Two For The Amateur: Twins Ready To Play

By Dave Shedloski

Whenever Derek Fathauer encounters any trouble with his golf swing, all he has to do is look in the mirror, sort of. Same for his brother, Daryl. Yes, they’re twins. The brothers from Jensen Beach, Fla., are truly two of a kind, like-minded in their approach to the game and their love for it and determined to share their experiences and growth in it together.

They have played together since the age of 10, when their maternal grandmother, Bibbie, bought them golf lessons for Christmas. Since then, the Fathauers, 21, have advanced in virtual lockstep right up through their college careers as the top two players on the University of Louisville golf team, where this fall they begin their senior seasons.

This year's U.S. Amateur will mark the fourth time Derek Fathauer will play in the championship. (Robert Walker/USGA)

But first, each will compete in his fourth U.S. Amateur Championship, which begins Aug. 20 at Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Daryl was the medalist July 30 in the qualifier at The Fox Club in Palm City, Fla., with a 36-hole total of 140. Derek, coming off a semifinal effort at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, carded 147 and survived a three-man playoff for two spots.

The two, who are missing the first week of school to compete in the national amateur, began acclimating themselves to West Coast time and preparing for the year’s biggest amateur event by competing in the Scratch Players Championship that started Monday at Del Rio Golf Club in Sacramento.

Clearly, they already have some momentum based on Daryl’s qualifying performance and Derek’s effort in the Publinks.

"We’re both playing pretty well right now," said Derek, who needed a few days to see the positives out of his APL effort in which he lost to eventual runner-up Cody Paladino 1 down after bogeys on two of the last three holes, both following poor wedge shots. "At the time (of the APL) I was pretty upset, but I know it was a good result. Overall, I played well. I know I am improving."

Being twins has some advantages, starting with a permanent playing partner. Naturally, they have similar swings, though observers have told them that Daryl appears to be more of a "feel" player and Derek is a bit more fundamentally astute. Between themselves they know each other’s swings well enough to help, when necessary.

"I know how he plays and he knows how I play," Derek said. "Each of us would give advice if the other needed it, but we kind of wait and let the other ask."

"We figure it out together whenever one of us is off a bit," Daryl said.

The brothers both have expressed their eagerness and excitement to compete at storied Olympic Club, but their enthusiasm is no different than any other golf task they choose to take on. They briefly considered going to separate colleges, but their mother talked them out of it, figuring the separation would be too drastic of a change to their lives. They were equally in agreement over choosing the Louisville program. After college, the sports administration majors plan to ply their trade in the professional ranks, though they aren’t certain yet how they will attack it.

Regardless, they will continue to tee it up in each other’s company as much as possible.

"We’ve talked about it a bit, maybe trying mini tours, Q-School (for the PGA Tour) … we’re just going to see how it goes," Daryl said. "We just hope we’re playing golf together somewhere. Don’t know where, but if we’re both playing golf, that would be great."

Dave Shedloski is a freelance writer whose work has appeared on various USGA championship Web sites.