McCarthy qualifies for US Am

BY Anthony Powter | 11 Aug 2011

Ryan McCarthy in last twelve months has seen his life turned around.

Last August he secured a top-16 finish at the US Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay, just north of Seattle. McCarthy was the only Australian to qualify for the desired low 64’s and ties. Jason Scrivener narrowly missed the plus-6 qualification mark, Texan based Matt Smith finished at plus-8 and the South Korean, Melbourne based, Jin Jeong ended his tournament four off the qualification mark at plus-10 and in a tie for 118th.

His world ranking had climbed inside the top-15 at the time and he was set to reinforce himself as Australia’s best amateur during the 2010-11 season.

Then on the Saturday of the weekend of the Lake Macquarie Amateur in January a surfing accident at the notorious Redhead beach resulted in the 21 year-old dislocating his left shoulder.

McCarthy would be out of the game for five months. His game in tatters as well as his immediate golfing future.

By the end the six month rehabilitation period and upon his return to the game at the Keperra Bowl in June, McCarthy’s world ranking had blown out to something in the 80’s. Average results in his early return tournaments were causing frustrations, to the extent that he even considered leaving the US to return to Australia.

A top-15 finish at the Porter Cup a fortnight ago gave some hope. McCarthy’s confidence was on the way up.

The Western Amateur last week in Chicago, where he shot rounds of 73-74 to finish at 5-over-par to missed the desired top-44 and ties by three, would again prove frustrating especially given McCarthy knew he was striking the ball the best he had for some time.

He was at the stage where he wanted to test his game and play the US Amateur again.

With no automatic start because his world ranking, McCarthy was forced to join the endless list of hopefuls and pre-qualify at one of the many sectionals held throughout the USA for the US Amateur championship.

Any player that’s done pre-chop for this championship can attest to the severity of the challenge which confronts you on the tee. Patience is a virtue to say the least. Luck is even better, yet determination and self belief in yourself and your game will get you far.

Besides the 36-hole one day format, you often have to travel to remote places at great expense and then grind your way through four hour rounds plus against some guys who should remain focused upon their club weekend competition, as opposed to getting into a national amateur championship. As to knowledge of the layout, it becomes more of a feel game and a case it’s probably better to not know where the dangers are and just focus upon fairways and greens.

McCarthy travelled to Muskegon Country Club in Michigan were a field of over 115 players were chasing 3 spots. He’d not played the course before yet felt his ball striking was back to his pre-injury level. The week before at the North Shore Country Club, venue for the Western Amateur, he’d been hitting fairways and greens. It was only his putting that was causing issues which he spent some time working on.

He shot 71-70 around Muskegon for a 3-under-par total and collected medalist honours in the process.

McCarthy was heading to Erin Hills in Wisconsin, venue also for the 2017 US Open, to compete in the 2011 US Amateur championship. To say that he was ecstatic would be an understatement, rather McCarthy’s mood was more one of satisfaction.

“It’s a huge relief,” said McCarthy.

“I felt that I played well at the Western Amateur and that my form was finally starting to return. To qualify again for the US Amateur is a tremendous feeling of satisfaction. I cannot wait to contest in this great event.”

When McCarthy tees up with fellow Australians, Bryden Macpherson, Daniel Nisbet, Matt Stieger, the Australians so far to be included in the 2011 US Amateur field, it will be a welcome second time coming for the world number 69.

“I’ll know what to do this time,” says McCarthy.

“The aim is to make the top-64 again. After that as we have seen so many times before in match play and what Bryden [Macpherson] did at the British Amateur, once you qualify it can be your tournament and hopefully it will be my week.”

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