Jamerson finishes runner-up, earns PGA Championship bid

The par-4 17th hole at Hershey Country Club’s West Course had been good to Faber Jamerson all this week at PGA Professional National Championship. In the first three rounds of the event, he went par-par-birdie on the hole.

But it all unraveled Wednesday afternoon on No. 17 for Jamerson, first in the final round of the tournament and then in on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff with David Hutsell.

Jamerson’s bogey in the final round opened the door for Hutsell and Scott Erdmann to force a three-way playoff, and after Erdmann had been eliminated on the first hole of the playoff, a double-bogey by Jamerson on No. 17 in the second playoff hole helped Hutsell seal the championship.

"It came back to bite me a little bit," Jamerson said of the hole. "I caught a really bad break there (in the playoff). It was stymied up against a tree and there wasn’t anything I could do other than hit it left-handed. In regulation, I missed the fairway and I never gave myself an opportunity to make par."

Hutsell birdied the hole twice on the tournament’s final day, and his birdie in the playoff sealed his tournament victory.

"If somebody would have told me at the start of the tournament I’d be in a playoff, I would have been happy," Jamerson said. "Looking back on things, I wish I’d done a few things different, but hindsight is 20-20."

Despite the playoff defeat, it was still a lucrative week in Hershey, Pa., for Jamerson, the former James Madison University standout and current head pro at Falling River in Appomattox. Jamerson’s finish earned him a spot in the PGA Championship, the final major of the golf season. Contested at the Atlanta Athletic Club, the tournament runs from Aug. 11 to 14. The top 20 finishers in the PGA Professional National Championship earned entry into the PGA field.

"It’s wonderful to make my first PGA championship," said Jamerson, a 2001 JMU graduate who received membership into the PGA of America just last year. "I heard everybody was crowded in the (Falling River) golf shop watching it on TV.

"To play in my first major will be pretty cool," he added. "It was my first opportunity (to qualify) and the first chance that I had, I made it pay off."

Hutsell, Erdmann and Jamerson all finished in a three-way tie for the 72-hole lead after posting four-round totals of 274. Hutsell posted a 3-under 68 to force his way into the playoff. Erdmann was the 54-hole leader but shot a 72 to fall into the playoff. Jamerson, who shot 68-67-69 in the first three rounds, posted a 70 on Wednesday.

The trio finished two shots clear of the hard-charging Danny Balin, who shot Wednesday’s low round, a course-record 8-under 63 that moved him from 34th to start the day to fourth after the final round.

Jamerson, who started the day two strokes out of first and moved into the lead on No. 16, was the lone Virginian to finish in the top 20 and earn his spot in the PGA Championship. Chester’s Rick Schuller shot a 285 to finish in a tie for 24th, just missing out on a spot. Mechanicsville’s Adam Decker tied for 32nd and Staunton’s Eric Cobb tied for 56th. Woodbridge’s Phil Bowers, Troutville’s Chip Sullivan and Midlothian’s Tim White all missed the 36-hole cut.

Hutsell’s finish was more impressive considering he had double-bogeyed the par-3 16th hole and needed both a birdie and for Jamerson to drop a shot to even force a playoff.

Jamerson’s play on the national stage was not surprising. He had a storied VSGA career that included three State Open of Virginia titles to go along with a runner-up finish in the 2000 VSGA State Amateur Championship.

With his performance this week, he also gained a berth on the PGA Cup team, which is the PGA of America’s version of the Ryder Cup, set for the second week of September in Southern California.

"There’s no higher level of team competition you can reach in the PGA of America," Jamerson said. "They take the top eight players from the country and we play Great Britain and Ireland. To have the opportunity to represent your country is one awesome thing."