Peter Uihlein has a rough go of it on the 14th hole Thursday. (John Mummert/USGA)

By Stuart Hall

Village of Pinehurst, N.C. — Derek Fathauer certainly is getting a workout around Pinehurst Resort and Country Club’s No. 2 course this week.

For the second straight day, Fathauer, 22, of Jensen Beach, Fla., saw his 108^th U.S. Amateur Championship match extend to the 18^th hole. And, in the case of Thursday’s second-round match against Peter Uihlein, he needed a couple of more before winning in 20 holes.

The match appeared headed to a 21^st hole before Uihlein watched his 4-foot par attempt lip out to end the drama.

"It was a little outside the putts I give," Fathauer said. "I hated to see him miss that. I fought back good on the back nine after being 2 down. I had a couple of chances to win, but I don’t like seeing it go down like that."

Fathauer, at least, would move on to the afternoon’s third round against another Oklahoma State University player, Kevin Tway, 19, of Edmond, Okla. Uihlein’s bid to win the U.S. Amateur in his first appearance came to abrupt halt.

"We played awful in the beginning and played bad at the same time, and at the end I kind of gagged it," said Uihlein, 18, of Bradenton, Fla. "But it happens, it is what it is."

Both Fathauer and Uihlein played the equivalent of three over given the usual concessions, a clear indication that neither played their best. Fathauer was 1 up through six holes, but through 14 holes Uihlein led 2 up. Clearly agitated by his play earlier on the back nine, Fathauer rolled in a 7-foot par putt on top of Uihlein’s 13-foot par and regained a confident hitch in his gait.

Fathauer won the 197-yard, par-3 15^th hole with a pedestrian par, then reached the 510-yard, par-4 16^th green in three and rolled in a 20-foot uphill putt to win the hole with par.

They halved the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th holes before the match was closed on the 20^th. Fathauer, relieved, was clearly mentally spent.

"It was the toughest match I ever played," Fathauer said. "We were both hitting our drivers everywhere. I don’t think either of us had our ‘A’ game. It was unfortunate that putt he missed was on the last hole. It happens."

Fathauer, though, admitted the mental and physical grind of a match such as the one against Uihlein only toughens his resolve.

"Absolutely this was a good experience, and the more you are in situations like this the better you become," he said.

On Thursday morning, he was the better player.

Stuart Hall is a freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on www.usamateur.org.