Fleming Island's Tyler Mawhinney advances in U.S. Amateur; medalist Jimmy Ellis ousted

Tyler Mawhinney has a flair for the dramatic. 

Last fall the 16-year-old Fleming Island High Junior made a hole-in-one and an eagle in the same round on his way to the FHSAA Class 3A state championship. 

Last week, Mawhinney won the Canadian Amateur in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, clinching it when he nearly aced the par-3 17th hole of the Riverside Golf Club, striking an 8-iron from 178 yards to within inches of the cup. 

Then on Wednesday, he advanced to the second round of the U.S. Amateur with a 20-foot eagle putt at the longest hole at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. 

There seems to be nothing ho-hum about the way Mawhinney is going about his business in the golf course. 

Mawhinney’s eagle off the fringe at the par-5 15^th hole gave him a 4 and 3 victory over Le Khanh Hung of Vietnam and a spot inthe round of 32 where he will face University of Virginia senior and native of China Paul Chang at 10 a.m. (EDT) on Thursday. Chang defeated Nate McCoy of Ankeny, Iowa 5 and 4.  

“I was just trying to hit a good putt, have good speed,” he said. “I got the line right and it went in.” 

Medalist Jimmy Ellis ousted in first round

Jimmy Ellis of Atlantic Beach, the first Mid-Amateur to medal in U.S. Amateur stroke play in 11 years, still appeared on a roll after his second-round 61 when he won three of the first four holes against Oklahoma State sophomore Ethan Fang.

But Fang, 20 years younger than Ellis at 19, chipped away, squared the match by No. 12, then won Nos. 13 and 15. He held on and won 2-up with a 12-foot birdie putt at the last. Elllis had a 20-foot birdie attempt and missed.

“The back nine, some of those holes [are] just pretty much impossible to hit the green and it just turns into a short-game contest,” Ellis told usga.org. “And I'm not going to beat the young guys in a short-game contest. You've got to get the ball in the fairway, and you've got to somehow find a way to make pars, and I just didn't do it.”

Fang was one of 14 players who had to return to the course to play off for the final 11 spots in the 64-man match-play field. He earned the 64th seed and a spot opposite Ellis within two holes, and had to wait more than four hours for their match to start.

“It doesn't really matter who you play in match play,” Fang told usga.org. “Just got to compete with the guy and hopefully you win.”

Mawhinney's opponent was in with a birdie

Mawhinney is now the last remaining First Coast resident in the field, out of six who started stroke play on Monday.

His clinching eagle even more impressive given where his opponent was at the time. Hung was in a bunker in two shots and nearly holed out, leaving himself a conceded birdie. Had Mawhinney not made the eagle, the match would been extended at least one more hole. 

Mawhinney was taking nothing for granted, even with a three-hole lead with three to play under those circumstances. 

“He’s a very solid player,” Mawhinney said. “At this point, everyone’s a good player.” 

Mawhinney could play world's No. 1 amateur

If Mawhinney beats Chang, he potentially will face the world’s No. 1 amateur, Florida State junior Luke Clanton, who tied for fifth last week in the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship – his third top-10 on the Tour this summer as an amateur. Clanton is playing University of Illinois senior Jackson Buchanan of Dacula, Ga., in his second-round match. 

Mawhinney, who won the Canadian Amateur by one shot at 15-under 273, shot 2-under 140 in the U.S. Amateur stroke-play qualifier to finish as the No. 22 seed in match play. He was 1-under on his ball against Hung, giving him a 17-under total on his last 123 competitive holes. 

Mawhinney led the Golden Eagles to the Class 3A team title, was the Times-Union's high school boys' player of the year and the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Golf.

He said the key to his recent stretch of play is finding the fairway off the tee and has been working hard over the summer with Chan Reeves at the Sea Island Resort.

The desired goal is the ability to attack more flags from short grass. 

“My driver has been a lot straighter than it used to be,” he said. “Sometimes I’d get a too steep in the downswing and I get what we call a ‘fade bias.’ We had to balance it out a little bit. I’m usually a pretty good iron player and if I keep the ball in the fairway, it’s to my advantage.” 

Mawhinney said hitting the fairways is vital at Hazeltine because the rough is between 5-8 inches deep. 

“They just won’t cut it,” he joked. 

Mawhinney didn’t know he’d be playing in the U.S. Amateur until he won in Canada, and he’s trying to treat the week as a bonus. 

“I’m trying to have fun, to be honest,” he said. “I’m not going to go out there and get all upset over a bad shot or if I lose one hole. “I’ll just keep getting out there and play my best.”