SCARBOROUGH, N.Y. – Call it a command performance.
The early morning silence at Sleepy Hollow Country Club was briefly interrupted Friday when Stewart Hagestad barked encouragement to a well-struck tee ball.
“Go,” he said.
The ball narrowly cleared the top edge of a menacing bunker protecting the par-3 third.
“Sit,” he said.
The ball quickly settled four feet from the hole.
It’s been another memorable week for Hagestad, who posted a 3-and-2 victory over Evan Beck in the 42nd U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship final. There were some dominant stretches, but more impressive were the singular winning shots he manufactured each time pressure was applied.
“I played really well this week,” said the 32-year-old California native who currently resides in the West Village and works in Manhattan. “I won’t sugar coat it, I played really well. I knew that I would have to bring it for certain matches, and I did. I knew the semifinal and the final would be the most emotional and challenging stretches for me, so to get through like this, I’m speechless.”
Nathan Smith holds the record with four U.S. Mid-Am wins, but Hagestad is now just one title behind. The previous wins came in 2016 and 2021.
There aren’t many players who have won the same USGA championship at least three times. Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Bob Jones are some of the most prominent names on that short list.
Hagestad is living every golfer’s dream this month.
Stewart Hagestad watches his tee shot on hole 24 during the final round at the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, N.Y. on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
The financial analyst at BDT & MSD Partners opened the month in Scotland, winning another Walker Cup at St. Andrew’s. He went 2-1 there. Following a couple of days in the office, the former MGA Player of the Year was in Westchester, prepping for the U.S. Mid-Am at Sleepy Hollow and Fenway.
“When I look back I’m sure I’ll be able to contextualize it a little better,” Hagestad said. “I’ve been pretty hyper-focused on this week and while I was at St. Andrew’s I was hyper-focused on that week. I think it’ll be one of those things where I look back in a few weeks, a month, and go, ‘That really happened.’ It’s been pretty cool, pretty cool.”
With his third U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship win, Stewart Hagestad joined the likes of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Bobby Jones on the list of players who’ve captured the same USGA title at least three times. Hagestad beat Evan Beck in the final 3 and 2 on Sept. 14, 2023.
The host club: Sleepy Hollow is showing off recent improvements
Next on the schedule, if the boss approves, is The Crump Cup at Pine Valley.
This win comes with a load of perks.
Hagestad gets a 10-year exemption into the U.S. Mid-Amateur, an exemption into the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 and exemptions into the 2024 U.S. Amateur at Haseltine National and the 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club.
Evan Beck hits his tee shot on hole 16 during the final round at the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, N.Y. on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
There is also a likely invitation to play in next year’s Masters.
Weather has been the primary topic all week at Sleepy Hollow. Players had to deal with high heat and storm delays, which pushed the last 18 holes of the final to Friday.
“Five days ago, it was 90 degrees with no wind and now I’m wearing three layers,” Beck said.
Hagestad was on the verge of running away. He was 5-up after the completion of play on Thursday and 7-up following the birdie at No. 3 on Friday. Beck wrestled some of that momentum away, but one missed putt and one bad swing stalled the comeback.
“You have to expect him to play great,” said the 33-year-old financial analyst from Virginia. “He’s one of the best amateur players in the game right now and probably of all time. I had to go out there and get it. I shot 3-under on the day and it wasn’t enough. I think I was 5-under for the 36 and lost 3-and-2. He played a little looser than yesterday, but not enough that I could slide in there.”
Sleepy Hollow got the reaction the members were looking for.
Evan Beck goes low to read his putt on hole 26 during the final round at the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, N.Y. on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)
“It was really soft all week,” Beck said. “The staff did an incredible job making it playable with all the rain, but I absolutely love this place. I’d like to come back and play here anytime they’ll have me. It’s a fantastic venue.”
Hagestad was especially fond of the dumpling station in the food tent.
“I’ve played in a lot of USGA events,” he said. “The food here was the best I’ve experienced and will never be topped.”
Mike Dougherty covers golf for The Journal News and lohud.com. Follow along on X/Twitter @lohudgolf.
