With one dramatic, lightning-quick putt
on the only hole of the day, Jeff Quinney won the U.S. Amateur,
avoided a lifetime of "what ifs'' and got a bonus -- a golfing date
next year with Tiger Woods.
Quinney, who blew a three-hole lead with three holes to play in
regulation, won the weather-suspended 100th U.S. Amateur today by
sinking a 30-foot birdie putt on the 39th hole to defeat James
Driscoll.
Along with the title, Quinney of Arizona State earned exemptions
for the U.S. Open and British Open and an invitation to The Masters
next year.
The U.S. Open is the big one. The reigning U.S. Amateur champion
plays the first two rounds with the reigning U.S. Open champion -
Woods.
"Hopefully, I can hit the ball,'' Quinney said.
Quinney, of Eugene, Ore., went to bed Sunday night thinking that
exact thought after Driscoll, of Brookline, Mass., won the final
three regulation holes to wipe out a 3-down deficit and force a
sudden-death playoff.
The two halved the first two extra holes before the threat of
lightning forced a suspension in play until 9 a.m. today.
"What a long night it was,'' the 21-year-old Quinney said. "I
was really tired and fatigued. I was sitting in bed and just
couldn't fall asleep. I was so frustrated on the mistakes I made
yesterday, thinking this thing should have been over.''
Once play resumed on an overcast, muggy morning, all it took to
decide the championship was one hole, the par-3, 204-yard third on
the Upper Course at Baltusrol Golf Club.
Driscoll, a recent Virginia graduate, hit first, and his 5-iron
went right and landed in the deep rough at the back of the green
built on the side of a hill.
"I never thought I could have hit it back over that green in a
million years with that, at that time of day and with that
weather,'' Driscoll said.
Quinney debated a few seconds and hit an easy 4-iron to the
center of the green.
After Driscoll's soft downhill flop shot scooted 15-20 feet past
the hole and almost off the green, Quinney held a big advantage.
All he would have to do was get his left-to-right putt with a break
of about 15 inches in close, and Driscoll would have to make a long
one to extend the match.
It never got that far.
As the putt neared the hole on line, Quinney started walking
after it with his arms out, ready to celebrate like Woods did on
his birdie on the first playoff hole with Bob May in the recent PGA
Championship.
When the ball rolled in, Quinney extended his arms up and
quickly hugged his caddie, Tyler Pendergast.
"Usually you can tell by watching the guy if he thinks he's
made it or not,'' Driscoll said. "And it seemed his eyes were
getting a little bigger when it was going near the hole. I was
like: 'Oh man, this is going in.' It was a great putt.''
It capped a great comeback week for Quinney. He started stroke
play last Monday by shooting 6-over par for his first seven holes
but still managed to be among the 64 players from the field of 312
to reach match play.
He rallied from 4-down to beat Ben Curtis, a semifinalist a year
ago, in the third round, then came back from 3-down with six to
play to beat 18-year-old Hunter Mahan 2-up in the quarterfinals.
After beating 48-year-old David Eger in the semifinals, he shook
off his collapse on Sunday to finish off Driscoll today.
"I would have been real disappointed if I would have lost,''
Quinney said. "I don't know what I would have done. Gone back to
school. I would not have been able to show my face the way things
went yesterday when I gave it back to him. I wouldn't have been
able to forgive myself.''
When he thinks back, Driscoll may wonder what would have
happened if play had not been stopped because of the threat of bad
weather on Sunday night. He had the momentum and seemingly the
crowd, including about 100 relatives, on his side.
"It definitely was a different atmosphere this morning,''
Driscoll said. "Last night, you know, you're in a groove, you're
sweating, you're into match play. There's a certain rhythm you're
in.''
Driscoll didn't have that today. Quinney did.
By winning, Quinney also earned the last spot on the United
States team that will play in the World Amateur in Germany,
starting later this week.
The 39 holes tied the U.S. Amateur record for the longest title
match. Sam Urzetta beat Frank Stranahan in 39 holes in 1950.
