In retrospect, Tim Straub was one match away from making history in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.
On the Old Course at Saucon Valley (Pa.) Country Club in 1983, Straub beat John Mahon 1-up to win the Junior Am. At that point, no golfer had ever won the championship twice. A year earlier, Straub had lost in the finals at Crooked Stick, becoming only the second junior to play in the title match in consecutive years.
Tim Straub in 1983.
(Photo from Saucon Valley CC)
“The previous year I lost in the finals—I was the runner-up in ’82,” says Straub, now the head golf coach at Davidson College. “So I just remember being pretty determined. I felt like I was as good as anybody and had a chance to win it. And just not being satisfied—I wanted to win badly.”
Not until Tiger Woods won his second straight Junior Am title in 1992 would any golfer pick up two trophies in the championship. Woods went on to win three consecutive Junior Ams, a record unlikely to be equaled.
In fact, the only other player to win the title twice is Jordan Spieth, who triumphed in 2009 and 2011.
Straub’s championship match was a tight one. He was 2-up through 16 holes but lost the 17th with a bogey. Straub needed to two-putt from 40 feet on the short par-4 final hole to clinch the win and almost made the long putt.
“It was fun,” Straub says. “I just remember being pretty proud, because I was one of the favorites to win it, and coming through that next year was very rewarding… The USGA always plays great courses, but Saucon Valley is a spectacular golf course—really hard and a lot of fun to play.
Tim Straub as Davidson coach.
(Photo from Davidson Wildcats)
“I loved it. It’s such a great event. They put on a first-class event. Obviously, it’s the best junior tournament in the world… It really kick-started my golf career, so I look at it very fondly.”
Unlike Woods and Spieth, Straub didn’t go on to win multiple major championships, but he did win the New York State Amateur twice as well as the New York State Open.
He attended Wake Forest University on an Arnold Palmer Golf Scholarship and was a member of Wake’s 1986 NCAA championship team. After graduation, Straub played the Hooters Tour and PGA Asian Tour. In 1998, he qualified for the U.S. Open.
In 2000, the same year he took the coaching job at Davidson, Straub finished second in the Buy.com Upstate Classic in South Carolina, shooting 63 in the second round.
Straub led the Wildcats to the Atlantic-10 championship this season, earning his third straight conference coach-of-the-year honor.
And he’ll attend this year’s U.S. Junior Amateur, which starts with stroke play on Monday at the Country Club of North Carolina, doubtless reliving memories while scouting the talented field.
Expanded field will tackle Dogwood and Cardinal courses
When play in the 73rd U.S. Junior Amateur opens on Monday, 264 players will be competing at stroke play on the Dogwood and Cardinal courses at the Country Club of North Carolina.
That’s a significant increase from the traditional number of 156 juniors. But the number of spots in the decisive match-play portion of the event remains the same. On Wednesday, the top 64 players will begin individual matches.
Designed by Ellis Maples and Willard Byrd, the Dogwood will play to 7,301 yards at a par of 72 for the juniors. The Cardinal, designed by Byrd and Robert Trent Jones, will play to 7,210 yards and a par of 71. Of the two courses, the Cardinal is rated more difficult, with a slope rating of 145 versus 140 for the Dogwood.
Webb Simpson is a member at CCNC, where he won the Southern Amateur in 2007. Last December, he was named honorary chairman of the 73rd U.S. Junior Amateur.
From left: Tom Beddow, CCNC President; Webb Simpson, 73rd U.S. Junior Amateur Honorary Chairman; Hal Sutton, 1980 U.S. Amateur champion at CCNC; architect Kris Spence, who completed a renovation of the Dogwood Course in 2016.
(Photo from CCNC)
The opportunity to assist with the players’ experiences at one of my home clubs for a USGA championship is very special to me,” said the Raleigh native, who won the U.S. Open in 2012. “…We want the players to feel at home and feel the warmth of our hospitality. I’m so proud to be part of the U.S. Junior Amateur at CCNC.”
Simpson and Hal Sutton, who won the U.S. Amateur Championship at CCNC in 1980, visited the club on July 5 to preview the tournament. The panel also included club president Tom Beddow and golf course architect Kris Spence, who guided a renovation of the Dogwood in 2016.
Tee Times for 73rd U.S. Junior Amateur
The U.S. Junior Amateur consists of 36 holes of stroke play on July 19 and 20, after which the 264-player field will be reduced to the low 64 scorers. There will be six rounds of match play, starting July 21. The quarterfinals and semifinals are slated for Friday, July 23. The championship is scheduled to conclude with a 36-hole final on Saturday, July 24, starting at 8 a.m. EDT. The U.S. Junior Amateur champion receives a full exemption into the 2022 U.S. Open Championship.
All Times EDT
Monday (July 19), CCNC-Cardinal, Hole #1 / Tuesday (July 20), CCNC-Dogwood, Hole #10
7 a.m. / 12:15 p.m. – Sihan Sandhu, Pinehurst, N.C.; Ethan Gao, Alpharetta, Ga.; Ben Sluzas, Lockport, Ill.
7:11 a.m. / 12:26 p.m. – Ian Simonich, Moorhead, Minn.; Alejandro Fierro, Mexico; Areen Aggarwal, Columbia, Mo.
7:22 a.m. / 12:37 p.m. – Wheaton Ennis, Eagle, Idaho; Alexander Yang, Carlsbad, Calif.; Cohen Trolio, West Point, Miss.
7:33 a.m. / 12:48 p.m. – Naoki Easterday, Portland, Ore.; Hunter Johnson, Ankeny, Iowa; Matvey Golovanov, Boca Raton, Fla.
7:44 a.m. / 12:59 p.m. – Jack Murphy, New Canaan, Conn.; Maddox Crowder, Lafayette, Tenn.; Logan Wagner, Quarryville, Pa.
7:55 a.m. / 1:10 p.m. – Jonathan Trigg, Cherry Hills Village, Colo.; Nicholas Tanovich, Canada; Topher Reed, Fairview Park, Ohio
8:06 a.m. / 1:21 p.m. – Payne Mcentee, Wellington, Fla.; Adam Anderson, Ventura, Calif.; Benton Manly, Tulsa, Okla.
8:17 a.m. / 1:32 p.m. – Dane Watanabe, Kaneohe, Hawaii; Grayson Wetch, Fargo, N.D.; Sam Davis, Jacksonville, Fla.
8:28 a.m. / 1:43 p.m. – Wilson Thrift, Charlotte, N.C.; Curtis Da Silva, Monterey, Calif.; Aidan Gutierrez, Valparaiso, Ind.
8:39 a.m. / 1:54 p.m. – Jolo Timothy Magcalayo, Philippines; Anton Ouyang, San Jose, Calif.; Daniel Choi, Keller, Texas
8:50 a.m. / 2:05 p.m. – Rylan Wotherspoon, Cincinnati, Ohio; Parker Bell, Tallahassee, Fla.; Jason Shwartz, Bellaire, Texas
Monday (July 19), CCNC-Cardinal, Hole #11 / Tuesday (July 20), CCNC-Dogwood, Hole #1
7:15 a.m. / 12:15 p.m. – Holland Giles, Pinehurst, N.C.; Joshua Koo, Cerritos, Calif.; Kaelen Dulany, Keller, Texas
7:26 a.m. / 12:26 p.m. – Nils Nottebohm, Mexico; William Webb, Raleigh, N.C.; Ben Gregg, Dallas, Texas
7:37 a.m. / 12:37 p.m. – Hayden Carner, Hoover, Ala.; Jack Berl, Victor, N.Y.; Nolan Skaggs, Plymouth, Mass.
7:48 a.m. / 12:48 p.m. – Andrew Goodman, Norman, Okla.; Jackson Herrington, Dickson, Tenn.; Mason Witt, Xenia, Ohio
7:59 a.m. / 12:59 p.m. – Matthew Yamin, Miami Beach, Fla.; Jason Gordon, Chicago, Ill.; Zach Reuland, Rock Hill, S.C.
8:10 a.m. / 1:10 p.m. – Rowan Sullivan, Charleston, S.C.; Sean Lee, Singapore; Ryan Bilby, Follansbee, W.Va.
8:21 a.m. / 1:21 p.m. – Wyatt Seilkop, Suwanee, Ga.; Luke Clanton, Miami Lakes, Fla.; Matthew Comegys, Van Alstyne, Texas
8:32 a.m. / 1:32 p.m. – Jay Brooks, Boca Raton, Fla.; Sam McWilliams, McCordsville, Ind.; Ward Harris, Vestavia Hills, Ala.
8:43 a.m. / 1:43 p.m. – David Ford, Peachtree Corners, Ga.; Billy Pabst, Roaring Brook Twp., Pa.; Kevin Watts, Colleyville, Texas
8:54 a.m. / 1:54 p.m. – Matthew Foster, Dallas, Texas; Gene Zeigler, Florence, S.C.; Ryan Curran, Waxhaw, N.C.
9:05 a.m. / 2:05 p.m. – John Hiller, New York, N.Y.; Sam Brown, Bulgaria; Maxwell Ford, Peachtree Corners, Ga.
Monday (July 19), CCNC-Cardinal, Hole #1 / Tuesday (July 20), CCNC-Dogwood, Hole #10
12:15 p.m. / 7 a.m. – Lucas Scheufler, Andover, Kan.; Drew Miller, East Lansing, Mich.; Luke Potter, Encinitas, Calif.
12:26 p.m. / 7:11 a.m. – Gordon Sargent, Birmingham, Ala.; Gonzalo Oliva Pinto, Argentina; Coltrane Mittag, Ashland, Neb.
12:37 p.m. / 7:22 a.m. – Marshall Bath, Canada; Brendan Valdes, Orlando, Fla.; Parker Sands, Edmond, Okla.
12:48 p.m. / 7:33 a.m. – Ruben Lindsay, Scotland; Cole Ekert, Chatham, N.J.; Aidan Oehrle, Pittsburgh, Pa.
12:59 p.m. / 7:44 a.m. – Charlie Bundy, Bethesda, Md.; Cade Anderson, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Andreas Diogenous, Canada
1:10 p.m. / 7:55 a.m. – Eli Schmidly, Charlotte, N.C.; Arjun Gupta, United Arab Emirates; Alexander Gibalevich, Studio City, Calif.
1:21 p.m. / 8:06 a.m. – Virgilio Paz, Venezuela; Jay Nimmo, Benton, Ky.; Tyler Sabo, Ashland, Ohio
1:32 p.m. / 8:17 a.m. – Alex Long, Lakewood Ranch, Fla.; Jayce Hargrove, Lubbock, Texas; Jack Taylor, Nashville, Tenn.
1:43 p.m. / 8:28 a.m. – Jeffrey Nelson, New Castle, Colo.; Tyson Shelley, Salt Lake City, Utah; Ryan O'Rourke, West Bloomfield, Mich.
1:54 p.m. / 8:39 a.m. – Davis McDowell, San Rafael, Calif.; Braeden Barnett, Galivants Ferry, S.C.; Rafael Estrada, Mexico
2:05 p.m. / 8:50 a.m. – Seth Conway, Elmira, N.Y.; Hunter Swanson, Denver, Colo.; Jesse Saareks, Finland
Monday (July 19), CCNC-Cardinal, Hole #11 / Tuesday (July 20), CCNC-Dogwood, Hole #1
12:30 p.m. / 7 a.m. – Advait Chutke, Flower Mound, Texas; Brady Siravo, Sacramento, Calif.; Wells Williams, West Point, Miss.
12:41 p.m. / 7:11 a.m. – Rylan Johnson, Gilbert, Ariz.; Nate Stevens, Northfield, Minn.; Mykhailo Golod, Ukraine
12:52 p.m. / 7:22 a.m. – Matthew Wilkinson, Centennial, Colo.; Benjamin Reuter, Netherlands; Gabe Post, Southlake, Texas
1:03 p.m. / 7:33 a.m. – Hampton Roberts, Cary, N.C.; Baylor Larrabee, Ferndale, Wash.; Marshall Kim Jr., Honolulu, Hawaii
1:14 p.m. / 7:44 a.m. – Carson Cooper, Spring, Texas; Bryan Lee, Fairfax, Va.; Owen Gauder, Canada
1:25 p.m. / 7:55 a.m. – Sam Baker, Cloquet, Minn.; Calen Sanderson, Newtown, Pa.; Martin Couvra, France
1:36 p.m. / 8:06 a.m. – Kyle An, Aliso Viejo, Calif.; Maxence Giboudot, France; Grant Gobezie, Orlando, Fla.
1:47 p.m. / 8:17 a.m. – Angelo Luciani, East Grand Rapids, Mich.; Jonas Appel, Encinitas, Calif.; Lee Smith, Waycross, Ga.
1:58 p.m. / 8:28 a.m. – Jackson Koivun, San Jose, Calif.; Luke Sample, New York, N.Y.; Oakley Gee, Carmi, Ill.
2:09 p.m. / 8:39 a.m. – Nicklaus Mason, Kansas City, Kan.; Kyle McLaughlin, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Herong Wang, Irvine, Calif.
2:20 p.m. / 8:50 a.m. – Cameron Adam, Scotland; Justin Larue, Chesterfield, Va.; Ian Maspat, San Diego, Calif.
Monday (July 19), CCNC-Dogwood, Hole #1 / Tuesday (July 20), CCNC-Cardinal, Hole #11
7 a.m. / 12:30 p.m. – Jackson Van Paris, Pinehurst, N.C.; John Peters, Carlisle, Pa.; Tanner Telford, Mountain Green, Utah
7:11 a.m. / 12:41 p.m. – Andrew Clark, Winter Park, Fla.; Will Hennessee, Tulsa, Okla.; Kiko Francisco Coelho, Portugal
7:22 a.m. / 12:52 p.m. – Hayden Warren, Owensboro, Ky.; Evan Barbin, Elkton, Md.; Jordan Garypie, Chelsea, Mich.
7:33 a.m. / 1:03 p.m. – Trace Bracknell, Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Connor Williams, Escondido, Calif.; Maxwell Tjoa, Cedar Falls, Iowa
7:44 a.m. / 1:14 p.m. – Evan Chien, Irvine, Calif.; Conor Gough, England; Levi Keith, San Antonio, Texas
7:55 a.m. / 1:25 p.m. – Alex Landry, Andover, Mass.; John Daly II, Dardanelle, Ark.; Carter Loflin, Duluth, Ga.
8:06 a.m. / 1:36 p.m. – Tanner Cardwell, Canada; George Roessler, New York, N.Y.; Joe Wilson IV, West Chester, Ohio
8:17 a.m. / 1:47 p.m. – Lance Smith, Holladay, Utah; Michael Burry, Saratoga, Calif.; Benjamin James, Milford, Conn.
8:28 a.m. / 1:58 p.m. – Bryan Kim, Brookeville, Md.; Andre Zhu, Canada; Braden Bernaldo, Indio, Calif.
8:39 a.m. / 2:09 p.m. – Andy Knight, San Diego, Calif.; Braeden Sladek, Alexandria, Minn.; Nicholas Dunlap, Huntsville, Ala.
8:50 a.m. / 2:20 p.m. – Ray Xiong, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; Kelly Chinn, Great Falls, Va.; Nathan Yocam, Sammamish, Wash.
Monday (July 19), CCNC-Dogwood, Hole #10 / Tuesday (July 20), CCNC-Cardinal, Hole #1
7 a.m. / 12:15 p.m. – Maddox Whittington, Pinehurst, N.C.; Jacob Beckman, Middleton, Wis.; John Broderick, Wellesley, Mass.
7:11 a.m. / 12:26 p.m. – Davis Wotnosky, Wake Forest, N.C.; Nathan Sampson, Temecula, Calif.; Wesley Erling, Colorado Springs, Colo.
7:22 a.m. / 12:37 p.m. – Caleb Surratt, Indian Trail, N.C.; Dylan McDermott, Granite Bay, Calif.; Jack Beauchamp, Westlake, Texas
7:33 a.m. / 12:48 p.m. – Andrew White, Westfield, Ind.; Robbie Higgins, Sarasota, Fla.; Buck Brumlow, Cartersville, Ga.
7:44 a.m. / 12:59 p.m. – Ian Jin, South Pasadena, Calif.; Parker Paxton, Riverton, Wyo.; William Sides, Tulsa, Okla.
7:55 a.m. / 1:10 p.m. – Todd Duncan, Daniels, W.Va.; Omar Morales, Mexico; Brenden Ashman, Clovis, Calif.
8:06 a.m. / 1:21 p.m. – Tomek Pickrell, Cypress, Texas; Ethan Whitney, Westminster, Mass.; Felipe Odio, Costa Rica
8:17 a.m. / 1:32 p.m. – Smith Summerlin, Raleigh, N.C.; Hunter Thomson, Canada; Myles Jones, Suwanee, Ga.
8:28 a.m. / 1:43 p.m. – Grant Roscich, Glen Ellyn, Ill.; Justin Ross, Boca Raton, Fla.; Gavin Aurilia, Phoenix, Ariz.
8:39 a.m. / 1:54 p.m. – Noah McWilliams, Benton, La.; Jonas Baumgartner, Germany; Andrew Gregory, Spartanburg, S.C.
8:50 a.m. / 2:05 p.m. – Reed Sweigart, Roswell, Ga.; Simon Roessler, Chile; Joshua Stewart, Winter Springs, Fla.
Monday (July 19), CCNC-Dogwood, Hole #1 / Tuesday (July 20), CCNC-Cardinal, Hole #11
12:15 p.m. / 7:15 a.m. – Hogan Ingram, Rome, Ga.; James Key, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; Nathan Wang, Fremont, Calif.
12:26 p.m. / 7:26 a.m. – Weston Jones, Sudbury, Mass.; Josh Duangmanee, Fairfax, Va.; Dean Greyserman, Boca Raton, Fla.
12:37 p.m. / 7:37 a.m. – Kihei Akina, Kahuku, Hawaii; Logan Paczewski, Dallas, Pa.; Sean Citherlet, Mexico
12:48 p.m. / 7:48 a.m. – Mac McGurn, Glenview, Ill.; Trey Rusthoven, St. Peters, Mo.; Hayden Adams, Lexington, Ky.
12:59 p.m. / 7:59 a.m. – Ethan Paschal, Fayetteville, N.C.; PJ Maybank, Cheboygan, Mich.; Adam Brady, Australia
1:10 p.m. / 8:10 a.m. – Hsuan-Yi Chen, Chinese Taipei; Ethan Tseng, Portland, Ore.; Logan Vargas, Lubbock, Texas
1:21 p.m. / 8:21 a.m. – Thomas Finn, Locust Valley, N.Y.; Owen Kose, Holly Springs, N.C.; Connor Macmillan, Canton, Ga.
1:32 p.m. / 8:32 a.m. – Barnes Blake, Westfield, N.J.; Jack Turner, Orlando, Fla.; Jordan Gilkison, Springboro, Ohio
1:43 p.m. / 8:43 a.m. – Bo Carpenter, Tifton, Ga.; Mahanth Chirravuri, Chandler, Ariz.; Mac Drake, Sioux Falls, S.D.
1:54 p.m. / 8:54 a.m. – Rio Newcombe, Gilbert, Ariz.; Jonathan Griz, Hilton Head Island, S.C.; Joseph Lenane, Dedham, Mass.
2:05 p.m. / 9:05 a.m. – Lucas Acevedo, Charleston, S.C.; Marshall Meisel, Chevy Chase, Md.; Braden Burke, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.
Monday (July 19), CCNC-Dogwood, Hole #10 / Tuesday (July 20), CCNC-Cardinal, Hole #1
12:15 p.m. / 7 a.m. – Miles Eastman, Portland, Ore.; Jackson Naeger, Keller, Texas; Scotty Kennon, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
12:26 p.m. / 7:11 a.m. – Ty Kretz, Marinette, Wis.; Baron Szeto, Moraga, Calif.; Joey Per, South Lyon, Mich.
12:37 p.m. / 7:22 a.m. – Brock Maulding, Lake Tapps, Wash.; Andrew McLauchlan, Neptune Beach, Fla.; Jake Griffin, Kensington, Md.
12:48 p.m. / 7:33 a.m. – Michael Senn III, Bentonville, Ark.; Corbin Bentley, Westerville, Ohio; Maddox Vincent, Draper, Utah
12:59 p.m. / 7:44 a.m. – Luke Gutschewski, Elkhorn, Neb.; Lyman Brackett, Goshen, Ky.; Will Morlan, Alpharetta, Ga.
1:10 p.m. / 7:55 a.m. – Carson Brewer, Jacksonville, Fla.; Rylan Shim, Centreville, Va.; Parker Mapes, Pleasanton, Calif.
1:21 p.m. / 8:06 a.m. – Spencer Turtz, Charlotte, N.C.; Sebastian Moss, Houston, Texas; David Llewellyn, Mesquite, Nev.
1:32 p.m. / 8:17 a.m. – Cayden Pope, Lexington, Ky.; Rhett South, Fayetteville, Ark.; Jackson Hymer, San Antonio, Texas
1:43 p.m. / 8:28 a.m. – Major Lenning, Greenville, S.C.; Mateo Fuenmayor, Beaverton, Ore.; Aaron Pounds, The Woodlands, Texas
1:54 p.m. / 8:39 a.m. – Jackson Roman, Kensington, Conn.; Edward Coffren, Owings, Md.; Aidan Emmerich, Swampscott, Mass.
2:05 p.m. / 8:50 a.m. – Mason Roloff, Blaine, Minn.; Colin Spencer, Mashpee, Mass.; Sebastiano Mascia, Venezuela