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8-28-09
U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Over the last few years, the careers of Dan Woltman and Mike Van Sickle have run on parallel tracks as both players competed for Wisconsin universities – Woltman at Wisconsin and Van Sickle at Marquette. Both players ended their impressive collegiate careers in May with NCAA tournament appearances in their past and the hopes of making this year’s Walker Cup team in front of them.
For a time Thursday it looked like those tracks might finally converge at the U.S. Amateur Championship in Tulsa, Okla. But both Woltman and Van Sickle lost matches that went to extra holes yesterday and bowed out of the tournament, held this week at Southern Hills CC.
Woltman, a native of Beaver Dam, led most of the way in his match Thursday afternoon with Steve Ziegler of Broomfield, Colo., but he ended up losing in 22 holes when he made a bogey on the fourth extra hole. Woltman held a 2-up lead on the 17th tee, but Ziegler birdied the last two holes to send the match into overtime.
Van Sickle, from Wexford, Pa., never led in his tight match with Byeong-Hun An of Korea, but five times he battled back to square the match after An took a 1-up lead. Van Sickle finally lost in 20 holes when he made double bogey on the par-4 second hole. An won the match with a bogey.
Had both Woltman and Van Sickle won those matches, they would have faced each other in a quarterfinal match this morning. Now, Ziegler and An will play that match.
It remains to be seen how long either player waits to join the professional ranks. The Walker Cup will be played in September.
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