In its 129 years of conducting championships, the USGA had by no means topped a winner from Nebraska.
That modified Saturday at Oakland Hills Nation Membership’s South Course, the place Trevor Gutschewski, a 17-year-old Omaha native and son of a PGA Tour professional, took down Tyler Watts, 4 and three, within the scheduled 36-hole last of the 76th U.S. Junior Beginner.
“It was a dogfight on the market,” Gutschewski mentioned. “Tyler’s an amazing participant; he saved me on my toes. Needed to play some actually good golf to return away with the win.”
A lot was made about Gutschewski’s place within the World Beginner Golf Rating as Gutschewski, ranked No. 3,517, navigated his method by means of match play. However that rating was lacking knowledge, and one other junior-only rating slotted him No. 28, simply 13 spots again of Watts, a 16-year-old from Huntsville, Alabama, who’s a member of the inaugural U.S. Nationwide Junior Workforce.
Add in his verbal dedication to the College of Florida and Tour pedigree – Scott Gutschewski, 47, has received 3 times on the Korn Ferry Tour and presently performs on the PGA Tour – and the younger Gutschewski had no cause to not imagine he may pull off what can be his greatest victory so far, simply usurping his Nebraska Junior Match Play title from earlier this 12 months.
“If I play nicely, I can dangle with anyone,” he mentioned earlier this week after upsetting Blades Brown within the Spherical of 32.
Scott Gutschewski, who missed the minimize Friday on the 3M Open earlier than flying to Detroit to catch the championship match, describes his center son as a flusher, who may be robust to beat when his driving it nicely.
“He’s an absolute vary rat,” Scott Gutschewski instructed Golf Channel on Friday evening. “He likes to hit balls and apply. He hits ball on a regular basis – at dwelling within the basement, exterior within the climate, doesn’t matter.”
So, when Trevor Gutschewski wanted 23 holes to win his opening match towards Wealthy Wills, he wasn’t exhausted. He didn’t path once more till dropping every of his first two holes towards Brooks Simmons. He promptly took the following two after which within the semifinals knocked off WAGR’s highest-ranked participant within the discipline, China’s Xihaun Chang.
Even together with his spirited run to the ultimate, Gutschewski was nonetheless a large underdog to Watts, whose victories embody the Jones Cup Junior, Southern Junior and final 12 months’s Alabama State Beginner, the place Watts broke Gordon Sargent’s report as youngest champion. However Gutschewski got here out firing, carding 4 birdies in his first six holes to go 3 up. Watts clawed again and led 1 up on the break, solely to see Gutschewski birdie the primary gap once more to kickstart a scorching afternoon.
In 15 holes after lunch, Gutschewski misplaced simply one in every of them whereas notching 4 birdies, his last one coming on the par-3 thirteenth gap, the place he caught his tee shot from 147 yards to a few toes and went 3 up. He additionally didn’t card a bogey within the afternoon.
Speak about Nebraska toughness.
Together with his win, Gutschewski earns a spot in subsequent summer season’s U.S. Open at Oakmont. Scott Gutschewski performed the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage, lacking the minimize. Trevor’s older brother, Luke, was co-medalist on the 2022 U.S. Beginner earlier than shedding his first-round match.
Trevor simply has USGA bragging rights now, each in his household and his whole state.
