McClean holds off Foley charge to win US Mid-Amateur and clinch Masters and US Open starts
Matthew McClean holds up the trophy after winning on the 17th hole following the final round at the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Erin Hills in Erin, Wis. on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. (Steven Gibbons/USGA)
Malone's Matt McClean sensationally ended his major drought when he held off a late fightback from Royal Dublin's Hugh Foley to win the 36-hole US Mid-Amateur Championship final 3&1 and clinch dream starts in the Masters and the US Open next year.
Two-up through the first 18 holes on Friday, McClean (29) raced 5-up with just six holes to play with a brilliant display of golf at Erin Hills in Wisconsin before Foley fought back to two down with three to play before falling on the 17th.
"Yeah, fantastic,” McClean said. "Sort of probably hasn't sunk in just yet. 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.
“It was tough. I think the birdie on 12 that I made felt like it was sort of a big hole with 5 to 6, and then the shot he hit into 13 was unbelievable. 14, he played perfect; 15, he played perfect. Then he hit one straight down the pin on 16, as well, and I thought, it's going to be another one.
"So it was hard to sort of hang in there, but I didn't really do a huge amount wrong, so I just sort of felt if I kept on doing what I was doing, hopefully he wouldn't birdie the last six holes against me. That was the plan, and thankfully it sort of just worked out in the end there."
The 19th was halved in bogeys before the Belfast optometrist man won the 20th in par and the 24th in birdie to go 4-up.
Foley hit back with a birdie at the par-five 25th to get back to 3-down, but McClean won the 27th in par where Foley was in a greenside bunker and saw his recovery finish in a sprinkler head on the edge of the green.
Now 4-up again, McClean went 5-up with six to play when he rolled in a four-and-a-half footer for a birdie at the 30th (the 441-yard 12th).
But Foley refused to go down without a fight and hit back with three birdies in a row to reduce the deficit to just two holes.
He made an eight-footer for a birdie two at the 142-yard 31st (13th), then birdied the par-five 14th, where McClean lipped out with a 25-footer for the Championship.
The gap was down to just two holes at the 33rd, where Foley made a 10-footer for his third birdie in a row.
The par-three 34th was halved in pars, leaving McClean 2-up with just two to play, but he held his nerve and closed out the match with a half in par fives at the 35th.
It was a long overdue Major win for McClean, who was determined to get his name on a trophy before the end of the season.
"Me and Hugh have played a lot of golf this year,” McClean said. "He's beaten me twice. 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.”
If he remains amateur, McClean will receive the traditional invitation to the Masters at Augusta National from April 6-9and join the likes of US Senior Open champion Pádraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and almost certainly Seamus Power in the US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club from June 15–18.
“I think it probably hasn't quite sunk in yet. It's going to take a wee bit of time,” McClean said. "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. At least there's one more Irish guy in the Masters next year guaranteed. Just thankfully it's me going there.”
It was the second successive defeat in finals for Foley (25), who became the first man since Darren Clarke in 1990 to win the North of Ireland and South of Ireland titles back to back but then lost a 4-up lead to Quentin Carew after nine holes of the AIG Irish Close final at Headfort and fell to an eagle three at the 20th.
He was proud that he made a match of it down the stretch but ultimately he was disappointed he didn’t maintain the form he showed for the first few days.
"I made a late charge there, decent back nine,” the Dubliner said. "Must have been 3-under back nine there. 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 (30th) 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.”
Asked if it stung more to lose to a friend, he said: "No, I think it doesn't make any difference, really. You just want to win no matter who you're playing.
"We played a great game, fair game. But you're always trying to just win the match, win the championship. Matt did that. Doesn't feel any different. But I'm happy for him.”
Disappointed he didn’t produce his best golf in the final, he added: “Nothing I could pinpoint. Just wasn't quite as good.
“The first few rounds I was really good, 5-under in the stroke play, and then 4-under in both my first two matches. Just felt like all my best golf was there. I think I was 15-under through four rounds.
“I felt like I got a few bad breaks, but that's all right, 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.”
Foley’s goal is to make the Walker Cup team next year and gain more experience.
He’s exempt for the 2023 US Amateur now and plans to play a 36-hole qualifier for the Mallorca Open at Le Golf National next Monday as McClean stays on in Chicago with his girlfriend for the next week.
Foley will finish up his season at The Concession Cup at Valderrama from November 14-18.
