Steven Fox stuns Michael Weaver to win U.S. Am
8/23/2012 | by Golfweek
see also: View results for US Amateur, Merion Golf Club - East Course
Fox rallied from two holes down with two left to play to defeat Weaver on the 37th hole
By Sean Martin, Golfweek
CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. – It’s happened so often that they’ve coined a term for it. A bad pun indeed, but being “Foxed,” is being beaten in an improbable manner by gangly Chattanooga senior Steven Fox. He pulled off another late and unlikely rally Aug. 19, this time to win amateur golf’s biggest prize, the Havemeyer Trophy.
Fox holed a 15-foot birdie putt to beat Michael Weaver on the 37th hole of the U.S. Amateur final at Cherry Hills Country Club. Fox won despite being 2 down with two holes remaining, making birdie on the par-5 17th and watching as Weaver missed a 5-foot par putt for the victory.
“This doesn’t even feel real,” Fox sad. “This whole week feels like a dream to me.”
Fox hit 6-iron off the tee on the short par-4 first – the match’s first extra hole – then hit his 70-yard approach past the hole. Weaver, hit driver well past the first green and over the second tee. His 50-yard pitch shot didn’t reach the green, and his third shot was 10 feet short. He could only watch as Fox’s putt trickled down the slope and into the hole. It was the first time Fox had led since the fourth hole of the morning round.
“We just wanted to cozy it down there for par, and I just tapped it,” Fox said of his winning putt, “and luckily it found the hole.”
Fox was 2 down with four holes remaining, but he won the 153-yard, par-3 15th after his 15-foot birdie putt fell on the last drop. Weaver responded by making a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th to regain his 2-up lead. Both players laid up on No. 17. Weaver putt first, running his birdie putt about 5 feet past the hole. Fox, needing to win the hole to keep the match going, holed an 8-foot birdie putt.
He hit his drive on the final hole into the right rough, while Weaver hit a perfect tee shot down the left side of the fairway. Both players hit the green in regulation, leaving themselves about 40 feet for birdie. Weaver putt first, his birdie putt finishing some 5 feet below the hole. Fox hit his birdie putt to one foot. Weaver’s par putt hit the lip and made a 90-degree turn.
“I thought I made my putt on 18,” Weaver said. “This one slipped through my fingers.
“I still can’t believe what happened.”
Even Fox said he gasped when Weaver’s putt lipped out.
Fox survived several close calls just to make it to the U.S. Amateur’s championship match. He had to shoot 64 in the second round of his sectional qualifier to avoid a playoff by a single stroke.
He holed a 10-foot par putt just to advance out of a playoff for the final spots in the match-play bracket, earning the No. 63 seed in the 64-man bracket. Three of his five matches before the final went to the 18th hole; he won the hole all three times. He also won it on the final match’s 36th hole. Fox’s road to the championship also included a 4-and-2 quarterfinal victory over Washington senior Chris Williams, the world’s No. 1 amateur.
“My goal was just to make it to the match play, ... being my first Amateur,” Fox said. “And I just kept going and kept fighting.”
Weaver was 2 up after the final’s morning round. He also three-putted the 18th to close the morning, missing a 4-foot par putt after Fox already had missed an 8-footer for par. Fox had won the previous hole after Weaver hit his second shot into the water fronting the island green.
Fox switched caddies after the morning round, replacing his father, Alan, with Chattanooga assistant coach Ben Rickett. Fox said having Rickett on the bag helped him focus more on his target for each shot. It showed. “I definitely thought it was (Weaver’s) day,” Fox said, “and then it switched.”
And Fox’s name will be forever etched on the Havemeyer Trophy after “Foxing” one more opponent.
Results: US Amateur
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Hendersonville, TN | 2000 | ||
| Runner-up | Fresno, CA | 1500 | ||
| Semifinals | Goshen, KY | 1000 | ||
| Semifinals | Westlake Village, CA | 1000 | ||
| Quarterfinals | , Australia | 700 |
About the US Amateur
The U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship, was first played in 1895 at Newport Golf Club in Rhode Island. The event, which has no age restriction, is open to those with a Handicap Index of .4 (point four) or lower. It is one of 15 national champ...
Most Popular Articles
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced
Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing
2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage LIVE SCORING
Dec 4, 2025Full 2025 LPGA Q-School (Q-Series) schedule, results, and leaderboard updates
Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch
Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory
Playing with the Stewart Golf Q Follow: Full Hands-Free Cart Review
Nov 18, 2025Can a hands-free electric cart actually improve your round? I put the Stewart Q Follow to the test over 9 holes to find out.
Luke Ringkamp Cruises to Rolex Tournament of Champions Title at TPC San Antonio
Nov 26, 2025One week after committing to Pepperdine, Luke Ringkamp won the Rolex Tournament of Champions by nine shots.