Nashville's John Jonas waits to open his Round of 64 match on Monday at the U.S. Mid-Amateur
photo by Contributed
John Jonas makes a living helping solve logistical challenges within the supply chain industry with Nashville-based SiLo. So, maximizing his itinerary while competing in the 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur championship was a piece of cake.
Instead of getting in the customary two days of practice at Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot, Va. on the outskirts of Richmond, Jonas instead used his planning acumen to make a short detour first.
He and co-worker Richard Oref flew up to Boston and drove to the southern coast of Massachusetts to the town of Mattapoisett last Thursday to participate in a qualifier for the 2025 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. The Nashville residents had teamed to compete in this year’s event back in May in Philadelphia, and they seized the opportunity to punch their ticket to next year’s championship.
So much for Jonas being laser-focused on the tournament in front of him. But the brief detour paid dividends, as he and Oref won the qualifier with a round of 65 at The Bay Club, earning a spot for next May at Plainfield Country Club in New Jersey.
Jonas then hustled back to Virginia to get in a practice round on Friday at Kinloch, but he never laid eyes on the stroke play co-host Independence Golf Club until he played it during Saturday’s opening round.
Maybe there was a method to Jonas’ madness, however, as he shot two rounds of even par over the weekend to advance to Monday’s match play. Entering as the 47th seed, the former College of Charleston golfer was able to win the final hole to defeat 18th-seeded Kolton Crawford of Mansfield, Texas, 1 up.
“It's definitely been a long couple of days with the qualifier, a practice round, two days of stroke play and today’s match,” Jonas said. “Today was kind of just a mental grind. I didn't really have my best stuff, but was able to grind it out.”
After being 2-down through eight holes, Jonas was able to win three of the next five holes to take a 1 up lead after a birdie on No. 13. Crawford won the next two holes with pars to regain the lead with three holes remaining.
Jonas then tied the match with a bogey on 16, and after both golfers made bogeys on 17, they headed to the 581-yard, par-5 18th all-square.
“There's two fairways because of a creek that runs through the middle,” Jonas said. “I don't hit the furthest, so I had to take a very conservative route. But I was first off the tee and I hit one down the middle to put some pressure on him, and he hit it into the hazard.”
Jonas played it safe into the green and left himself a 25-foot birdie putt. Meanwhile, Crawford missed his 30-foot par putt to record a bogey, conceding Jonas’ final putt after he cozied his birdie try inches from the cup.
Jonas, 30, admittedly hasn’t been playing much golf lately, so he was pleased with his performance thus far.
“I don't play much golf, so my game is just kind of what it is,” Jonas said. “I was just trying to have a fun time and enjoy this week. It's just really special to even be here, so I think having that mindset where I didn't really have much expectation coming in has allowed me to enjoy the moment.”
Growing up in Jacksonville, Fla., Jonas started his college career at LSU before transferring to College of Charleston after one year. He spent a couple of years competing with PGA Tour Canada before pivoting away from professional golf in 2019.
“I was dealing with burnout and I just wasn't enjoying the game anymore,” Jonas said. “I wanted more stability in my life and not traveling all over the place chasing a dream.”
Jonas moved to Nashville in 2020 to join SiLo, and he’s rediscovered his love for golf again. He joined The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky. last year, and is hoping to continue his run of success in Tuesday’s Round of 32 match against 15th-seeded Michael Buttacavoli of Miami Beach, Fla. which tees off at 7:50 a.m.
For live scoring, go to US Mid-Amateur results.
Nashville’s Ingram Eliminated
Nashville’s Sarah Ingram saw her hopes of making another strong run in the 62nd U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur come to a close on Monday at Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle, Wash.
Lara Tennant of Portland, Ore. claimed a 1 up win over Ingram in her opening match, ending her quest after advancing to the quarterfinals in last year’s tournament.
After winning the opening hole, Ingram found herself 4-down through 10 holes after Tennant claimed four straight winners. A winning par at 12 and a birdie at 13 cut the deficit in half, and Ingram was able to shave the margin to 1-down after parring No. 15.
Tennant birdied 16 to again go 2-up, but Ingram again pulled to within one after making a par at 17 while Tennant suffered a double bogey.
But the Tennessee Golf Hall of Famer and three-time U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion was unable to complete the comeback, halving the 472-yard, par-5 closing hole with a par to force her exit.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com