U.S. Amateur: The Unlikely Finalists

Ron Balicki does a nice job setting up the U.S. Amateur final between unlikely combatants Brandon Hagy Steven Fox and Michael Weaver.

The final airs on NBC at 4 ET/1 PT.

The two finalists do have a few things in common stemming from the events of the week.

Both made it to match play by surviving a 17-man playoff for the final 14 spots in the 64-player match-play field. Weaver got in on the third playoff hole with a birdie and gained the No. 60 seed. One hole later, with four players going after the last three positions, Fox rolled in a 10-foot par putt to secure No. 63 in the field.

“The thing about match play is whatever seed you are, you have a chance,” Fox said. “Whether it’s No. 1 or No. 64, you have a chance. And to have two guys who had to go through a playoff go on to reach the finals, it’s pretty unreal.”

Also, the final will be a bit of a family affair as both players have their fathers on the bag. Now, as finalists, they have something else in common. And this may be the best of it all: Weaver and Fox have earned invitations into next year’s Masters and U.S. Open.