McDonald remains the king of match play in Oklahoma
By Ken MacLeod
Two spectacular golf shots led to huge momentum swings, but in the end it was the relentless steadiness of match play maestro William McDonald that led to his second Oklahoma Golf Association State Amateur Championship in the past three years.
The 2023 champion and 2024 runner-up was back in the finals again Thursday morning at Cedar Ridge Country Club, which is in spectacular condition under the guidance of superintendent Jarod Wooten. The opponent this time was Gaven Lane, who started for Oklahoma State in its run to the school’s 12th national championship this spring.
Lane won the first hole when McDonald hit his second shot into a pond right of the green, but that was about his last mistake. He bounced back immediately with a birdie on the par-3 second hole and won three of the next five holes. He faced a short birdie putt on 7 to go three up. That’s when the first of the swings you only get in match play took place.
McDonald missed the birdie. On the par-4 eighth hole, Lane pushed his drive into the right rough, 190 yards out with a tree to clear. He made a vicious slash with a 9 iron and watched the ball sail over the tree, fly onto the green and roll into the hole. Eagle 2 from 190!
“You don’t expect him to make it from 190 yards, but he’s such a good player,” McDonald said. “I mean he started on a national championship winning team. He’s not going to just go away because he loses a few holes.”
Lane said it was the longest hole-out of his life not including hole-in-ones. And it helped him come storming back. He hit his approach shots close on 9, 10 and 11, but crucially made only the one on 10 while McDonald was making pars. Still the match was tied going into 12 and all the momentum seemed to be on Lane’s side.
Not for long. McDonald hit a long drive down the middle on the uphill par-4 12th hole, then hit a wedge from 95 yards that landed 10 feet past the flag and spun back into the hole. Another eagle 2. McDonald had regained his grip on the wild momentum beast, at least temporarily.
“I had 95 yards with a 54 degree wedge, just a perfect 100-yard shot, a good number for me,” McDonald said. “I didn’t see it go in but I thought it would be close.”
That gave McDonald a lift, but the next hole was even more important. On the downhill par-3 13th, McDonald hit a solid shot about 17 feet from the pin while Lane was a bit short and the ball just an inch or two onto the fringe 30 feet below the hole. As he did three times in this match and consistently throughout the tournament, Lane elected to use a lofted wedge rather than putt from the fringe. He chunked this one, leaving himself about 15 feet for par. He missed that and was two down.
Momentum was by now jumping sides even on a single hole. McDonald hit a terrific drive on the par-5 14th while Lane was in the left rough behind a tree. McDonald hit a fairway wood that barely cleared the left side of the green and came to rest in deep gnarly rough, while Lane recoved to the fairway, pitched behind the hole and made a birdie. McDonald’s effort out of the rough went almost straight right. Lead cut in half to one.
“I don’t know if that came off the toe or the hosel,” McDonald said. “It was so deep in there.”
On the par-3 15th playing over 200 yards, Lane’s tee shot landed right of the green, pitched down the slope, hit the cart path and bounced into a stream. He made double bogey there to again fall two behind. On the par-4 16th, his second shot landed on the green and spun back to barely on the fringe. Again he went to the wedge, left it well short and missed the par putt. Result, McDonald was a 3 and 2 winner.
Lane, who lives in Denton, Texas, when not in Stillwater, defended his strategy, saying he had chipped in several times in the tournament doing the same thing. But this time it cost him two holes and any chance against McDonald, whose success in this event is reaching legendary status and could grow. Though his college career at Cincinnati has concluded, he is not turning professional and is going into wealth finance services in Oklahoma City.
The title came with a huge bonus, a berth in the U.S. Amateur Aug. 11-17 at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif.
Looking back over this three-year run in this event, McDonald said it’s a combination of factors but that his strategy may be different than some.
“The big misconception about match play is that you think you can play more aggressively. In reality, if you make 16 pars you’re going to be in a pretty good spot most times.
“It’s pretty crazy. There have been a lot of really close matches. Last year against William Sides, we made 15 birdies between the two of us and somehow I won that match. I’ve been on the right side of some good luck for sure.
“But there’s been some good golf in there too. I don’t know what it is about playing match play in the state of Oklahoma. It’s just kind of happens.”
It happened again and Oklahoma is again under the reign of match play king William McDonald.
Click here for results and more from throughout the week.
