Update: In a shocking turn of events, Hagestad and the rest of the players who finished 36 holes at 1 over did not make the match-play cut. North Carolina’s Dylan Menante had a live-scoring error adjusted, changing a closing double to a par, and as a result, Menante correctly adjusted to even par and the cut fell at exactly 64 players, the first time no playoff was needed since 2000.
CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. – Stewart Hagestad wasn’t going to let anything stop him.
Not sinus issues.
Not a ‘10’ in his opening round.
Not the gnarly rough at Cherry Hills Country Club.
Hagestad was so determined that on Tuesday morning, hours before his second round of this 123rd U.S. Amateur, Hagestad texted this correspondent this: I’m shooting 3 today, and I’m getting into match play with a ‘10’ on the card.
He did one better.
Needing a hero round on Tuesday morning, the 32-year-old Hagestad, called his shot and delivered a wild 4-under 67 that included just a single par on the back nine and pushed Hagestad to 1 over, likely just inside the cutoff for Wednesday’s Round of 64 and a spot in the Wednesday morning playoff at worst.
“It was one of the best rounds, given the circumstances, that I’ve ever played,” Hagestad said after walking out of scoring.
And those circumstances? For starters, the two-time U.S. Mid-Amateur winner has been a fixture in match play at this championship the past five years, advancing to the Round of 16 at Pebble Beach in 2018 and twice reaching the quarterfinals, at Bandon Dunes in 2020 and last year at Ridgewood Country Club. Both of those years Hagestad lost to eventual champion.
But this week Hagestad is playing for something extra: a spot on his fourth straight U.S. Walker Cup team. He’s currently No. 13 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, by far the lowest-ranked mid-amateur, and has an impressive resume that includes making the cut at the 2022 U.S. Open and qualifying for the Sweet 16 at the Western Amateur earlier this month.
The odds of Hagestad again representing the U.S. next month at St. Andrews were already high entering this week. Tuesday’s performance might’ve made him a lock to grab one of six remaining spots on U.S. captain Mike McCoy’s 10-man squad.
“It’s not exactly a secret that making the Walker Cup is a goal and something that I’ve really tried to push myself to be chosen for,” Hagestad said. “We’ve been through this. It’s an honor to represent your country and, whether I get in or not, I’ve given myself a good fighting chance.”
It took every ounce of energy too.
Hagestad’s sinuses started bothering him on Sunday afternoon after his final practice round. He began to lose energy on Monday at Colorado Golf Club, the stroke-play companion course, and then he started losing shots. He bogeyed two of his first three holes and was 1 over through 13 holes when he stepped on the tee at the 487-yard, par-4 fifth.
With a double-crossed drive from the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur in the back of his mind, Hagestad opted for a 3-wood and just missed the fairway. His approach shot then ballooned in the wind and found a bunker about 45 yards shy of the hole. From there, Hagestad bladed his next shot over the green and into some bushes. Lost ball. From a plugged lie, he chunk-and-ran one into another bunker, then left a shot in that bunker before getting out and three-putting for his sextuple-bogey-10.
Hagestad recalled once making an ‘11’ on the eighth hole at Los Angeles Country Club in a club championship a few years back, but this one hurt exponentially, his eventual 5-over 77 leaving Hagestad in a huge hole.
Compounding matters, Hagestad woke up Tuesday morning with his sinuses “going 200 mph.” He said he took a cocktail of over-the-counter medicines, from Sudafed to Mucinex to Zyrtec, just to get himself to the first tee.
“I’m really tired,” Hagestad said. “I was trying to find shadows and sit down when I could.”
Despite being less than 100%, Hagestad played a flawless front nine, carding birdies at Nos. 3 and 7 and turning at 3 over. That’s when the madness started. Hagestad birdied Nos. 10 and 11 to get back to 1 over, then dropped a shot on back-to-back holes before going birdie-bogey-birdie-birdie to cap a par-less eight-hole stretch of 2-under golf.
After an easy birdie at the par-5 17th hole, Hagestad waited on the 18th tee box for nearly 15 minutes before promptly yanking his drive a tad left and into the water.
“My worst swing of the day,” Hagestad admitted. “I thought I’d almost get away with it. Some would say it was a bad break, others would say a bad swing. I’d probably say the latter. … But then I backed it up with a 7-iron from 205 yards, and it was just nails. So, that was sick.”
With 12 feet or so left for par, and likely a spot in match play on the line, Hagestad stepped up – barely able to stand himself – and drained it.
Immediately, one of Hagestad’s friends fetched him a cool glass of orange juice. He’d likely need more Tuesday night.
“I’ve been housing waters,” Hagestad said. “It wouldn’t be the worst thing to go get an IV. Point is, I need to go rest and relax. The adrenaline and pressure burn you out, in a good way. I worked my tail off this morning, so I need to enjoy it.”
But Hagestad has played enough of these championships to know that he can’t rest long. He’ll be summoned back to the tee, sick or not, come Wednesday. And if Hagestad wants to win the Havemeyer, he’ll have to play six matches.
At this point, it’s all about survival, and Hagestad isn’t stopping now.
