Yaroslav Merkulov, 29, of Rochester, N.Y., shot a 5-under-par 65 at Sankaty Head Golf Club on Sunday to complete 36 holes of stroke play in the 40th U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at 9-under 131, breaking the championship record by one stroke. Merkulov’s round, combined with his 4-under 66 on stroke play co-host Miacomet Golf Course on Saturday, betters two players (Bert Atkinson in 1997 and Jeff Wilson in 2001) who shared the previous championship stroke-play record of 132.
Merkulov’s 65 on Sunday also matches the Sankaty Head competitive course record, held by five players, including Jimmy Ellis, who matched Merkulov on Sunday morning. After half of the 264-player championship field endured more than five hours of fog delays at Sankaty Head on Saturday, the 6,645-yard course on the eastern end of the island was bathed in sunshine for much of Sunday, though buffeted by winds that averaged 16 mph and gusted to nearly 25 mph. There was just one short delay for fog on Saturday at Miacomet, 8 miles away.
The suspensions of play on Saturday at Sankaty Head – along with a short Sunday delay caused by more than a half-inch of rain that fell in the early morning hours – meant that 42 players had yet to begin Round 2 of stroke play (all at Miacomet) when play was halted for the day on Sunday.
Merkulov was a bit frustrated with his play on Saturday, despite having shot a 4-under 66 in Round 1 at Miacomet.
“I had a nice discussion with my coach [Saturday] night, and that helped me regroup,” said the Duke University graduate, who was born in Smolensk, in western Russia. “The big thing today was staying committed to what you were trying to hit, whether you were trying to ride the wind or fight the wind, whatever it was, you have to commit to the shot. If you stray from that in this wind, good luck.”
Merkulov noted that two of his birdies came after he hit tee shots into the fescue, on the par-4 11th and the par-4 16th. “Another big thing is that I putted really well,” noted Merkulov, who reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 U.S. Junior (losing to Jordan Spieth) and the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur. “I had a lot of putts inside 10 feet that I played outside the hole, and I don’t remember missing one.”
Merkulov’s 9-under total was six strokes better than any of the nearly 120 players – just under half the field – who completed 36 holes on Sunday. Nathan Colson, of Mequon, Wis.; Marc Engellenner, of Rocklin, Calif.; and Jimmy Ellis, of Venetia, Pa., all stood at 3-under 137, with Engellenner getting to 6 under for the day at Miacomet on Sunday before settling for a 4-under 66 on the 6,782-yard layout.
Among those who had not completed Round 2, Harvin Groft of Berwick, Maine, was at 8 under through 11 holes at Sankaty Head, going out in 4-under 31 after a 66 at Miacomet on Saturday. Garrett Rank, an NHL referee from Canada who was the runner-up in this championship in 2012, stood at 5 under through two holes at Miacomet after a 66 at Sankaty Head on Saturday that was highlighted by eight birdies.
Among those who have completed 36 holes, 2008 U.S. Amateur runner-up Drew Kittleson, 32, of Scottsdale, Ariz., rebounded with a 3-under 67 at Sankaty Head on Sunday to finish at 1-under 139, in a group of five players that includes Zach Atkinson, 39, of Colleyville, Texas, who shot 66 at Sankaty Head; and Marc Dull, 35, of Winter Haven, Fla., a two-time USGA runner-up – in this championship in 2015 and in the 2018 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.
What’s Next
Round 2 will be completed on Monday on both courses, and once a potential playoff for the final spots in the 64-player bracket is completed at Sankaty Head, the Round of 64 will begin, with all match-play rounds contested at Sankaty Head. The championship is scheduled to conclude with a 36-hole final on Thursday.
Notable
- Stroke play co-host Miacomet, which began as a nine-hole course and was expanded to 18 holes in 2003 by Howard Maurer, has earned raves this week for its design and its conditioning. Major champion Sophia Popov has long known about this under-the-radar layout owned by the Nantucket Land Bank, which preserves nearly half of the island as open space. “Miacomet is probably my favorite course in the world,” said Popov, 28, who stunned the golf world with her victory in the 2020 AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon. “I spend my off-weeks on Nantucket in the summer, so Miacomet is my home course.” Popov was born in Boston and spent most of her childhood in Germany before helping the University of Southern California win a national title in 2013. She is likely pleased to know that the winds gusted to 15 to 25 mph during stroke play on Sunday. “It’s not the longest golf course for [players in the Mid-Am field], but when the wind kicks up, it’s pretty tough.”
- James Driscoll, a native of Brookline, Mass., and a two-time USGA runner-up (1995 U.S. Junior Amateur and 2000 U.S. Amateur), was on-site this weekend, caddieing for college friend Taylor Massey. Driscoll, 43, who played the PGA Tour for nine seasons, played with Massey at the University of Virginia. Massey, of Encinitas, Calif., finished stroke play at 11 over with rounds of 75-76.
- Round 1 of stroke play was officially completed at 1:01 p.m. on Sunday. Play was delayed or suspended for more than five hours on Saturday at Sankaty Head due to fog, and play resumed about 20 minutes later than planned on Sunday (7:19 a.m.) due to a storm that left about a half-inch of rain, affecting course conditions.
- Yaroslav Merkulov’s total of 131 (9 under par) bettered the previous Mid-Amateur stroke-play record of 132 by Bert Atkinson at the Dallas Athletic Club in Mesquite, Texas, in 1997; and by Jeff Wilson at the San Joaquin Country Club and Fort Washington Golf & Country Club in Fresno, Calif., in 2001.
Quotable
“We are literally the opposite. He is the guru of the short game and I usually drive it really well. Any time I can get help on the greens from Nathan (Smith) it is huge because he is the best putter I have ever seen.” – Jimmy Ellis, of Venetia, Pa., who tied the course record on Sunday with a 65 at Sankaty Head, on playing practice rounds with four-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Smith
“It’s so hard to putt out here. I’ve actually widened my stance trying to get some kind of stability because it is so windy. We don’t deal with this in Pittsburgh much; our courses are tree-lined.” – Ellis, on the wind gusts on Sunday
“It’s a little bit of luck and I caught a hot putter today. I started on (hole) 10 and hit it to 4 feet. I hit it to 2 feet on 13 and 3 feet on 14. There’s three near kick-ins in the first five holes. I drove the ball extremely well so that set it up. Suddenly you are 3 under through 5 and it’s oh, my God, here we go. From there, it was just pure adrenaline." – Marc Engellenner, who shot 66 on Sunday at Miacomet
“Calm down and play for the front fringe. Against (eventual champion) Lukas (Michel) there were a couple of times I landed mid-irons in the middle of the green. That course got firm and fast and they bounced over the back. That was the thing I learned, I flew too many balls too deep into the green. And Sankaty is going to get firm.” – Engellenner, on lessons learned from match play in the 2019 Mid-Am
“The par 5 (fifth hole at Miacomet) is playing shorter than the next hole and it’s 130 yards longer. That’s how windy it is right now. The course is in great shape though, so if you hit it well, it’s designed for the wind; the fairways are plenty forgiving. If you hit it great, you can make birdies. It is possible, it’s just very difficult.” – Nathan Colson, who is at 3-under 137 through 36 holes
Ron Driscoll is the senior manager of content for the USGA. Email him at rdriscoll@usga.org.
The Social Scene
#usmidam #Sunset pic.twitter.com/DP5USxLeTS
— Nathan Smith (@DStick23) September 26, 2021
BUCKET BRIGADE at the 40th #USMidAm 🌧
— USGA (@USGA) September 26, 2021
A half-inch of rain fell early this morning at Sankaty Head Golf Club, where the crew used an old-fashioned method to empty a bunker on the 14th hole!
The greens at @MiacometGolf are smooth as glass. These guys are good @seanoberly @ryan_scotto1 @BConlon30 #USMidAm pic.twitter.com/RIHrO6yAeD
— John Daniels (@JohnPDaniels) September 26, 2021
Hey @USGA and @rydercup, has anyone ever spectated on the first tee of the #RyderCup and competed on the first tee of a USGA national championship in the same 24 hour period or is this a first? @NoLayingUp @the_fried_egg #USMidAm pic.twitter.com/PmB9FI3OYg
— Jason Lina (@JLina1) September 26, 2021
