ChampionChip: LedgeRock’s Lutz wins 61^st U.S. Senior Amateur

  EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. — As the raindrops fell Thursday, so did the tears from Chip Lutz’s eyes.

  He attained a coveted trophy that rested at the end of his golf journey: the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship. Lutz, 60, of Reading, Pa., defeated Tom Brandes of Bellevue, Wash., 5&3, to win the tournament’s 61st edition at Hidden Creek Golf Club. The three-time semifinalist, at long last, became a national champion.

  “The monkey is finally off my back. It’s an amazing feeling for me because it's one I have sought for quite a few years,” an emotional Lutz said. “There were many times where I questioned myself. I've been very fortunate in stroke play events, winning the British (R&A Senior Amateur Championship) twice and the Canadian (Men’s Senior Championship) twice. I’ve also done very well in match play. Obviously with three semifinal losses [in this tournament], you have to win a lot of matches to get there. I had to have some confidence in myself.

  “I had to try to restore my faith in my game and hope that one day I would be faced with the opportunity again and not succumb to either pressure or the challenges faced by that. To have been able to accomplish this goal mine really puts things to rest for me.”

  With the opportunity of competing in a U.S. Senior Amateur Final came a rare visit from Lutz’s mother Janet. Throughout his competitive career, Janet never watched her son play. She made the trip Thursday, making the moment all the more special.

  “[Being here] was a profound experience,” a joyful Janet, 89, said. “This has to be the pinnacle of his career — to have all titles (British, Canadian and United States).”

  To cross the final title off the list, Lutz relied on trusty ball-striking in the Final. He boasted a flawless fairway percentage (11-for-11). Lutz attributed such proficiency off the tee to a tip he received from Mike Killian, recently retired head professional at nearby Galloway National Golf Club and a former University of Florida teammate. Prior to the start of the U.S. Senior Amateur, the two played nine holes together at Galloway.

  “He just picked something up after two swings. He said, ‘Lower your hands a little bit,’” Lutz said. “That just did wonders for me. I hit the ball higher and kept it online better. I was struggling with my tempo, and that was a key ingredient in my ball-striking this past week. That tip Mike gave me was invaluable.”

  Also invaluable to Lutz’s performance Thursday — and the past five days for that matter — was caddie Allen Nagbe, whose unexpected presence contributed to an unforgettable result. Lutz originally pegged Mike Meisenzahl, a Golf Association of Philadelphia acquaintance and six-time club champion at Hidden Creek, for bag duties. However, Meisenzahl, now a professional, couldn’t fulfill his obligation because of a last-minute tournament invite, so he recommended Nagbe as a replacement.

  “Al was just phenomenal. We worked off each other really well,” Lutz said. “He’s so helpful not just with reads, but he has something about him in terms of the confidence he helped to instill and the calm he helped to portray. That was really instrumental.”

  “It’s a great win for a remarkable man,” Nagbe, 23, a nine-year caddie at Hidden Creek, said. “We had a long eight days but it was worth it. I’m very grateful to be on his bag and to be here for this.”

  Typical of any caddie/player relationship, Lutz regularly consulted Nagbe before each shot and the two appeared in sync. Their interaction on the greens, however, wasn’t so typical. As Lutz addressed each putt, Nagbe stood firmly behind the ball for a moment and then gradually stepped aside.

  “I found myself aiming left more than I should and pulling the balls, so we went through that routine in our practice rounds,” Lutz said. “So I asked him to do that; he did it every time. I don't know how it happened, but he didn't correct me once. He just said, ‘I love the line.’ That was the most special part about Al. He was a great partner in this event for me and a great person as well.”

  The alignment assistance translated into 25 putts, with the usual match play concessions, in the Final. A two-putt formula led to wins on Nos. 4 (par 3, 162 yards), 6 (par 4, 428 yards) and 13 (par 4, 389 yards) and crucial halves on Nos. 3 (par 5, 526 yards), 8 (par 4, 328 yards) and 10 (par 4, 444 yards). Lutz’s flat stick only failed the five-time GAP Senior Player of the Year on the par 3, 202-yard 14th hole. With a chance to close out Brandes, he missed a seven-footer on the low side. Lutz did prompt a Brandes’ concession on the next hole (par 4, 396 yards) by lagging a 40-footer to two feet.

  “Chip played great. It was great ball-striking and putting on a really tough day I had to have a complete ‘A’ game to even make it close with the way he played today,” Brandes, 59, said.

  By virtue of his victory Thursday, Lutz receives a 10-year exemption from qualifying for the U.S. Senior Amateur, plus exemptions into the next two U.S. Amateurs and U.S. Mid-Amateurs, and an exemption into the 2016 U.S. Senior Open. He will also be exempt from local qualifying for next year’s U.S. Open. In addition, Hidden Creek owners Roger and Edwina Hansen awarded Lutz a lifetime honorary membership to their facility.

  Lutz will be elected into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 24 alongside a class that includes Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and basketball coach P.J. Carlesimo.

Golf Association of Philadelphia
  Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional golf association in the United States and serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. Its 151 Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. As Philadelphia’s Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.