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Y! MyWebUD golf
Flyer comes up big on tough hole to make tourney
Chappell will join teammate Glassman, two other area players in U.S. Amateur field.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
DAYTON — Rob Chappell knew a spot in the U.S. Amateur could be riding on a 5-foot birdie putt on his final hole in a sectional qualifier last week, and the University of Dayton golfer had the time he needed to ponder that downhill left-to-right breaker — more than enough.
"The other two guys (in the threesome) were struggling on that hole, especially around the green, and I had probably five to 10 minutes before putting," he said. "I just really tried to see it going in the hole over and over again."
The senior-to-be from Cincinnati Moeller High School rolled the putt just as he imagined it, giving him a birdie-birdie finish that allowed him to make the 312-player field for the USGA event by a single stroke. Teammate Zach Glassman, a sophomore from northeast Ohio, qualified at a sectional in Cleveland a few days before Chappell's dramatics.
"I called him and told him I'd hopefully be joining him down there," Chappell said. "Sure enough, I sent him a text message after I qualified and said, 'See you down there.' "
Ten other Ohioans will compete Monday, Aug. 18, in the 108th U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst in North Carolina, including two area players, Derek Denlinger of Brookville and Jimmy Henderson of Lebanon.
Chappell was the medalist at the Atlantic 10 Tournament last season, helping the Flyers to a program-best second-place finish.
"Rob's game has matured enough now that when he needs to make birdies, when he needs to score, he makes it happen," said Drew Tyrer, who coached the Flyers the last two seasons before leaving to pursue a career in hospital administration. "He's such a competitor, he truly just wills the ball into the hole. It's an amazing thing to watch."
Glassman's strength is his quiet resolve.
"He's just stoic," Tyrer said. "He doesn't show virtually any emotion on the golf course, and I think that's a huge advantage for him. That keeps his emotions in check, and it can also be intimidating for his opponents."
Chappell and Glassman are the first UD players to qualify for the U.S. Amateur since Jack Zimmerman Sr. did it three times during his post-Flyer days, the last in 1962.
"They have such high aspirations for themselves," Tyrer said. "It's so nice to see their hard work being rewarded."
The two will play practice rounds today and Sunday. The tournament begins with two rounds of stroke play, one on the famed Pinehurst No. 2 course and the other on No. 4. The field will then be pared to 64 players for match play on Pinehurst No. 2, the site of the 2005 and 1999 U.S. Opens.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
Locals in
U.S. Amateur
The U.S. Amateur begins Monday at Pinehurst. The four Dayton-area players in the field:
Derek Denlinger, Brookville
Jimmy Henderson, Lebanon
Rob Chapell, UD
Zach Glassman, UD
