Edoardo Molinari celebrates after his birdie putt to win the final match of the U.S. Amateur 4 and 3. (John Mummert/USGA)

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Molinari Uses Birdie Binge To Become First Italian To Win The U.S. Amateur

Ardmore, Pa. – Italy’s Edoardo Molinari, 24, needed just 18 putts through the 15 holes of the second round and overcame an early 3-down deficit to beat Dillon Dougherty, 22, of Woodland, Calif., for the U.S. Amateur title at Merion Golf Club, 4 and 3.

"That’s pretty good," said Molinari when told of his putting stats and the fact that he was the first Italian to win the Amateur title. "That looked crazy to me too. The way I played was a once in a lifetime.

Molinari’s Hot Putter Makes Him First Italian U.S. Amateur Champion

Ardmore, Pa. – Here he was, a stranger in a foreign land, mowing down the field the way a scythe cuts through oversized weeds.

A no-namer to most, 24-year-old Italian Edoardo Molinari had the wherewithal to withstand adversity and channel his inner thoughts the way most champions do. There was no panic, no doubt and certainly no hysterics when he found himself 3 down at the 18-hole break Sunday at Merion Golf Club.

Lead Gone, Dougherty Kept Fighting

Ardmore, Pa. - Dillon Dougherty did the same things he had done over the first four days of match play, but in the finals Dougherty ran into a buzz saw that was Edoardo Molinari, who won the U.S. Amateur final, 4 and 3.

Dougherty had a dream start to his U.S. Amateur finals, making a birdie on the first hole and taking a 1-up lead. It would be a lead that would eventually grow to 3 up after the first 18 holes, as Dougherty made three birdies and six bogeys in the morning. Meanwhile, Molinari missed putts that he characteristically would make to aid Dougherty’s cause.

All Done: Meeks Bids farewell

Ardmore, Pa. – As Craig Smith, USGA director of media relations, drove through a pelting rain toward Merion Golf Club Sunday morning, he had an intuitive grasp of the moment.

"It’s raining because the sky is sad for Tom," said Smith, making the transposable statement that very well could reflect many feelings in the golf world.

Final Match Interviews

Edoardo Molinari
Dillon Dougherty

The Plaques Of Merion

Ardmore, Pa. - Merion Golf Club is known by most for their prominent baskets that grace the flagsticks of each of the 18 holes on the East Course. But the club and course are really a gallery of golf history with 17 USGA championships to its credit, including this year’s U.S. Amateur.

Of course the 1930 Amateur is the one everyone remembers most. That’s the year when Bob Jones defeated Eugene V. Homans, 8 and 7, finishing up on the 11 hole and completing the "Impregnable Quadrilateral of Golf" as O.B Keeler called it. Today it’s better known as the Grand Slam.