Amateur, the last two in sudden-death playoffs. Disappointments like that can make a
victory all the sweeter.
“I definitely drew off that,” Conroy said. “It changed my attitude. I knew my game
was good enough to be a champion, but I think in the past I wanted it so bad and tried so
hard to make it happen, that I almost tried too hard to make it happen.”
His new outlook had an inspiration, he said.
“A big part of it was watching Brian Ahern win the Palmer Cup [in May],” said
Conroy, of the 42-year-old from Wampanoag who had won the Amateur in 1999. “There
are lot of great young college players out here. Elias played great today. He’s a terrific play-
er. But Brian’s win sort of made me think one of these weeks was going to be my week.” As
Conroy had said on Thursday, when he beat medalist Evan Grenus: “Score one for the
Mid-Ams!”
Until that match—the match of the champion-
ship, it would turn out—the Amateur belonged to
Grenus, a 2017 finalist who seemed on a mission to
avenge last year’s loss in a hurry. He shot 65 on Day
One to lead all qualifiers by four.
Conroy’s l ong week included victories over
young and “old” alike: Matthew Stafford of Suffield
Country Club, Patrick Griffin of the Country Club
of Farmington, Grenus, Rob Neaton of Black Hall
and Gross.
On Friday Conroy took the lead early and never
ceded it, winning the difficult second with a par, and
making three birdies on the front, two on the back,
to amass a 5-up lead after 18 holes. Gross, whose
strength is accuracy and ball-striking, lost that in the
morning. He hit only four fairways, and none until
the tenth hole on a course the Donald Ross fan said
he loved.
“This is by far the most golf I’ve ever played
over a few days,” he said. “So there’s probably the
fatigue factor, and I’ve never been in a spot quite this
big, so I’m sure that played into it as well.”
For 28-year-old Conroy fatigue posed a prob-
lem, too. He took a caddie in the final for the first
time all week, carrying his bag throughout. His
game plan remained the same.
“I knew my game was there. My thought pro-
cess all week has been to make the other guy beat
me. Don’t do anything to hand it to him,” said Con-
roy, who briefly turned professional after college and
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