Sullivan Wins Michigan Amateur Championship at Cascade Hills
6/28/2021 2:10:00 PM | Men's Golf
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- After finishing as the runner-up in 2019, University of Michigan men's golfer Patrick Sullivan used a 2-and-1 victory over Eastern Michigan's Tyler Rayman today (Monday, June 28) to win the 110th Michigan Amateur Championship at Cascade Hills Country Club.
In the battle of Washtenaw County, Sullivan trailed Rayman 1-down through the front side of the title match. Sullivan then birdied five of the first six holes on the back nine to swing the match in his favor, winning holes 10, 14 and 15 to grab a 2-up lead that he carried to the championship.
Sullivan becomes the 16th Wolverine to hoist the Staghorn Trophy at the Michigan Amateur and is the first U-M golfer to win since Andrew Chapman's title run in 2013. The Michigan men's golf program now has 26 overall titles in the state amateur's 110-year history.
"It was a long week with the rain delays. However, I am proud of the way I played," said Sullivan. "I just kept telling myself to hang in there. Hole-by-hole and shot-by-shot is what I focused on. I learned so much from the experiences in 2019 that I needed to use that to my advantage, which I did. Luckily, it paid off."
Securing the No. 5 seed in stroke-play qualifying with a 139 (70-69, -1) tally, Sullivan advanced in the Round of 64 with a dominating 6-and-5 win over No. 60 seed Erik Fahlen (Taylor University). With heavy rains and thunderstorms hampering play throughout the weekend, Sullivan was able hold on in his delayed Round of 32 match with No. 28 seed Alex Zeoli. After Sullivan built an early 3-up lead through six holes, Zeoli won two (Nos. 10 and 17) of the next 11 holes to trail by just one, but a clutch putt on the 18th helped Sullivan move on to the Sweet 16 with a 1-up victory.
In yet another delayed match, Sullivan built a 4-up lead through 10 holes on No. 12 seed Charles Delong (Grand Valley State) in the Sweet 16, but Delong would not go away. With wins on Nos. 15 and 16, he drew within two of Sullivan. Another clutch putt from Sullivan on the 17th gave him a 2-and-1 win.
Facing Michigan State's James Piot in the Elite Eight, Sullivan found himself down two after four holes but rallied with three straight wins on Nos. 8, 9 and 10 to claim a 1-up lead. After going shot for shot over the next seven holes, a bogey from Piot on the 18th hole gave the win to Sullivan, 2-up.
In a back-and-forth front side battle with Oakland's Colin Sikkenga in the Final Four, Sullivan won five of the first 11 holes to carry a 3-up lead with seven holes left. After Sikkenga got a hole back by winning the 16th, Sullivan struck back with a win on 17th to win the Chuck Kocsis Bracket and earn a spot in the championship match, 3-and-1.
In addition to Sullivan's championship run, current Wolverine Will Anderson advanced to the Elite Eight, former Wolverine Brian Ottenweller (2005-08) advanced to the Sweet 16, and fellow alumnus and three-time champion Steve Maddalena (1979-82) lost to Ottenwelller in 19 holes in the first round of match play. Former Wolverine Andy Matthews (1999-2002) missed the cut for match play.
110th Michigan Amateur Championship
Cascade Hills Country Club, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Patrick Sullivan (Champion)
No. 5 seed (70-69/139, -1)
Round of 64: 6&5 win over No. 60 seed Erik Fahlen (Taylor University)
Round of 32: 1-up win over No. 28 seed Alex Zeoli
Round of 16: 2&1 win over No. 12 seed Charles Delong (GVSU)
Quarterfinals: 2-up win over No. 4 seed James Piot (Michigan State)
Semifinals: 3&1 win over No. 8 seed Colin Sikkenga (Oakland)
Final: 2&1 win over No. 14 seed Tyler Rayman (EMU)
Will Anderson (Elite Eight)
No. 39 seed (75-71/146)
Round of 64: 1-up win over No. 26 seed Brian Hayward
Round of 32: 1-up win over No. 58 seed Salam Chaudhary
Round of 16: 19-hole win over No. 55 seed Zach Robbins
Quarterfinals: 3&2 loss to No. 2 seed Grant Haefner
Brian Ottenweller (Sweet 16)
No. 15 seed (70-72/142)
Round of 64: 19-hole win over No. 50 seed Steve Maddalena
Round of 32: 3&2 win over No. 18 seed Ryan Johnson
Round of 16: 2&1 loss to No. 2 seed Grant Haefner
Steve Maddalena
No. 50 seed (76-71/147)
Round of 64: 19-hole loss to No. 15 seed Brian Ottenweller
Andy Matthews
Missed match-play cut (76-75/151)
U-M's Michigan Amateur Champions
David Ward: 1926, '36
Chuck Kocsis: 1930, '33, '34, '37, '48, '51
William Barclay: 1939
Ben Smith: 1950
Melvin Stevens: 1959, '63, '65
William Newcomb: 1967
Randy Erskine: 1972
Rod Sumpter: 1974
John Morse: 1978
Steve Maddalena: 1980, '90, '95
John Morgan: 1985
Andy Matthews: 2001
Christian Vozza: 2005
Joey Garber: 2010
Andrew Chapman: 2013
Patrick Sullivan: 2021
Players Mentioned
