After a tough week at the US Junior Amateur, Trevor Gutschewski emerged victorious at Oakland Hills, defeating Tyler Watts in the final.
This win made him the first person from Nebraska to clinch a USGA event.
Earlier in the tournament, Gutschewski, ranked 3,570th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, surprised many by beating Blades Brown 2 and 1 in the round of 32. Brown was a notable player who had made it to the cut at May’s PGA Tour’s Myrtle Beach Classic.
Gutschewski’s Journey Through The Tournament
At the start of the week, with strong competitors like Miles Russell and Charlie Woods present, few expected much from Gutschewski. But he kept winning against Yixiang Wang, Brooks Simmons, and Xihuan Chang to reach an unexpected final against Watts. From his birdie on hole one to his eagle on hole six that put him three up, it was clear he meant business.
Watts fought back hard though; he won holes seven through twelve to take a one-hole lead. The match remained tight until Gutschewski pulled ahead again by winning holes twenty-five and twenty-six.
Fans might think this victory is just what he needed for his confidence boost!
By hole thirty-one, after another birdie left him three up with five holes left to play, it seemed inevitable he’d win. When Watts bogeyed hole thirty-four leaving Gutschewski four up—his victory was sealed.
In his post-win press conference, Gutschewski shared: “I don’t even know. I mean it’s like been like 15 minutes. Probably hasn’t sunk in yet.”
As well as winning the trophy and gold medal , he’s now exempted into the 2025 US Open at Oakmont—a dream come true for him! He said: “It’s going to be awesome… really cool playing those tournaments after watching my dad play them.”
Reflecting on how demanding this week was physically and mentally: “Yeah—it’s an insanely long week…so much golf…playing so many good guys…36 holes daily.” He added about keeping recovery up while staying focused throughout such grueling matches.
Trevor will attend University of Florida starting 2025 but needs some downtime now after achieving this significant career milestone! What do you think about his journey?
