AJGA alumnus Austin Greaser of Vandalia, Ohio, won the 120th Western Amateur over his AJGA fellow Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira after a five-day marathon of eight rounds.
The University of North Carolina's rising senior carded an even-par 71 in the first round of stroke play, and three consecutive rounds of 2-under-par 69 to post a score of 6-under-par 278 to earn the No. 15 seed. Greaser beat No. 2 Matthis Besard, of Oudenaarde, Belgium, 3&2, in the round of 16, and survived from Kelly Chinn, of Great Falls, Virginia, 1 up, in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The semifinals on Saturday morning was a nail-biter between Greaser and Pepperdine's William Mouw. The two tied up after Mouw won No. 11 until the Tar Heel won three consecutive holes to emerge in the final, 3&2. Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira of Beccar, Argentina who made a run to the final was also aiming at the champion. Fernandez de Oliveira had a 2-up advantage on No. 11, however, Greaser fought back with four consecutive birdies on Nos. 12-15 to take a 2-up lead. Though Fernandez de Oliveira did not give up and won No. 17 to shorten Greaser's advantage, Greaser protected a 1-up lead and won the 120th Western Amateur title.
Trophy Time for 2022 #WesternAmateur champion @AustinGreaser of @UNCmensGolf. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/szYecDNEbM
— WGA Championships (@WGAChamps) August 6, 2022
Greaser earned seven Top-10 finishes at the 13 AJGA tournaments he competed in between 2016-2019, including two victories in 2018 at the AJGA Preview at La Purisima presented by Explore Lompoc and the Justin Thomas Junior Championship.