Second-Round Jinx Ends For Kuehne

’94 Amateur Runner-Up Eliminates Reigning APL Champ Watabu, 2 and 1

By David Shefter, USGA

Chaska, Minn. – Lately, a few curses seem to be coming to a crashing halt. The Chicago White Sox ended 88 years of futility by finally winning the 2005 World Series. A year earlier, the Boston Red Sox vanquished the Curse of the Bambino by ending an 86-year World Series-title drought.

	Trip Kuehne held off reigning APL champion Casey Watabu to reach the third round at the U.S. Amateur for the first time since 1994. (John Mummert/USGA)

Such a lengthy void wasn’t staring Trip Kuehne in the face, but the two-time USA Walker Cupper did have his own little psychological hurdle to overcome entering Thursday’s second-round match with Casey Watabu at the 2006 U.S. Amateur.

Since advancing to the 1994 Amateur final against Tiger Woods, Kuehne had qualified for match play four times, only to lose in the second round on each occasion. Whether the 34-year-old from Dallas was putting too much pressure on himself to fulfill lofty expectations or his opponents just performed better, Kuehne seemed to have a second-round jinx.

Even though Kuehne didn’t bring his "A" game onto Hazeltine National Golf Club against the reigning U.S. Amateur Public Links champion, the former Oklahoma State standout broke his second-round spell in posting a 2-and-1 victory.

"I’m relieved," said Kuehne after a long day that included a 4½-hour weather delay.

Kuehne, a fund manager, gears his entire summer around playing well in USGA competitions. He also admitted that he tried too hard in the past, especially with two younger siblings who have hoisted USGA championship trophies. Hank won the 1998 U.S. Amateur with Trip as his caddie and sister Kelli owns three titles: the 1994 Girls’ Junior, and ’95 and ’96 Women’s Amateur.

But unlike Kelli and Hank, Trip decided to remain an amateur instead of playing for pay. It’s a move he doesn’t regret for one minute, enjoying the life as a husband, father of a 6-year-old boy (Will) and golfer who doesn’t need to hole putts for his next paycheck. That thinking may have been altered had Woods not overcome a six-hole deficit that sunny August Florida day at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass. Woods went on to win an unprecedented three Amateur titles and life as the world’s No. 1 golfer, while Kuehne went into the business world.

"I wouldn’t trade my life for Tiger Woods’ life for any amount of money in the world," said Kuehne. "He’s a spectacular player and has done unbelievable things for the game of golf, but you know, he can’t go to the movies. He can’t go to the mall. He can’t be a regular person.

"If I would have won that Amateur, there’s no doubt I would have turned professional. There’s so much pressure for the Amateur champion to turn professional. Too much money is thrown at them at a very young age. I would have fallen into that trap just like everybody else."

Instead, Kuehne chases the dream of being a USGA champion and spots on the Walker Cup and World Amateur teams. The Walker Cup selections have come his way twice, but he’s yet to play on a World Amateur squad nor has he tasted the thrill of having the gold medal put around his neck as a national champion.

Three years ago, Kuehne prepared as hard as ever for a run at the Amateur. He was low amateur at the U.S. Open held at Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club and then he went to play Oakmont (Pa.) C.C. several times prior to the Amateur. But in the second round, David Oh got the better of him.

At the 2004 U.S. Mid-Amateur, he played brilliant golf only to get beat in – you guessed it – the second round by Kevin Marsh in a 23-hole thriller. Eventual runner-up Luke List got the better of him at the ’04 Amateur at Winged Foot, and last year at Merion Kuehne failed to qualify for match play.

Being a high-profile mid-amateur (25 years and older) who competes and succeeds in a many national events, Kuehne understands that he’ll usually be in the discussion on possible favorites for the Amateur title. This summer, he’s already finished second at the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur.

"It’s the best I have been playing in a long time," said Kuehne, who faces University of Alabama sophomore Matthew Swan of Montgomery, Ala., in the third round Friday at 8:20 a.m. "I hadn’t prepared as well as in year’s past. I started a new business last year and I prepared to play. I was lucky enough to be exempt into the [championship], so then it was just a matter of seizing my opportunity. So far, so good."

Against Watabu, Kuehne struggled to keep his drives in the fairway, especially early when he was blocking his tee shots to the right. But after three-putting the sixth green to go 1 down, Kuehne hit the par-5 seventh in two after Watabu’s second shot found the water. His two-putt birdie squared the match. Kuehne won the next two holes with pars and never trailed again, although he did bogey No. 12 to lose the hole.

Kuehne found his groove with a solid tee shot at the short par-4 14th, driving the ball 300-plus yards into the greenside bunker. The two halved the hole with pars, but with a favorable right-to-left wind at the par-5 15th, Kuehne played his best hole of the match: a perfect drive followed by a crushed 3-wood that left him just 38 yards from the flag. Meanwhile, Watabu found three bunkers en route to hitting the green in four shots. Kuehne executed a perfect bump-and-run pitch that stopped 2 feet from the hole for a conceded birdie and 2-up lead. He halved the next two holes with pars to close out the match.

"It wasn’t my best ball-striking day," said Watabu. "I didn’t make any putts. You can’t expect to win a match, especially against Trip, where his game is so well-rounded that you’ve got to play well. I didn’t deserve to beat him."

Watabu was unaware of Kuehne’s second-round struggles, although he realized that had he played better, he could have beaten him. "Today was the day [to possibly get him]," added the 22-year-old Kapaa, Hawaii resident. "We both didn’t play well. He just made less mistakes."

Added Kuehne: "If I play my game and do what I know I’m capable of … I like my chances against whomever I play because I know I’m playing well."

Kuehne now is one of two mid-amateurs to reach the final 16, joining 37-year-old Mark Strickland of Woodstock, Ga., who is in the other bracket. A mid-amateur hasn’t won the Amateur since John Harris in 1993.

The way they are playing, perhaps another curse is ready to fall.

David Shefter is a USGA staff writer. E-mail him with questions or comments at dshefter@usga.org.