Four Longhorns, past and present, set their sights on Erin Hills in Wisconsin this past week for the 117th U.S. Open. By the team the weekend was over, three made the cut, and one took home the low amateur crown.
Junior Scottie Scheffler stole the show from fellow amateur and Texas A&M junior Cameron Champ on Sunday, besting Champ by one stroke to claim the low amateur title. Scheffler is the first Longhorn to win the low amateur at the U.S. Open since Jordan Spieth won it in 2012 at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
“(This is) simply monumental,” Texas head coach John Fields said. “We are equally excited for the Scheffler family. This is a great honor that speaks to their love, support and encouragement.”
For much of the championship, the amateur spotlight was dominated by Champ, who was near the top of the leaderboard at one point and looked destined to be the low amateur. The Aggie turned plenty of heads over the weekend with his pounding drives, incomparable clubhead speed and catchy last name. But Champ faltered in the final round on Sunday, leaving the door open for Scheffler.
Scheffler – who nearly won the NCAA individual title last month – shot a 1-over par 73 in the final round to finish 1-under for the tournament. That score was good enough to earn him a tie for 27th. And while Scheffler battled through his final round to a respectable 1-over, Champ struggled, carding a 4-over 76.
“It’s good getting the experience and seeing what it’s like playing four days here,” Scheffler said. “I have a lot of stuff I need to work on in my game to where I can compete to win.”
Spieth, who guided Texas to a national title in 2012, struggled on the greens and was never able to play his way into contention. The 2015 U.S. Open champion made the cut by just one shot after opening with rounds of 73 and 71. And a third-round 76 took Spieth right out of the tournament heading into the final day.
Spieth did save his best for last, however, commanding the course on Sunday despite high winds and thick rough. The two-time Major champion fired a 3-under 69 to finish the tournament 1-over and tied for 35th.
Brandon Stone, who played at Texas for one year in 2012-13, also tied for 35th with Spieth. Stone shot rounds of 70, 74, 72 and 73 to end the week at 1-over. Jhonattan Vegas, who was with the Longhorns from 2004-07, failed to make the cut after posting scores of 77 and 75.
