Wisconsin Golfer - September/October 2011

ou’d have thought Ricky Hearden
won the 110th Wisconsin State Am-
ateur Championship.

Hearden, who plays out of Horseshoe Bay GC in Egg Harbor, was flying high after a final-round 72 moved him into a tie for second, one stroke behind champion Mike McDonald.

“It’s been my best stroke-play week of
my life so far,” Hearden said. “I wish I
could have gotten one shot closer.”
Hearden, 20, had a roller-coaster final
round, which included a four-putt (No. 12)
and a holed 40-foot chip shot (No. 16).

“I hit it like a rock star today, and I
putted not so good,” Hearden said with a
wide smile. “The last couple days I putted
awesome, and I had a four-putt today.”
Hearden, a member of the Illinois State
golf team, had a lot of fun this summer as
his golf game flourished through a full
season of amateur play. He finished sec-
ond at the WSGA Match Play Champi-
onship – in 19 holes to fellow State
Amateur runner-up Jack Schultz – and
then he was in the mix for 72 holes at
Maple Bluff. For the week he shot 70-71-
73-72–286.

“I figured some things out mentally,”

Y

Hearden plays ‘rock star’ for a day

Hearden said when asked about his improved play in 2011. “Really, the biggest improvement is the short game. I’m not hitting it any better than last summer, but my short game is at a completely different level.” _____________________________________

VETERAN PRESENCE
Todd Schaap, 43, tied for fourth place,
his best finish in the Wisconsin State Ama-
teur Championship to date. He was also
the only non-college age player among
the top 12 finishers.

“It’s perfect for a guy like me,” Schaap said when asked how he liked the Maple Bluff course set-up.

Schaap, of Ives Grove GL in Sturtevant, expressed a bit of surprise that no other veterans made a strong run for the title at 6,400-yard Maple Bluff, which places the emphasis on iron play, the short game and patience. Schaap’s theory: The extreme heat wilted many a veteran players’ chances on a course where the state’s young bombers didn’t have an automatic advantage. It’s just possible, he said, that the youngsters dealt with the heat better.

Schapp, who shot 71-73-70-73–287, also
had difficulties with the weather. He said
he left the course after the second round
with a splitting headache.
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