Ethan Fang has been on an absolute tear this summer. The Oklahoma State standout helped the Cowboys capture an NCAA Championship in late May, then flew to the UK and became the first American in nearly 20 years to win the British Amateur. After just missing the cut at The Open, Fang co-medaled at this week’s Western Amateur and powered through to the final with convincing wins over Huge Le Goff and Jacob Modleski, plus a hard-fought 3-and-1 victory against Ben James.
Fang, like James, has already secured his spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team that will compete at Cypress Point this September. Jackson Koivun, Michael La Sasso and Preston Stout are also locked in, leaving five spots still up for grabs.
But on Saturday afternoon at Skokie Country Club, Jase Summy made his case – and it was emphatic.
Summy, a rising senior at Oklahoma, absolutely dominated Fang, winning 6 and 5 to claim the 123rd Western Amateur. The victory tied the championship record for largest margin of victory in a final, matching 6-and-5 wins by Phelps B. Hoyt (1901 over Bruce D. Smith) and John Klauk (2002 over Adam Rubinson).
“This is the biggest win of my life – by far,” Summy said. “I knew my game was there, but I hadn’t quite broken through. Today, I did.”
Fang, ranked third in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, managed to win just one hole against Summy, whom he grew up playing junior golf against in Texas. Coming off a 19-hole victory over Florida’s Zack Swanwick, Summy won five of the last six holes to end things before they even reached the 14th tee.
“It was a good week,” Fang said. “Stroke play went great, and I was proud to co-medal. I did my best to stay focused, but I got a little tired and a little loose near the end. It didn’t go my way, but that’s golf.”
Summy is projected to rise to seventh in the world rankings after this win. That’s on top of a T-3 at the Southern Amateur and T-12 at the Northeast Amateur this summer, following a junior season that included a win and six other top-10s. He should feel pretty confident about his Walker Cup chances now. The final five team members will be named after the U.S. Amateur, which begins a week from Monday at Olympic Club in San Francisco.
With his win, Summy also received a sponsor exemption into next summer’s NV5 Invitational, the Korn Ferry Tour stop outside of Chicago.
“This was a long, tough week,” Summy added. “I prepared the right way, mentally and physically. I know I’m on the right path.”
