McCain Cruises through 1st Round at Australian Am, But Loses in 2nd

VICTORIA, Australia -- Andrew McCain, who was probably Minnesota's most widely traveled amateur during the last couple of years, may have clinched the title again for 2017, and we're only a little more than halfway through January. 

The two-time State Four-Ball champion -- and former State Open champ -- turned up in Australia this week and played his way into the match-play portion of the Australian Amateur. After tying for 12th in the 36-hole stroke-play qualifying, he won his first match, 5&3 over Tuck Soon Chan of Maylasia on Thursday at Yarra Yarra Golf Club. But in the second round (Round of 32) on Friday morning, he was beaten 2&1 by Josh Armstrong, an Australian from New South Wales.

Armstrong will face last year's runner-up Travis Smyth, a fellow New South Welshman, in the third round. 

Both Armstrong and Smyth have dodged bullets to get this far. Armstrong made what was described as a "miracle up and down" at Yarra Yarra's 18th hole to win his opening match. And Smyth has already used up four or five lives to survive this long. In the qualifying -- one round at Yarra Yarra and one at Kingswood Country Golf Club -- he shot 77-72--149. He assumed that would miss the cut. Instead, it got him into a massive 20-man playoff for the last 18 spots in match play.

Smyth made a par on the first extra hole, and he was through to the Round of 64.

In his first match, Smyth appeared to be toast once again. He was all square with the No. 3 seed, New Zealander Ryan Chisnall, as they teed off on the 18th hole. Chisnall hit the fairway. Smyth hit his drive into the trees. All he could do from there was chip out, but he hit his approach to within 10 feet of a tucked pin and made the putt for par. He then birdied the first extra hole and advanced.

Also advancing to Friday morning's third round was the medalist, Kevin Yuan, another Australian from New South Wales. He shot 69 at both of the courses used for qualifying, Yarra Yarra (par 70) and Kingswood (par 72), and his aggregate of 138 was one stroke better than the total posted by Min Woo Lee.

As for McCain, his tournament golf resume includes the U.S. Amateur, the Western Amateur, the Canadian Amateur and the Sunnehanna Tournament of Champions, plus the Pacific Amateur, where he set the tournament record in 2015 with a 62 at Pine Canyon Club in Flagstaff, Ariz., (he ended up tying for fourth in that tournament). He won the 2015 Minnesota State Open at Mendakota CC and later that summer combined with Hudson Carpenter to win the State Four-Ball at Dellwood, which became McCain's home course the following year.

By the summer of 2016, Carpenter had turned professional. So McCain teamed up with Jesse Bull, the 2014 State Amateur champ, and won the Four-Ball again, this time at Edina CC.  

Australian Amateur

At Yarra Yarra Golf Club (par 70) & at Kingswood Country Golf Club (par 72)

Victoria, Australia

Qualifying 

1. Kevin Yuan                    69-69--138

2. Min Woo Lee                 70-69--139

T3. Kieren Jones               69-71--140

T3. Ryan Chisnall              67-73--140

T5. Kiran Day                    67-74--141

T5. Seung-taek Oh           72-69--141

T12. Andrew McCain      72-72--144

What it took: 149 (20-way tie for 47th, which meant a 20-man playoff for the last 18 spots)

Match play

First round (Round of 64)

McCain def. Tuck Soon Chan, Malaysia 5&3

Second round

Josh Armstrong, Australia, def.  McCain 2&1