Thursday, August 23, 2001
Doeden pulls off surprise upset at Amateur
by Kelly Morris
skiff staff

Last year, senior men’s golfer Andy Doeden qualified for the 100th U.S. Amateur Championship but failed to make it past the first round of match play.

But Doeden didn’t let history repeat itself Wednesday at the 101st U.S. Amateur Championship.

Doeden, who was tied for 38th place coming into Wednesday’s round, upset Jay Morgan, who was tied for 27th place, 2 and 1 through 17 holes at the East Lake Golf Course in Atlanta, Ga.

“This is the furthest I have ever gone in this tournament,” Doeden said. “I’m feeling really good right now. I had a lot of fun, and I’m very excited about (Thursday’s match).”

But Wednesday’s win didn’t come easily for Doeden. Through six holes, Morgan already had a two-hole lead. After making a 25-yard chip from the bunker on the seventh hole, Morgan birdied, and Doeden failed to make a 15-foot birdie putt on that same hole giving Morgan a three-shot lead.

Despite being behind, Doeden didn’t get frustrated.

“After the seventh hole, I drew back to last year’s tournament,” Doeden said. “I wasn’t patient last year, but today I tried to stay focused on my own game and not let my opponent’s play affect me. I stayed in the present and capitalized on (Morgan’s) mistakes which was a positive for me.”

That mentality is what makes Doeden such a good match player, Montigel said.

“Andy never gives up,” Montigel said. “He might lose a match, but he never quits. With stroke play, bogies and double bogies can really add up, but with match play, you can get a 10 on a hole and then get back-to-back birdies and be right back in the match.”

Birdies on the 8th, 9th and 10th holes helped Doeden bring the match back to even. Doeden then went on to par the last four holes of the match to finish two holes up against Morgan.

Doeden will face off against Florida golfer Camilo Villegas today.

Montigel said he expects Villegas, who won the NCAA Championship last year with the Gators, to be a tough opponent.
“There’s no easy matches from here on out,” Montigel said. “Andy is facing a very good player.”

If Doeden defeats Villegas, he will play a second round of match play this afternoon.

Doeden’s teammates might not be with him in Atlanta, but Montigel said the team is watching closely in Fort Worth.

“I’m curious to see how the tournament will go and look forward to watching it on television,” Montigel said. “Doeden’s teammates our following his progress on the Internet and the television. Because of their classes, some are even taping it and watching it at night. It’s fun to watch and great for the golf program.”

Kelly Morris
k.l.morris@student.tcu.edu

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