Gavin Tiernan's comeback cruelly thwarted as Ethan Fang birdies 36th to win Amateur Championship

Irish Independent

5 hours ago

One-up after the morning 18, the Dubliner (19) found himself two down with three to play to the 20-year-old world number seven from Texas.
But after making a 30 footer for birdie at the 16th and a 12 footer for another at 17th to take the match to the 36th, the County Louth battler watched Fang rip his approach to four feet at the 18th and roll in the birdie putt to clinch a spot in The Open at Royal Portrush next month and the Masters and US Open next year.
It was a cruel finish for the East Tennessee State University student, who was bidding to become the first pre-qualifier to win the title but couldn't chip in from just off the 18th to heap the pressure on his opponent.
'You know, that was probably one of the longest days of golf I've ever played,' a relieved Fang said at the finish. 'But it feels really good to come up on top.
'I didn't really know what to expect coming here and he played great. I've been in situations like that before and I just hit a really good shot on the last hole.
'It's a pretty big trophy. and playing the Masters in The Open Championship, that's gonna be pretty sweet.'
Tiernan forged a one-up lead after the morning round, winning the fourth in par before Fang squared the match with a birdie at the eighth.
The Co Louth man birdied the 12th to go one up again and while he lost the long 14th to Fang's eagle, he made two from five feet at the par-three 16th to regain the lead.
A tidy chip and putt par the 18th allowed him to go to lunch with the lead but he had to work even harder in the afternoon.
He three putted the 19th, missing a two and a half footer for par, to be pegged back to all square, then trailed for the first time when he drove into a deep fairway bunker at the 23rd (fifth).
ADVERTISEMENT
The Dubliner had to make 10 footer for par at the next to remain one down but won the 25th (7th) with a conceded birdie four after Fang tangled with the deep rough.
Tiernan then made two good putts in a row at the eighth and ninth to remain all square but Fang won the 38th (10th) in par to edge one-up again.
The 29th (11th) was halved in bogey fours but Tiernan's brilliant short game came to the rescue again at the 378-yard 30th (12th), where he almost drove the green and played a brilliant chip to three feet to win the hole with birdie and square the match again.
After missing a chance to take the lead at the 31st (13th), where he missed from 12 feet for birdie, Tiernan lost the par-five 14th to Fang's two-putt birdie when he hit a poor pitch from short of the green.
The American crucially doubled his lead at the par-four 32nd (15th) where Tiernan had to chip out sideways from a fairway bunker.
Fang overshot the green in two and hit a weak putt but after Tiernan failed to save par, he rolled in a 10 footer for par to go two up with three to play.
But he would not go down without a fight and after roling in a 30 footer for a birdie two at the 16th to get back to one down, he made a 12-footer for another birdie at the 17th where Fang left himself a 10 footer for par after tugging his second left of the green.
Tiernan would likely have earned a Walker Cup spot had he won the title but Fang denied him with his brilliant closing birdie to become the first American to win the title since Drew Weaver in 2007.