ChAmpionShipS mediA GUide - USGA

U.S. Mid-Amateur 5Lewis Wins the 2011 ChampionshipFifteen years after losing in the championship match, RandalLewis, 54, of Alma, Mich., finally claimed a U.S. Mid-Amateurtitle, defeating 31-year-old Kenny Cook of Noblesville, Ind., 3and 2, in the 36-hole finale conducted at 7,170-yard, par-72Shadow Hawk Golf Club in Richmond, Texas.There was a bit of irony in this victory for Lewis. When he lostthat 1996 final at Hartford Golf Club in West Hartford, Conn., itcame to Indiana resident John “Spider” Miller of Bloomingtonby a 3-and-2 margin.Lewis also became the oldest winner of this national championshipfor golfers 25 and older, surpassing the previous mark heldby George Zahringer, who was 49 when he claimed the 2002title at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Conn. Lewis was also20 years older than the average age of the previous 30 Mid-Amateur champions (34.8) and the second-oldest player tomake match play behind 60-year-old Paul Simson.With his victory, Lewis, a financial advisor who played fourweeks of professional golf on Florida mini-tours after graduatingfrom Central Michigan in 1980, earned a 10-year exemptionto the U.S. Mid-Amateur, a two-year exemption to theU.S. Amateur, an exemption to the next two USGA SeniorAmateurs (he turns 55 in May 2012), an exemption out of localqualifying for the next three U.S. Opens and a likely invitationto the 2012 Masters.“I know the Masters is a dream come true,” said Lewis, “but tobe a USGA champion, especially the U.S. Mid-Amateur champion,is just unbelievable.”Lewis capped off quite a week in the Houston suburbs, especiallythe final two days when he eliminated Michael McCaffrey,41, of League City, Texas, in the quarterfinals, 3 and 1, two-timedefending champion Nathan Smith, 33, of Pittsburgh, Pa., in a19-hole semifinal thriller and the long-hitting Cook in the final.Smith, a two-time USA Walker Cup Team member (2009 and2011), had his consecutive Mid-Amateur match winning streakstopped at 16 and saw his bid for an unprecedented fourthnational title come up two victories short. Smith had won thechampionship in 2003, 2009 and 2010.Lewis said he took a different mindset into this championshipfinal. Back in 1996, he admitted to thinking too much about thelikely Masters invitation instead of his opponent. So as he preparedto play Cook, who had defeated second-seeded JohnEngler, 32, of Augusta, Ga., in the semifinals, Lewis told himselfto just go out and enjoy the moment and not think about theend game.That philosophy worked as Lewis jumped out to a quick 2-uplead, thanks to some aggressive mistakes by Cook. At the par-5first hole, Cook tried to reach the green in two, but insteadpulled his fairway-metal approach into the water hazard. Onthe green in four, Cook watched Lewis drain a 15-foot birdieputt.Then at the second hole, with the tees moved up to make thepar 4 play just 292 yards, Cook’s 3-wood went left and afterleaving his approach shot in a greenside bunker, he failed to getup and down for par, and Lewis won the hole with a 4.Cook, an accountant for the U.S. Department of Defense whospent seven months playing professionally after graduatingfrom Ball State in 2003, would eventually square the matchwith birdies at 13 and 14, but a bogey-5 at No. 16 and doublebogey-7at the par-5 closing hole – he put two balls in thewater, including a 6-iron second shot from 201 yards – left him2 down at the lunch break.“I was definitely furious walking off 18,” said Cook, “ justbecause I didn’t give myself an opportunity there. I kind of gaveit to him.”Lewis, however, wasn’t at all bothered by Cook’s power,despite giving up as much as 60 yards off the tee and needingto hit long irons or hybrids into the longer par 4s compared midand short-irons for his opponent.What Lewis lacked in length, he made up for with precisionand dexterity around the greens. A beautiful flop shot from60 yards at the 19th hole led to a winning birdie against Smithin the semifinals, and in a third-round 1-up win over ScottHarvey, a match he called one of the finest of his career, he hadseven one-putt greens over the final nine holes.Against Cook, he shot the equivalent of four under par – withthe usual match-play concessions – and registered only threebogeys over the 34 holes.Cook managed to cut the deficit to 1 down at the 20th holeby driving the 342-yard second hole and making a two-puttbirdie. But he could never return the match to all square.At the par-5 ninth, Lewis holed a delicate 8-foot downhillbirdie putt to take a 2-up lead. He would eventually increasethat margin to 4 up through 31 holes.Cook, whose wife Lisa competed in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur that was held concurrently with the Mid-Amateur atBayville Golf Club in Virginia Beach, Va., would win the par-532nd hole with a birdie, but the next two holes were halvedand Lewis had that elusive national championship.“That’s as good as it gets for me,” said Lewis. “You saw my peakperformance.”Mid-Am