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By Rick Pledl
If the Wisconsin State Amateur Championship, presented by Tiziani Golf Car Corp., is the most prestigious amateur golf tournament in the state – and it absolutely is – why didn’t anyone want to win the 106th annual event in July?
At least it appeared as if no one wanted this one, as players in the final threesome shuffled in and out of the lead all day long under blustery final-round conditions at Bristlecone Pines in Hartland. Thus, the finale became a test of survival, and the lone survivor turned out to be Travis Meyer, a member of the UW-Green Bay golf team and the only player in the field in red figures at the end of 72 holes.
Meyer, a fifth-year senior this fall on the Phoenix golf team, shot a 1-under-par 283 (67-70-71-75). That final-round 75 might not look particularly impressive on the score sheet, but it turned out to be a nice, tidy number as the average score ballooned to 78.01 on the final day.
“It was just a grind-it-out day, but it worked in our favor,” Meyer said. “You’re going to make bogeys today.”
Meyer, 23, who plays out of River Falls GC, entered the final round tied with Jeff Kaiser of the Golf Club at Cedar Creek in Onalaska at 5 under par. Defending champion Dan Woltman of University Ridge GC in Verona was one stroke back at 4 under, and the hottest player in the field entering the tournament, Garrett Jones, also of University Ridge, was sitting at even par.
But Kaiser started the final round with five consecutive 5s on his scorecard, for a 5-over start that sent him back to even. He would later make a terrific eagle on the par-5 seventh hole to get back into the tournament at 1 under, but he went 2 over from there to shoot 77 and tie for second place.
“I didn’t want to just give up,” Kaiser said. “A day like today, it was never over until it’s over. Every time one of us got the lead, we made double bogey and gave it away. You couldn’t give up, but it was definitely frustrating. I’m sure it was fun to watch.”
Woltman also had a fourth round filled with peaks and valleys. After a front-nine 39, Woltman made his second birdie of the day on the par-5 16th hole to get back to 1 under, but he closed with bogeys on 17 and 18 to ruin his chances for a second straight State Am title. He shot 76 to tie Kaiser for second place at 1-over-par 285.
“I played awful today,” Woltman said.
Playing in the second-to-last group, Jones said he was optimistic about his chances as the wind increased, hoping it would bring the leaders back to him. The leaders did fall back, but Jones putted poorly and was unable to take advantage of the difficult conditions while shooting 75.
“Obviously, there weren’t any low scores, and when you’re playing from behind, that’s a good thing,” Jones said. “I just missed a lot of putts that someone winning the State Am should make. I’m sure that’s what separated me from those three guys ahead of me.”
The flat stick was anything but a problem for Meyer, who putted beautifully in making three key birdies on the back nine which essentially won the tournament for him. On the par-5 11th hole, Meyer missed the fairway with his drive but eventually stroked his third shot to about 12 feet, from where he made the birdie putt.
On the difficult par-3 12th hole, he dropped a bomb for birdie from about 30 feet. And Meyer grabbed the lead for the final time on the short par-5 16th hole, where he almost hit his second shot into the water right of the green. When the ball avoided the water, he chipped to 3 feet and dropped the putt.
Meyer had to endure some final tense moments on the 18th hole. He played driver off the tee in the hope of having a short approach into the 18th green, featuring water hard along the right side. He chunked that short approach with a 52-degree wedge and although it came up short, it did stay dry.
“That shot, I caught a little heavy,” said Meyer, who admitted he felt the nerves on the 18th hole. “I hit it bad enough to be good because if it had landed on the hill it could have kicked right into the water.”
Meyer’s third shot went long to the back fringe, but he played a delicate chip from there to about 2 feet to save bogey and finish with a two-stroke margin of victory.
“It really wasn’t that tough,” Meyer said of his final chip shot. “It was sitting up on top of the grass and all I had to do was get a club on it and get it moving. The green feeds away, so I just had to get it on and let it roll down there, and it worked out perfectly.”
Meyer, who putted cross-handed his whole life prior to last summer, admitted he had a great week rolling the ball on Bristlecone Pines’ contoured greens. In particular, the speed on his putts in the final round was outstanding as he continually lagged to tap-in range. He said he struggled with the new grip for most of the last year and a half, but he began to feel comfortable with the new stroke about a month before the State Am.
Meyer shared credit for his victory with his 18-year-old brother John, who caddied for him all week. The two apparently sang and danced their way around Bristlecone Pines in an effort to stay calm, and Travis Meyer could be seen tapping his foot to some sort of tune as he and his brother waited their turn in the 18th fairway on the 72nd hole.
“John and I did a good job of staying calm,” Travis said. “We sang a couple songs throughout the round to try and stay calm. We kept singing and dancing and trying to take it easy.”
In the end, par-71 Bristlecone Pines played as advertised. There were birdies to be made for those who played from the fairway, and bogeys for those who strayed from it. And the combination of gnarly rough, a long golf course and big wind – Jones called the final-round wind “brutal” – blew up many a score down the stretch.
But there was nothing but celebration for Travis Meyer, who held or shared the lead after all four rounds of the tournament in a performance that no doubt opened some eyes among his fellow state competitors. Just don’t call Meyer’s win a surprise.
“Am I surprised?” Meyer said, repeating a question posed after his win. “No. I worked hard for this. I believed in myself from day one. It just worked out this time.”
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