CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. --- Chattanooga Mocs senior
Steven Fox's (Hendersonville, Tenn.) magical march to the Masters and United
States Open at the United States Amateur is an unfinished tale. That's because
that's news for 2013, and Fox is in the here and now.
"It really hasn't sunk in," Fox said. "It's unreal. But
that's way in the future, tomorrow is the present."
Fox's wild ride continued with today's semifinal win over
Cal's Brandon Hagy. It was a 2up win that traversed all 18 holes. His finals
opponent is Michael Weaver, also from Cal, who beat 2012 Ben Hogan Award winner
Justin Thomas (Alabama) 3&2.
It was a well-played match from the beginning. The
two-some started par-birdie-par-par to open all square through four. Fox drew
first blood with a birdie on the fifth.
The lead was short-lived as Hagy answered with a birdie
of his own on six to level the score. It stayed that way until the ninth when
Fox's bogey, the first of the match for either competitor, gave Hagy the 1up
lead.
Pars over the next four holes kept the deficit at a hole
until Hagy's bogey brought it back to all square with four to play. Fox kept
the momentum going, winning the par three 15th for a 1up lead. They stayed that
way through 17.
Both golfers drove the fairway on 18, with Hagy nearly 40
yards ahead of Fox's tee ball. Advantage Fox.
"I hit three wood off the tee, Brandon hit an iron," Fox
added with a chuckle. "Man is he a long hitter. I had about 205 to the flag, pulled
out a four-iron and just wanted to make par. It was just about the same shot I
had during practice round.
"I drew it over the bunkers and it hit just short and rolled
up close," Fox continued. "The cheers came as it rolled closer and closer...up to
eight feet. Once again, just unreal."
He hit it to around eight feet, forcing Hagy's hand. Hagy
hit the green but had a 40-foot downhill birdie putt which he ran past the
hole. The hole was conceded to Fox for the 2up win.
It was a remarkably consistent performance for Fox. Neither
golfer relented as birdies won three holes, pars three others with 12 holes
halved, 11 with pars and one with birdies.
"We both made a lot of clutch putts," Fox added. "Whether
it was a 10-footer for par or 15-footer for birdie, it was well played both
ways. Brandon made a huge putt on 16 to keep the match going. Neither of us
made many mistakes."
Fox and Weaver hit the course at 9:30 a.m., Eastern Time,
for their 36-hole odyssey. NBC begins coverage at 4 p.m. It's an improbable
final with Fox ranked No. 127 in the world, while Weaver checks in at No. 149.
That's about to change.
But like the Masters and U.S. Open, amateur rankings are
stories for another day.
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