, an Ole Miss grad transfer from Boise State who has distinguished himself by carrying his own bag, was also at Arcola, and he shot 67.
"It doesn't really matter," Thorbjornsen said, when asked about being the sole medalist vs. being a co-medalist. "Kind of just more disappointed in myself for just doubling the last hole. It doesn't matter whether it's for nothing, or to win the U.S. Amateur. I just don't like playing bad golf."
The four co-medalists wound up one shot ahead of Gordon Sargent, who capped off his freshman year at Vanderbilt this spring by winning the NCAA individual championship. Sargent shot the only bogey-free round of the day and signed for a 65 at Arcola.
Right behind him, there was a three-way tie for sixth that included Luke Potter, a former Junior World champion. He followed a 71 at Arcola with a 69 at Ridgemont on Tuesday and wound up at 140.
Those guys will be the top eight seeds.
What hasn't been determined yet is who the bottom 11 seeds will be, because there was a 15-way tie for 54th place. They couldn't fit the playoff in Tuesday night; so they'll do it Wednesday morning.
The Minnesota State Amateur champions from the last two years -- Frankie Capan (2020) and Derek Hitchner (2021) -- will both be in it.
Capan started his Tuesday round on the 10th tee at Arcola, and he had a little bit of everything on the back nine, beginning with a double on the 437-yard, par-4 10th hole. He made two birdies, three pars and three bogeys over the next eight holes. Over the first eight holes on the front nine, the former Arizona state high school champion made birdies at the 382-yard third hole and the 427-yard, par-4 fifth, plus six pars.
That put him in a position to avoid the mass playoff, but he bogeyed the par-5 ninth (554 yards).
Hitchner's round followed a similar patern at Arcola, except with the nines reversed. The former Minnesota state high school champion had a variety pack on the front nine at Arcola, with four pars, four bogeys and a birdie at the third hole. He made three of those bogeys in a row -- Nos. 5, 6 and 7. But he parred the long, 514-yard, par-4 eighth and the 554-yard, par-5 ninth to conclude the outward nine, and made another five pars in a row to start the inward nine. The only hole on the back nine that he didn't par was another par 4 that would have been a par 5 not that long ago -- the 498-yard 15th.
The playoff is scheduled to begin 7:30 a.m Eastern Time on the 15th hole at Ridgemont, a 148-yard par 3, and continue through the 18th, a 461-yard par 4. After that, they will just keep playing No. 18 until all of those last 11 seeds are determined. The first Round of 64 match will start a 9 a.m.
U.S. Amateur
At Ridgewood Country Club (par 71, 7,403 yards)
& at Arcola (par 70, 7,251 yards)
Paramus, N.J.
Stroke play (the top 64 finishers advance to match play on Wednesday)
Final results
T1. Fred Biondi 69A 69R -- 138 (-5)
T1. Luke Gutchweski 68R 70A -- 138
T1. Hugo Townsend 71-R 67A -- 138
T1. Michael Thorbjornsen 68R 70A -- 138
5. Gordon Sargent 74R 65A -- 139
T6. Adrien Dumont de Chassart 70R 70A -- 140
T6. Luke Potter 71A 69R -- 140
T6. Christo Lamprecht 68A 72R -- 140
T9. Rasmus N. Peterson 73R 68A -- 141
T9. Benjamin James 71R 70A -- 141
T9. Mark Power 73R 68A -- 141
T9. Cohen Trolio 71R 70A -- 141
Playoff (15 players will vie for the last 11 spots in match play Wednesday morning)
T54. Derek Hitchner 72R 74A -- 146
T54. Frankie Capan 74R 72A -- 146
Missed cut
Carson Herron 76A 75R -- 151
Connor Schubring 76R 75A -- 151
Samuel Storey 79A 73R -- 152
Owen Mullen 77A 78R -- 155
Cecil Belisle 73A 83R -- 156
Gunnar Broin 78A 80R -- 158
Jacob Pedersen 82A 79R -- 161
May 2, 2024
May 1, 2024
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