Jamerson misses PGA Championship cut

By: By Roy Lang III | For The News & Advance
Published: August 13, 2011

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Even an embrace from Dad wasn’t enough to fully brighten the spirits of Faber Jamerson late Friday afternoon.

Sure, the general manger at Falling River Country Club in Appomattox had just completed his first major championship — the pinnacle of tournament golf — and strolled the same fairways as Tiger Woods.

But he didn’t make the cut at the 93rd PGA Championship. That’s what mattered.

"Nowhere near the result we had planned for," said Jamerson after his 8-over 78 in the second round at Atlanta Athletic Club.

The trek south to the Peach State wasn’t ceremonial. The former James Madison golfer wasn’t satisfied with being one of 20 club professionals to qualify for the season’s final major. He wanted to contend.

Instead, like Tiger Woods, Jamerson headed home for the weekend after posting a 15-over 155 total for 36 holes, 11 strokes off the cut line (4 over). He finished in a tie for 137th in the field of 156 with the same score as major champions Rich Beem and Lucas Glover.

Only one club pro — Mike Small (4-over) — survived to play the weekend.

"Just bad all the way around," Jamerson said. "The story of the week is bad putting. I think I had 36 (putts Thursday) and 35 putts (Friday). That’s the difference."

Jamerson didn’t just battle poor speed on the slick Bermuda greens. He "fought everything."

The 34-year-old also didn’t take advantage of the softest portion — if there is such a thing — of AAC. Jamerson was 9 over on Nos. 10 to 13 — a stretch that includes a short par-5 and a two short par-4s.

"Those are some of the easiest holes on the golf course," Jamerson said. "If you don’t take advantage of those, you might as well forget it. The rest of this golf course can eat your lunch."

On two trips over the final four holes, a finish Woods dubbed the hardest in major championship history, Jamerson was just 1 over. He just couldn’t solve the start of the back nine.

Jamerson bogeyed No. 10 to begin his second round. He then double bogeyed the par-5 12th and followed that with a bogey at No. 13.

"We’ll see what happens next year," Jamerson said.

The three-time winner of the Virginia State Open lost a three-way playoff and finished as a runner-up in the 2011 PGA Professional National Championship last month. He’ll look to rekindle the magic in 2012 to qualify for this event a second time.

Next year, the PGA Championship will be held at The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C.