URBANA — Max Herendeen was one of hundreds of spectators between the 16th green and the 17th tee at Hazeltine National Golf Club, but the sophomore from Illinois got to share a brief moment with teammate Jackson Buchanan during the round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur Championship.
Buchanan had just fallen behind 16-year-old Tyler Muhinney of Florida after a bogey on the 16th hole left him one stroke behind with two holes to go. It wasn’t the only tough moment the Illinois senior faced in the U.S. Amateur Championship in Chaska, Minnesota, a southwest suburb of Minneapolis. And he ultimately overcame another obstacle.
“He walked through the crowd of hundreds of people, he looked at me and he said, ‘I’m OK, I’m totally OK,'” Herendeen said. “He finished birdie-birdie and won. I was so proud of him. I know he hasn’t been in top form this summer, obviously, he’s been playing tour events and missed the cut by one stroke a couple of times. I think that was his debut, especially on TV. It was really cool to watch.”
Buchanan’s come-from-behind victory over Mauhinney was a regular U.S. Amateur tactic: He had to birdie the final two holes of stroke play to get into match play, perhaps the toughest route of any competitor. The Illinois senior overcame Arizona State’s Preston Summerhays in the final round of 64 and did the same against Florida State’s Luke Clanton in the round of 32. Summerhays is ranked No. 6 in the world; Clanton is the No. 1 amateur in the world.
Buchanan ultimately lost in the U.S. Amateur semifinals to Iowa’s Noah Kent, 2 up, but it was the culmination of a strong summer that included qualifying for the U.S. Open and rising to No. 15 in the world amateur golf rankings ahead of his final season at the University of Illinois.
“Playing in the U.S. Open was pretty awesome and to end the summer as a semifinalist is even better,” Buchanan said. “It was just a lot of experience, a lot of growth and learning about myself. Match play is just weird. It’s a different game. It’s one-on-one. It’s almost like tennis. You can lose at five under and you can win at five over. As we’ve seen in national match play, it’s weird. I think it’s hard to judge your game based on match play.”
Buchanan will lead Illinois into the school’s first fall tournament on Monday at Falls of Honor College in Grand Haven, Mich. The school enters the season as the ninth-ranked team in the country. Buchanan was named a preseason first-team All-American by both Golfweek and Golf Channel magazines.
“I wouldn’t say it means nothing to me, but if it comes close to meaningless to me, then it is,” Buchanan said of his preseason honors, which included being shortlisted for the Fred Haskins Award, college golf’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.
“That was last year,” Buchanan continued of his preseason evaluation. “That was the summer. That’s in the past. I’m excited. I know I’m good, but nobody cares. I’m just going to go out there and try to get better.”
“There are expectations but I’m trying to put them aside and just play my game. I’m excited. The first tournament of the year is always nerve-wracking. It’s going to be fun. I’m confident in my game so we’ll see how it goes.”
What coach Mike Small has seen in Buchanan’s development, especially during a tough but rewarding week in Minnesota, could bode well for the Dacula, Ga., native’s senior season. The Illinois coach said he’s heard from several people how great Buchanan has performed and how disappointing it was that he fell so close to winning the U.S. Amateur, which would give him a chance to play in the PGA Championship if he wins and a runner-up if he finishes second and qualify for every major except the Masters and U.S. Open.
Small saw it differently.
“He was on a roll that week,” the University of Illinois coach said. “That’s what was good about it. I think he only had one easy match. He had to come back the rest of the time. That’s why match play is hard. He was unwavering, he got really close, and he took it to another level mentally, emotionally and focus-wise in the last few holes to win, which is huge. If he can bring that mentality and focus more consistently earlier in the round, the possibilities are endless.”
“Stress puts you in the zone. It really narrows your focus. You saw him do that in the U.S. Amateur, winning against the best players in the world and giving it his all on the last few holes. It’s amazing.”