Team USA-Dudes Rests Hopes On Fox

The USGA held true to form and named recent US Amateur champion Steven Fox to its 2012 USA side for the World Amateur Team Championship. From my perspective, the USGA handcuffed its squad, essentially submitting a two-man roster. Howza come? Well, Fox is unheralded. No one knew that UTennessee-Chattanooga had a golf team before last week, much less that Fox was a member.

Fox had an unbelievable run leading up to and through the championship. He is why national championships are the stuff of dreams. While you have to be pretty good to qualify for a US Amateur, you don’t have to be great to win. For proof, revisit Nathaniel Crosby (1981), Buddy Alexander (1986), Mitch Voges (1991) and three of the last four winners (An, Kraft and Fox.) These are guys who got on a run and rode the horse to the trough in the center of town.

Back to my premise. Fox’ score won’t count any of the four days in Turkey. Rather than have Patrick Rodgers or Bobby Wyatt (two guys who could smoke Fox 10 days out of 10 in head-to-head matches), the USGA appears to have an obligation to validate its hallmark amateur event by naming the winner to whichever team (WAT or Walker Cup) is in vogue that year.

Bad move, USGA. I’ll be checking in October 4-7, when the bloom (and the petals) are off the rose and the USA twosome places top ten in Antalya.