Younger Tway shows the way
LONGMEADOW -- The man approached Kevin Tway as he ambled in from Longmeadow Country Club's 17th hole, pen and paper extended. The 16-year-old Tway politely obliged the request and signed his autograph.
Tway's used to this by now. His father, Bob, plays on the PGA Tour, and he knows his last name attracts attention and galleries whenever he plays the junior golf circuit, including the occasional John Hancock hound.
''I don't even pay attention to 'em," Tway said in his nonchalant Oklahoma drawl.
That focus sure worked yesterday. Before advancing to the quarterfinals of the US Junior Amateur Championship by defeating Russell Henley, 2 and 1, Tway sprung the tournament's first major upset, beating medalist Sam Saunders -- the grandson of Arnold Palmer -- 4 and 3 in the Round of 32.
''I was kind of nervous," said Tway, decked out in Oklahoma State orange and black. ''I saw that [Saunders] beat his guy, 6 and 5. He sounded pretty good. But then when I got off to a good start, I kind of calmed down. This is the best I've ever played match play."
Tway's surprise set the tone for a day of upsets. Ryan Thomas ousted second-seeded Joe Monte after being down three with seven holes left, No. 40 seed Tim McKenney pulled his third shocker by downing ninth-seed Tyler Morris, 4 and 3, and Phillip Francis knocked off defending champion Sihawn Kim in 19 back-and-forth holes.
Though it lacked the extra-hole tension, Tway's performance was just as stunning. He played like a magician from the fairway, using short and mid irons like a wand. Tway stuck seven approaches within 8 feet against Saunders, and once on the green he made the ball disappear into the cup with one putt each time. Tway finished off Saunders by making birdie on four of the six holes played on the back nine.
While Tway shined, Saunders's electric play from earlier in the tournament vanished. He hadn't shot a round over par all week, but yesterday wayward drives and erratic putting left him at a loss.
Afterward, Saunders became emotional, especially after the subject of his grandfather was broached. He said that he spoke with Palmer Wednesday night after his first-round victory.
''He was proud of me," Saunders said. ''He just wanted me to keep it up. He doesn't say a whole lot, because he doesn't want me to get ahead of myself. It's just one round, and there's a long way to go after that one round. He wanted me to come out there today and do the same thing. I certainly tried. I just didn't have it today."
After Tway's scorching round, Bob gave his son one piece of advice: Have a good attitude.
The fatherly lesson proved useful as Tway cooled off in his second match, falling behind Henley by three holes after six. He stayed calm, though, clawing back to 1 down at the turn. By the 12th, Tway had the lead.
He gave the lead back, though, as the pair entered 15 all square. The match turned when Henley missed a 3-footer to halve the hole, then proceeded to sky his ensuing tee shot over the green on the par-3 16th.
''I thought he was going to make it, so I just walked away," Tway said of Henley's putt on 15. ''When he missed, that was just a gift. When he hit the ball over the green on the next hole, I knew he was dead."
Indeed, Tway won the 16th, then finished the match with a 12-foot birdie putt on 17. His nerves faded, an upset and comeback behind him, Tway needed only to wade through a fan or two to finish his day.
''Coming back from 3 down, that's a pretty special thing," Bob said. ''He played great today."
