MSU's Weatherhead makes final four at Michigan Amateur

EAST LANSING - In a matter of less than 36 hours, the 105th Michigan Amateur Championship field was chopped from 64 match-play competitors down to the final four Friday afternoon at Eagle Eye Golf Club.

The four survivors populating Saturday morning’s bracket are Michigan State senior Sam Weatherhead, University of Michigan senior Reed Hrynewich, 19-year-old Domenic Mancinelli of Northville (Grand Valley State) and Ben Lewis of Holland (former Hope College player).

Weatherhead defeated 2013 Michigan Amateur champ Andrew Chapman, 7-and-5 by wielding his putter with lethal force.

“My putting and my driving have really been helping me along this week,” Weatherhead said. “I haven’t been sticking many close to the hole this week but I’ve been hitting lot of greens and when the putter heats up you’ve got a good chance to drop those 15-to-20 footers.”

Weatherhead’s putter was particularly hot on holes 9, 12 and 13, where he closed out the match by draining a 15-foot putt before Chapman attempted his par. But hole 9 was the turning point. Weatherhead struck his third shot on the par 5 into the greenside lake, while Chapman flew well past the green to a pin right at the back edge. Weatherhead made a drop in the first cut of rough before stroking the putt for par well over 20 feet, before Chapman missed his up and down.

“The shot going into that green was nothing spectacular,” he said. “I knew he had a tough up and down (coming) so I knew I wasn’t out of the hole. I wasn’t expecting to win it. I figured if I got out of there with a bogey, maybe halve the hole I’d have a sizeable lead going into the back nine. Fortunately that par putt trickled in on the last roll there and that was kind of the switch in the match. I go from possibly losing the hole after hitting into the water, to another hole up.”

Weatherhead led 5-up after nine, then dropped a 20-foot downhill slider into the cup at the par 3 12th hole. Chapman, age 36, is from Traverse City and played at Michigan. He had beaten Weatherhead’s MSU teammate Josh Heinze (Canton) in the previous round.

“My teammate texted me before the round and I told him I was going to try and go avenge him, so, mission accomplished there,” Weatherhead said. “I knew he (Chapman) has won this before and he’s really good and no one to mess around with, and fortunately I was able to go out there and play some really good golf.

“Two more to go, that’s about it,” he said about thoughts on the final four. “It’s more than I’ve accomplished to date but it’s not quite the end of the road yet.”

Hrynewich will face Weatherhead in the semifinal today. Hrynewich beat Ovid’s Nick Gunthorpe (seeded 7th) in the sweet 16 match in 19 holes before downing MSU assistant coach Dan Ellis (No. 34) in the quarterfinal, 8-and-6.

“For not practicing a whole lot, for not preparing a whole lot, I can’t really ask for much more,” Ellis said. “I’m certainly proud of the way I fought.”

Gunthrope put up a great fight as well. Going into the 16th hole 2-down, Gunthorpe won that hole on an up and down before the players halved 17. He then went for broke on 18, reaching the par 5 green in two shots.

“We were basically next to each other in the fairway (on 18) and I hit a three-wood perfect,” Gunthorpe said. “It was a little hot and got past the pin so I had a slippery one down the hill (that missed for eagle). But luckily he missed (his par) and I rolled it in the jaws.”

Hrynewich won the first extra hole with a par.

“I hit the ball so good all week but today was probably the worst I played all week, and yet I barely lost,” Gunthorpe said. “I hope I can use this going into the future and build upon it. This was my main event for the summer.”