Matt Hutchins has walked hundreds of rounds at Sand Valley, but arguably no steps were tougher than his final seven holes’ worth on Tuesday afternoon at the Lido Course.
Hutchins, a 29-year-old club caddie who has worked at the Nekoosa, Wisconsin, resort for almost six years, overcame a pulled calf muscle during his Round-of-16 match against Jordan Russell to advance to Wednesday morning’s quarterfinals of the 45th U.S. Mid-Amateur.
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“I could barely walk,” said Hutchins, who injured his left calf while jumping to see a ball on the 11th green. “I jumped and just felt it pop.”
Hutchins, 3 up at the time, lost three of the next five holes, though he did win the par-4 13th during that span, the same hole where he took a medical break in the fairway to receive physical therapy from a member.
“It helped that the last few holes I was just trying to get done rather than think about what the shots were, making putt, stuff like that,” Hutchins said. “I was just trying to make swings and honestly, walk.
“I was able to limp my way in and somehow got it done.”
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Hutchins hung on for a 1-up victory and is set to face Throckmorton, Texas’ Mikel Martinson at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. He planned to get more treatment on Tuesday night.
“Hopefully I can walk in the morning,” Hutchins added.
With Masters and U.S. Open berths extended to the champion, the other six players vying for those coveted major berths are Nate Smith and Parker Edens, Drew Kittleson and Matt Vogt, and Andrew Bailey and Grady Brame Jr.
Among the notables who lost on Tuesday: medalist Bobby Massa, Met section stalwart Christian Cavaliere, six-time Walker Cupper and three-time U.S. Mid-Am champ Stewart Hagestad, and NHL referee Garrett Rank.
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Hutchins doesn’t have nearly the resumé of those players. He was born in Portland, Maine, before his family moved to Sudbury, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston, when he was 4 years old. It took Hutchins about a decade from there to pick up golf, and he eventually received a golf scholarship from Chico State in California. He transferred to UCLA after his freshman year, spent two seasons in Los Angeles and then turned pro in 2018.
But after a few seasons that included two stints on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica and a summer on the Forme Tour, the PGA Tour’s replacement development tour that was created during the pandemic, Hutchins had second thoughts about playing golf for a living.
“I didn’t like golf at all,” Hutchins said. “I wasn’t enjoying the grind of it anymore, and if you’re not 100% in, you have no chance. It’s such a hard way to make a living, so since I wasn’t 100% committed, I thought it best to stop. … But it’s nice that I now feel refreshed, and it’s definitely fun to come out here and compete and feel the nerves again.”
Hutchins had quit pro golf by the end of 2020 and was reinstated as an amateur a few years ago, though he has not played in any world-ranked tournaments until this week. This year marked his third try at the U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifier, and he barely got through, carding a psycho scorecard that included two eagles, four birdies, two doubles and a triple. He made it on the number at 1 under.
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“It was the most insane round ever,” Hutchins said.
It probable reminded him of some rounds he’s looped, whether at Sand Valley or Olde Florida Golf Club in Naples, Florida, where Hutchins winters.
Carrying Hutchins’ bag this week is a co-worker at Sand Valley. There has also been a sizable gallery of members following him these past few days.
While Hutchins doesn’t practice much anymore – and his injured calf has him questionable on Wednesday’s injury report – he admits his course knowledge has helped him immensely.
“It helps being really comfortable out here,” said Hutchins, whose carried his most recent bag last week.
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He wasn’t sure when his next would be, but should he muster three more victories this week, he’ll soon be putting in some P.T.O. for next April and June.
“I think I’ll just be excited honestly because golf is way more fun now,” Hutchins said. “You know, I’m not trying to do it for a living anymore. I’ll definitely be nervous, but just a little first-tee jitters and then once you get into the flow of a round, you can kind of cruise from there.”
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