Notebook: Strategy comes true for Vegas

By Alex Miceli

San Francisco - Jhonattan Vegas has used a simple formula to advance to the semifinals Friday at the U.S. Amateur: start fast.

A missed putt on the seventh hole didn't hurt Jhonattan Vegas in the end. (John Mummert/USGA)

Vegas, a 23-year-old from Venezuela, decided that playing well early was the key to Olympic Club’s Lake Course, but it took him awhile to implement the strategy. In his first two matches he was three over par through five holes and was 2 down to Clifford Blanchard, but was 2 up over Jon Curran over the same five holes in the second match. Obviously winning both, Vegas tried to perfect his strategy as he progressed through the championship. Against Kyle Dickey in the third round, he shot even par and produced a 2-up margin. Vegas was one under in the stretch against Cheng Tsung Pan, again owning a 2-up lead.

"I have been putting in a lot of effort to play really smart on those holes," said Vegas. "But I think that's one of the hardest stretches on the course."

Long March

Casey Clendenon, the lone survivor of the 17-for-6 playoff to get into match play, has been patient. He knows that match play is a fickle animal and anything can happen. It has worked well for the 23-year-old senior at Lamar University, but his golf makeup seems to have a DNA of patience. While trying to qualify for the U.S. Amateur at Lake Charles Country Club in Louisiana, Clendenon opened with a 40 on his first nine, but came back strong to qualify by one stroke.

Now, having got past all of that, Clendenon is now riding the wave.

"You really can't get too far ahead in the U.S. Amateur," Clendenon said. "You just got to kind of go through a routine. Play your matches. If you win, you win. If you lose you go home. So it's either one or the other. So you just kind of got to stay patient."

Numbers

By the numbers it’s no surprise that Casey Clendenon, Colt Knost, Michael Thompson and Jhonattan Vegas and are in the semifinals. With the exception of Clendenon, the other semifinalists were the highest-ranked players against their opponents according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) that is administered by the R & A.

Only three of the final eight in the quarterfinals were ranked in the top 50 in the WAGR, with the highest-ranked player being Colt Knost (14^th) named to the USA Walker Cup team. Next is Thompson, who is ranked 19^th, with Derek Fathauer at 37th. From there the highest-ranked player is Vegas (100^th), followed by Eddie Olson at 115th and Clendenon at 149th.

Other ‘unknowns’ that progressed to the finals were John Kelly in 2006, Dillon Dougherty in 2005, Nick Flanagan in 2003, Robert Hamilton in 2001 and Sung Yoon Kim in 1999.

With three of the four quarterfinal matches failing to reach the 16th hole, and only the Vegas-Pan match going to the 17^th Friday, it’s the first time since 1998 that none of the matches made it to the 18th hole. The 2005 quarterfinals were the most competitive with four matches ending on the 18th hole, with one extending to extra holes. On average over the last three years, at least 2.33 of the matches have gotten to the 18th hole and 0.66 of them have gone to extra holes. Since 1998 1.875 of the matches have reached No. 18 and 0.75 have gone beyond. Here’s a look at the numbers:

2006 – two got to the 18th

2005 – four got to the 18th and one to extra holes

2004 – one got to the 18th and one to extra holes

2003 – one to extra holes

2002 – three got to the 18th

2001 – three got to the 18th and two to extra holes

2000 – two got to the 18th and two to extra holes

1999 – one to extra holes

Alex Miceli is a writer for the Golf Press Association whose work has appeared previously on www.usamateur.org.