ARDMORE, Pa. — Merion, the club and the course, is about as English as anything American thing could be, and Sunday here — for the finale of the 126th U.S. Amateur — was dank and wet and of-so-English. An Englishman was playing a kid from California. The Englishman won. Not a shocker.
There was something truly great about this Am, the whole seven days of it: six days of hot, dry golf leading to this rainy, cool Sunday; 312 players whittled down to two; and a final featuring two totally dissimilar golfers. Jack Whaley, deeply tanned and powerfully built, grew up in Doncaster, England, plays at Florida State and has a ready-for-the-Tour swing and a grind-it-out demeanor. Jay Leng Jr. grew up in San Diego, plays at Stanford, could not weigh 130 pounds, has a stance wider than Moe Norman's and a backswing shorter than Jon Rahm's, and follows no known playbook but his own. It was a delight watching these two go at it in this 36-hole final. Whaley won the match with a birdie on 15, the final nail in his 4-and-3 victory.
Arnold Palmer, who won this event in 1954, offered this as a swing tip for life: "Swing your swing." A cousin to you do you. Leng, winner of the Western Amateur earlier this summer who will represent the U.S. at next month's Walker Cup at Lahinch in Ireland, did not know Palmer's three-word phrase but understood its message. "I've always done things my own way and it seems to be working so I don't see any reason to change now," Leng said Sunday night, about to board a van for a ride back to the clubhouse as Whaley's new trophy was being brought to the 15th green.
By 14, Leng was playing without a hat, his black hair so wet he looked like he had just stepped out of a shower, his shirt close to soaked. Asked if he had learned anything over the course of the day about playing in the rain, he said, "Maybe carry more towels?" He was wet and worn out and tired. A U.S. Amateur can take a lot out of a guy, and so can golf in a steady rain.
Andy North won his two U.S. Opens playing in cold and wet conditions. He is now a member of the USGA executive committee — nice get, USGA! — and was at the award presentation. "Not a shock to see a player from England play so well in these conditions — you would think he has a lot of experience at it," North said Sunday night. "Playing in the rain really requires you to stay as dry as you possibly can while keeping your mind totally focused on the shots you have to make, never giving in to the rain for a second." Andy North was a master of keeping two towels in the spokes of his umbrella while playing in the rain, one for the grips, the other for his hands.
#playing #amateur
There was something truly great about this Am, the whole seven days of it: six days of hot, dry golf leading to this rainy, cool Sunday; 312 players whittled down to two; and a final featuring two totally dissimilar golfers. Jack Whaley, deeply tanned and powerfully built, grew up in Doncaster, England, plays at Florida State and has a ready-for-the-Tour swing and a grind-it-out demeanor. Jay Leng Jr. grew up in San Diego, plays at Stanford, could not weigh 130 pounds, has a stance wider than Moe Norman's and a backswing shorter than Jon Rahm's, and follows no known playbook but his own. It was a delight watching these two go at it in this 36-hole final. Whaley won the match with a birdie on 15, the final nail in his 4-and-3 victory.
Arnold Palmer, who won this event in 1954, offered this as a swing tip for life: "Swing your swing." A cousin to you do you. Leng, winner of the Western Amateur earlier this summer who will represent the U.S. at next month's Walker Cup at Lahinch in Ireland, did not know Palmer's three-word phrase but understood its message. "I've always done things my own way and it seems to be working so I don't see any reason to change now," Leng said Sunday night, about to board a van for a ride back to the clubhouse as Whaley's new trophy was being brought to the 15th green.
By 14, Leng was playing without a hat, his black hair so wet he looked like he had just stepped out of a shower, his shirt close to soaked. Asked if he had learned anything over the course of the day about playing in the rain, he said, "Maybe carry more towels?" He was wet and worn out and tired. A U.S. Amateur can take a lot out of a guy, and so can golf in a steady rain.
Andy North won his two U.S. Opens playing in cold and wet conditions. He is now a member of the USGA executive committee — nice get, USGA! — and was at the award presentation. "Not a shock to see a player from England play so well in these conditions — you would think he has a lot of experience at it," North said Sunday night. "Playing in the rain really requires you to stay as dry as you possibly can while keeping your mind totally focused on the shots you have to make, never giving in to the rain for a second." Andy North was a master of keeping two towels in the spokes of his umbrella while playing in the rain, one for the grips, the other for his hands.
#playing #amateur
3 days ago
