Paul Dunne went down fighting in the quarter-finals of the US Amateur Championship last night when he fell 3&2 to US Walker Cup star Bryson DeChambeau in a painstaking match at Olympia Fields.
The protagonists were put on the clock by officials or reminded of their pace of play several times on the front nine alone.
But it was waywardness rather than tardiness that cost the Greystones man dear at the Chicago venue’s North Course and had it not been for some incredible putting – he holed half a dozen crucial putts – DeChambeau, who made six birdies in a classy performance, would have won more easily.
Dunne might have gained 20lb of muscle and 30 yards off the tee over the past year or two, but he was fatally wayward here, hitting just three of the 14 fairways and only seven of 16 greens.
One down after nine, he battled hard on the back nine but DeChambeau’s stellar play was too much.
Having played beautifully all week in his bid to become the first Irish semi-finalists since Joe Carr in 1961, the 22-year old Wicklow man wasn't hitting fairways early in the day but he got inside the American's head with some uncanny par-saving halves.
DeChambeau was not to be overshadowed, however, and after carving his tee shot into a lateral hazard at the par-five sixth, he managed to scuttle his second across the fairway into the left rough.
Low bullet
With overhanging branches preventing a high shot, he chased a low bullet from 240 yards to 45 feet and holed the right to left breaking birdie putt for a four. Dunne missed from 10 feet for the half in birdie to go one down and then lost the par-three seventh.
Dunne then had to hit a wedge to four feet from the rough at the eighth to remain two down as the Californian holed an eight footer for his third birdie in a row. But the former East of Ireland winner e earned some respite with a win in par at the ninth, where he holed a 12-footer.
The American, who plays with a set of irons that all have a 37.5 inch six-iron shafts marked with lofts rather than numbers, looked on as Dunne made a 25-footer for par at the 10th to remain one down.
But the NCAA Individual champion birdied the 11th from 13 feet and the 13th from 20 feet to go three up.
Dunne did not go down without a fight and took the match to the 16th by holing a 45-footer for a two at the 15th that DeChambeau failed to match. He couldn’t make another bomb on the 16th, however, and DeChambeau made a five footer to advance to the semi-finals.
Dunne admitted that his driving, such a part of his success at the British Open, had let him down in the quarter-final.
“When I am driving it well it’s a big strength of mine but my swing just wasn’t there today and I didn’t hit it well enough to compete at this level.
“I am proud I only made one bogey on a tough golf course but against a player as good as Bryson, he had his game today and I think I left mine in bed and it was always going to be difficult.
“The putter felt great in my hands today and I hit loads of good putts but I didn’t really have it from tee to green.”
Certain to be named in the Walker Cup side on Monday and planning to turn professional, Dunne said: “I learned at the Open that when I am playing well, I am good enough to compete at any level. If I get a week where I am hititng my driver as well as I putted today, I think I will be okay.”
