Admittedly, it's a tough way to go down. Michael Weaver lost the final of the U.S. Amateur to Steven Fox in 37 holes after walking to the penultimate tee up dormie 2.
When Fox's unlikely birdie putt disappeared at the short par-4 first - the first hole of sudden death after the 36-hole match - Weaver had lost a place in history.
Weaver lost to a Fox birdie at the par-5 17th (the 35th hole of the day) at Cherry Hills C.C. near Denver, then caught an unlucky break on his par putt to clinch the title at the last hole.
On the first hole of sudden death, Weaver took driver and the risk of trying to fly the ball to the green. He went long and left, leaving a tricky 40-yard pitch. He made poor contact on consecutive chips, but left his third close enough to force Fox to putt for the win. He made it.
Weaver came over to shake hands with the jubilant Fox, whose father and caddie were embracing him on the green before the match-concluding handshake. Afterword, the Cal student went to his bag and slammed his putter into the bag. He eventually went into a crouch as he held back tears, likely wondering what just happened to him.
The putter slam was unacceptable. It's a poor example for the juniors watching him, emblematic of something a brat would do. Yes, he had every right to be frustrated, angry and want to punch a hole in a wall, but that all is supposed to happen in private. Take it with a brave face.
It was probably a rare outburst for the kid, who returns to Cal for his senior season, but he sort-of apologized for his temper tantrum.
People who didn't like how I acted I'm sorry you were offended...not to make excuses, but I wasn't thrilled to lose 3 holes 2 lose the US Am
— Michael Weaver (@mweav27) August 20, 2012
He then also offered a mildly annoyed rebuttal, talking about what the NBC cameras caught and didn't catch - which is a more-than-fair retort.
@joedgolf so tv shows me getting mad but not signing all autographs, doing every interview request&I can't lose with class...gimme a break— Michael Weaver (@mweav27) August 20, 2012
Though Weaver lost a place in history, he nevertheless secured a place in the field of two majors next season. He will be invited to the Masters, as well as landing a place in the field at the U.S. Open at Merion in Pennsylvania.
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