Irishman Matthew McClean wins 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Erin Hills
TOWN OF ERIN – Rory McIlroy. Graeme McDowell. Padraig Harrington. Matthew McClean.
That is the list of Irishmen who have won a United States Golf Association national championship, as McClean claimed the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship title Saturday morning at Erin Hills by besting his fellow Republic of Ireland countryman Hugh Foley 3&1.
McDowell (2010 U.S. Open) and McIlroy (2011 U.S. Open) of Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland's Harrington (2022 U.S. Senior Open), of course, all won their U.S. titles as professionals. The duel between Foley and McClean was the first time any Irishman made the championship final of a U.S. amateur championship.
That means McClean is the first from his country to win one.
“Sort of probably hasn't sunk in just yet,” McClean said. “It's been a very long week, but I'm sure once we sort of sit down this evening, it'll sort of sink in a wee bit more, but yeah, it's unbelievable really.”
And know that his home country was watching.
News outlets reported on their progress throughout the tournament, which lasted eight days due to rain delays. Harrington and fellow countryman Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open champion, tweeted they were following the championship match, also.
McClean isn’t just coming home with a trophy, either.
The 29-year-old optometrist from Belfast is not only exempted into the next 10 Mid-Am championships, but he’s also earned exemptions into the 2023 U.S. Open, Amateur in England and 2023 and 2024 U.S. Amateur. The winner has also received an invitation to the Masters Tournament every year since 1989.
“I think it probably hasn't quite sunk in yet,” said of the championship perks. “It's going to take a wee bit of time. I think there's going to be a good few Irish players in it next year, so can't wait to sort of get an invite to join it. It will be a tough week, but hopefully if I can play well, we'll just sort of enjoy it and see how it goes.
“We actually got a message from Shane Lowry last night, as well, who just won Wentworth. So he sort of; at least there's one more Irish guy in the Masters next year guaranteed. Just thankfully it's me going there.”
The Mid-Am championship is open to amateur players 25 years and older, and while there are often international players in the field the only other one to win the championship over its 41 years was Australian Lukas Michel in 2019.
McLean is also the 16th individual golfer to win a USGA event in Wisconsin, and the second to capture a Mid-Amateur title.
Foley said he will remain an amateur for another year before turning professional. He will return to the states for the 2023 U.S. Amateur in Colorado.
The 2023 U.S. Senior Open will be held at Sentry World in Stevens Point and the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open will be held at Erin Hills.
It was an interesting end to the championship for Foley and McClean as they each won their semi-final matches Friday morning and then played the first 18 holes of their championship match in the afternoon. McClean took a 2-up lead into Saturday, having to sleep on the fact he posted an eight on the 18th hole to lose it to Foley.
So, McClean said he was going to approach Saturday as if the match were all square while Foley said he felt relieved to get off the golf course after stealing one back.
Unfortunately, the overnight didn’t help Foley.
He bogeyed the first two holes on Saturday morning and McClean went back to 3-up after the 20th hole of the final. Foley eventually fell 4-down and didn’t win a hole on the front nine (holes 19-27 of the competition) until the par-5, seventh.
“I felt like I got a few bad breaks, but that's all right,” Foley said. “I've had a lot of good breaks this year, including a couple against Matt and a couple against other guys. Matt deserves it. It's golf. Eventually it comes back, and to get here was pretty special.
“I didn't feel like I deserved it today, but I gave it a go.”
McClean quickly re-established the four-hole advantage on the par-3, eighth with a par and made the turn for the final nine holes of competition with a comfortable advantage. Foley made a late charge in the closing holes, however, with strong birdies on holes 14, 15 and 16 to cut his deficit to two with two to play.
On the 17th (the 35th hole of the final), McClean found the fairway and Foley was just right in the rough. That was the difference, as McClean hit the green in regulation and Foley’s approach found the left rough above the green. He could not get up and down and conceded the par and the championship to his countryman and friend.
“I made a late charge there, decent back nine,” Foley said. “Must have been 3-under back nine there, so that's kind of like -- what was I, 3- or 4-down? I thought maybe 3- or 4-under back nine might have a chance, but he held on great. That birdie on 12 was really, really good. Almost put the nail in the coffin. That's when I had a little bit of a run and freed up. But he held up great with those pars there at the finish. Yeah, he deserved it today.”
The two hugged on the green, with “well played” and “cheers” to go home with.
“He’s beaten me twice,” McClean said. “This is the first time I've beaten him. It was hard not to think that it was going to be three in a row that I was going to get beat. We know each other pretty well; as I said, we're staying with each other for the past two weeks that we've been here. Yeah, it's been fun. It's probably in a way who I wanted to play in the final, but at the same time it's not the person you want to lose in the final, as well.
“Hugh has played unbelievable golf this year. For the past three months he's probably been the best player in Ireland comfortably. So it's a final; this is still obviously a very, very good week.”
USGA championships in Wisconsin
1951: Dave Stanley, U.S. Amateur Public Links (Brown Deer Park Golf Course)
1966: Lamont Kaser, U.S. Amateur Public Links (Brown Deer Park GC)
1969: United States, Walker Cup (Milwaukee Country Club)
1977: Jerry Vidovic, U.S. Amateur Public Links (Brown Deer)
1986: Cindy Schreyer, U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links (Sentry World)
1988: Clarence Moore, U.S. Senior Amateur (Milwaukee C.C.)
1998: Se Ri Pak, U.S. Women’s Open (Blackwolf Run)
2007: Brad Bryant, U.S. Senior Men’s Open (Whistling Straits)
2008: Steve Wilson, U.S. Mid-Amateur (Milwaukee C.C.)
2008: Tiffany Joh, U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links (Erin Hills)
2011: Kelly Kraft, U.S. Amateur (Erin Hills)
2012: Na Yeon Choi, U.S. Women’s Open (Blackwolf Run)
2017: Brooks Koepka, U.S. Open (Erin Hills)
2019: Lei Ye, U.S. Girls Junior (Sentry World)
2022: Matthew McClean, U.S. Mid-Amateur (Erin Hills)
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Matthew McClean wins 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Erin Hills