Thrilling 13th Hole Not Enough For Jasper at Amateur
8/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Aug. 24, 2005
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Shawn Jasper will likely remember the 13th hole at Merion Golf Club for the rest of his life. Unfortunately for Jasper, he'll only have played it three times this week.
Mizzou junior-to-be Shawn Jasper (Marthasville, Mo. / Francis Howell HS / Newman Univ.) was eliminated from the 105th U.S. Amateur in Ardmore, Pa., after a 1-up loss to Gary Wolstenholme in the first round of match play. Jasper made the 64-player field after earning one of the final 17 spots during a Wednesday-morning playoff that began on the 13th hole, then came back hours later and aced the 120-yard hole during his first-round match.
In the playoff, Jasper was the first to qualify for match play after becoming the lone golfer of the 19 to birdie the 120-yard hole. The tee shot was long by a few feet, but spun back and nearly went in the hole. He returned to the clubhouse for some breakfast, while the playoff was extended to four holes.
In his first-round match against the 17th-seeded Wolstenholme, neither player had more than a 1-up lead the entire match. The Brit took the lead when Jasper bogeyed the first hole, but the match was all-square following a Jasper birdie on the second. A Wolstenholme birdie on 4 was countered by his bogey on 6, and his birdie on 7 was cancelled by Jasper's birdie on 8.
Jasper took his first lead of the match with a birdie on the 10th hole, yet gave it back with a bogey on 11. He'd regain the lead, though, with his magical shot on the 13th to give him his first career hole-in-one.
"The 13th was good for me today," Jasper said. "I thought the one this morning lipped out, but we just saw the replay on The Golf Channel, and it just spun past."
The match returned to all-square following a Jasper bogey on 14, then Wolstenholme took a 1-up lead when he won the 15th hole with a bogey. Wolstenholme then bogeyed 16 to bring the match all-square a final time, before his birdie on the par-3 17th made for the winning margin.
"It was some match. It was well-played," Jasper said. "I've never been in a match that close. Nobody really ever took total control of match. It seemed whenever someone got a birdie, someone birdied the next hole." When asked about the whirlwind of success he's been involved in over the last five months - from back-to-back team tournament wins at Belmont and Purdue, to the Cinderella-like run to the NCAA National Championships and All-America honors, Jasper said, "It started out slow last fall, but then we started winning and it was fun. From (Belmont) on, I've been playing really well. It's been unbelievable. It's been a lot of fun, and we're really looking forward to this year. Maybe this is the year we win a national championship."
Players Mentioned
