Paolucci's Putter Proves Perilous

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Augusta, Mo. – The engine cranked and cranked and cranked. Nothing. No spark.

Fourteen-year-old Anthony Paolucci, the wunderkind from Dallas, Texas, shot an exasperated glance at his putter on the 27th hole after his 4-footer lipped the inner edge of the hole.

Finalist Anthony Paolucci, 14, was 5-1 in his first experience at match play at Boone Valley Golf Club. (Steven Gibbons/USGA)

Figuratively speaking, Paolucci was out of gas on the penultimate hole of the match. Just a few feet away Cory Whitsett stood composed as though the melodic sound of a symphony coursed through his veins. Whitsett, little did he know then, would be crowned the 60th U.S. Junior Amateur champion a mere 14 minutes later.

To describe the 15-year-old Whitsett’s game would be like trying to explain an abstract painting. There’s a lot to admire with very little criticism. He manages his game well, thinks his way around the course and is beginning to mold key ingredients – driver, ball-striking, putter – that could one day make him a superstar.

Though he found himself two holes down through the first six holes, Whitsett never panicked. Paolucci, perhaps more unruffled than Whitsett, tried squeezing his opponent like a boa constrictor in the early going. The first six holes were his high watermark of the match as he had been two under par. Over the final 23, Paolucci shot the equivalent of 10 over par that included six bogeys and two doubles. On the other side, Whitsett shot three under.

The truth of the matter was that Paolucci simply couldn’t get the flat stick going. Over his final 11 holes, he took 20 putts, too many when one is trying to erase a five-hole deficit after the first 18.

"My putter today wasn’t any good,” said Paolucci. “Today, I wasn’t rolling the ball on the green.”

On a statistical level, Paolucci had hit more fairways (18 versus 17) and more greens in regulation (22 versus 19). It’s not to suggest Whitsett lit it up on the green. The difference-maker between the two could be attributed to Whitsett’s penchant to execute shots that wound up on key parts of the Boone Valley Golf Club course. He didn’t short-side himself and always put himself in position to make a good play. In many ways, he’s like a junior Loren Roberts. He plods along steadily, waiting for others to make mistakes.

As the two made their way to the dining area between the morning and afternoon 18 – with Whitsett 5 up - one long-standing player from yesteryear raved about their talent. The eyes of Jim Holtgrieve, a reinstated amateur who won the inaugural U.S. Mid-Amateur in 1981 and appeared in five Masters, danced.

"They’re so much better than when we played,” said Holtgrieve, reminiscing about his first Junior Amateur in 1964. “Their swings are so good compared to the way we were taught. Their swings are the same – all in plane, solid.”

Nearly error-free play made Cory Whitsett difficult to beat in the Junior Amateur final. (Steven Gibbons/USGA)

When they returned for the afternoon, Paolucci had to be aggressive. He aimed at flagsticks early, while Whitsett made the safe play. His caddie, Ryan Rue, knew Paolucci would have to do something astonishing to come back because Whitsett was so mentally strong. Whitsett told himself to approach the second 18 like “it was zero-zero.” Rue, meanwhile, would make sure he had the proper yardages and stayed away from overwhelming him with thoughts.

"I was trying to lighten the moment and take his mind off everything,” said Rue, who caddied for Chris DiMarco at last year’s British Open.

If there was a time the clichéd coffin received its final nail, No. 24 would be a wise place to start. Played on the par-5 sixth hole, Paolucci had 220 yards to carry a right water hazard that guarded the green. He knew as soon as he hit the iron thin, the ball, and maybe his fate, was sealed. Paolucci immediately dropped his head and twirled the club, exhaling what slender hopes he had left. It didn’t matter that, despite the penalty stroke, he saved par that elicited a “Good save, Anthony” from Whitsett.

Whitsett had won the hole to move to 6 up and had a stranglehold.

When they made the turn on No. 27, Paolucci had the feeling his run had ended.

Afterward, Paolucci didn’t sulk. He didn’t throw a tantrum. He didn’t purse his lips and begrudge Whitsett’s victory. He simply credited Whitsett for playing better.

"I actually feel pretty good,” said Paolucci. “I accomplished a lot more than I thought I would. You’re not going to win all the time.”

When Paolucci conceded on No. 29, the par-4 11th, Whitsett shook hands and then searched for his father, Jeff. The two embraced. It didn’t cross Whitsett’s mind at any point that he had just become the fourth-youngest champion in the history of the event. Maybe more impressive, he joined Ralph Howe III, Phil Mickelson and Brian Harman as the only left-handed players to win a USGA championship in its 113-year history.

"It’s a good feeling, I guess,” said Whitsett, admitting he was unaware of such minutiae. “I figure it wouldn’t have been very many.”

More important, he accomplished a goal he thought was attainable after purposely taking last week off to rest for this championship. Whitsett, bordering on exhaustion, said it was the wise move. After all, his hands clasped on the trophy would certify that.

"No matter what happens in my life,” he said, “I will always have this.”