Short Game Bails Out Deacon In Battle Of Canadians

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Ardmore, Pa. – This was the rubber match. The tiebreaker.

Stalemated at a match apiece, Canadian-born players J.C. Deacon and Mark Leon had the inauspiciousness of going against each other two other times in their careers. Meeting each other when they were about 14 (each differs on when they met), Deacon drew first blood by defeating Leon 1 up in a Canadian junior event at the Toronto Golf Club. Leon paid him back several years later in the first round of the 2003 Canadian Amateur, walking away with his own 1-up victory after sinking a numbing 35-footer on the 18^th hole.

	Sporting a Merion Golf Club shirt his mother bought because he ran out of clean clothes, J.C. Deacon proved to be too tough to overcome Friday. (John Mummert/USGA)

So what to do for an encore? Why, settle the deadlock in the world’s biggest amateur event, which they did Friday at Merion Golf Club.

"I thought about that," said Deacon, 22, in reference to the Canadian Amateur. "It gave me a little fire. I thought it would be a good time to get him back at the U.S. Amateur."

Relying on a marvelous short-iron game, Deacon, in all probability, will exit his amateur career as forever holding the advantage, winning an inspired quarterfinal 2-and-1 duel.

The fifth-year UNLV senior enters Saturday’s semifinal round against Dillion Dougherty, trying to become the first Canadian since Gary Cowan to win the Amateur and third in history (Ross Somerville won in 1932 at Baltimore Country Club). Cowan won twice, in 1966 and 1971, the first one coming at – ready for this – Merion Golf Club 39 years ago.

"A Legend. Legend," said Deacon. "What can you say? His record speaks for itself."

Deacon’s poise and resiliency spoke volumes Friday. He took a 3-up lead through the first nine holes despite neither performing that well. They were a combined 12 over on the front.

Leon, a local favorite because of his Penn State ties, cut the deficit to two holes after No. 10. He got a break on the 11^th green, the same one Bob Jones completed the 1930 Grand Slam on, when Deacon stubbed his 4-foot putt to lose another hole. Leon was gaining fast.

The critical sequence of the match occurred on the 13^th and 14^th holes. Deacon flew the green with a 52-degree gap wedge on the par-3 13th, the ball lying on a side hill above the back bunker. With an awkward stance, Deacon incredibly flopped out, the ball biting and then stopping 4 feet away from the destination. Leon two-putted from 25 feet, with Deacon completing the up and down for the halve.

"I couldn't understand it, like I flew that ball," said Deacon. "The crowd had something to do with that, too, because my adrenaline was huge."

On the next hole he drained a 30-foot birdie putt, yelping "Come on" as the ball meandered on line. When it disappeared, he fervently wagged his finger as the standard bearer placed a 2 up by his name.

"When he dropped that bomb on 14," said Leon, "the momentum swung in his favor. … 14, that was the dagger."

The loquacious Leon wasn’t shocked that Deacon wouldn’t crumble like a ramshackle shed, even when he applied vice-like pressure late. Actually, make that two people.

"He can light it up," said UNLV coach Dwaine Knight via telephone. "He has such a passion about the game. He worked hard on controlling his emotions. He’s finding his own way."

Deacon continued to show off a masterful short game. On the 15^th hole, with his ball sitting high on the back collar of the green, he studied the 25-foot chip like a woodcarver with a razor-sharp blade: he knew he had to be careful because of the severe slope. Deacon smoothly followed through, the ball coming to rest 2 feet away before another extraordinary up and down. Another up and down followed on 16.

For good measure, he saved the best for last on the finishing hole, getting out of the right bunker to a foot from the hole. Leon needed to hole out from a similar spot, but couldn’t.

"He just made the clutch up and downs and that was the key to the match," said Leon.

Instead of being bitter, Leon praised his friend afterward.

"Growing up as a junior, he was always the top player," said Leon, adding that when he saw he had to play him, "My first thought was, ‘Here we go again.’ Mentally, I thought I had the edge.

"I’d rather lose to a guy like that who I have a ton of respect for as a golfer and gentleman."

Growing up Deacon, nearly as passionate about hockey as golf, had a decision to make. When he turned 16, he could only play one or the other. He was an accomplished hockey player, a center, who had the talent to play in the esteemed Ontario Hockey League, the same league that has churned out many NHLers. He chose golf.

"It was such an easy decision for me," he said. "In the sun, practicing golf 10 hours a day – you just can’t beat that."

He hasn’t forgotten his hockey roots, going so far to implement some of the same fundamentals. Last year at the Ontario Amateur he missed the cut mainly because of a balky putter. Sullen, he played in a recreational hockey game the next day, whining about the putter that betrayed him.

A teammate spoke up.

"They said, ‘You know, you’re a pretty good at passing the puck; you should try a long putter,’" said Deacon, who marks his ball with a commemorative Loonie celebrating Canada’s hockey gold medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics. The light clicked on, he got a long putter and the first time he used it he recorded 23 putts. It’s been in the bag ever since.

When he was a freshman, Deacon roomed with last year’s Amateur champion, Ryan Moore. They’ve remained close but there was never a time Moore never gave him a Hollywood-style pep talk, nor did they ever discuss what it was like to play USGA events. Deacon would act like a fly on the wall and pick up little nuances.

"Ryan taught me that it doesn’t matter if no one else in the world believes in you," said Deacon. "If you believe in yourself, you can do it."

He’s almost there.

Ken Klavon is the USGA’s web editor. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.