Pepperdine Grad Fred Wedel Wins 55th Northeast Amateur

(Courtesy: NortheastAmateur.com)

EAST PROVIDENCE – When he thinks about the decisions he has made in his life, the one Fred Wedel made to delay turning pro for a few months likely will go down as one of his best ever.

Wedel graduated from Pepperdine last month after compiling one of the best careers ever for a Wave golfer. But rather than turn professional as so many of his contemporaries do, he opted to remain an amateur at least until the U.S. Am at the end of the summer.

Unlike so many others who compete on the national amateur circuit, he does not come from money. He had to spend a summer caddying after his freshman year at Peppedine to earn enough money to stay in school. His best friend’s family, the Hollingers from The Woodlands, Tex., are paying all his expenses to allow him to travel to different events this summer. 

“I wanted to wait (to turn pro) because I felt like I wanted to play these amateur events one more time. I didn’t want to play mini tour events,’’ he said. “I love coming to places like this. It really is special.’’

Wedel made it even more special for himself on Saturday when he won the 55th Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett Country Club. He shot a closing 2-under 67 for a total of 6-under 270 and survived a wild scramble at the finish that saw six players within one stroke of the lead heading down the stretch.

All the contenders struggled coming home, including Wedel. He bogeyed both 17, after driving into the water, and 18, after driving into the trees. However even with those problems, he was able to win because of the six birdies he made earlier in the day. He did not have the victory until Southern Cal’s Sean Crocker missed a four-foot putt on 18 for bogey. Crocker, the highest rated player in the field, three-putted each of the last two holes for a 70 and 271 total. Patrick Martin, a Vanderbilt sophomore, also tied for second after a closing 69.

Wedel had mixed feelings when he watched Crocker miss the four-footer that could have forced a playoff. Wedel signed his scorecard then headed out to watch Crocker finish.

“I hate to win a tournament that way. We’re very close. We both go to school in Southern California. I actually played with him in his first tournament (for USC) for 36 holes,’’ Wedel said. “He’s a friend.’’

Those who have followed Wedel’s life and golf career know he was entitled to a good break. When he was 10 years old, his father became ill. It turned out to be an infection of his spinal cord. He became, and still is, a quadriplegic.

His dad, also named Fred, had introduced him to golf with a cut down 7-iron.

The situation was devastating. Wedel spoke about how he quit playing golf for several years and was never one of the top rated juniors. His father now lives near Sacremento, Cal., and his mother in Portland, Ore. Wedel has gotten better each of his four years at Pepperdine _ “Paradise,’’ as he called the school on the California coast.

His victory at Wannamoisett was his second in a week. He won the Texas Amateur last week. He has been through so much that he has a maturity beyond his years in dealing with pressure. He spoke in detail about what it was like going through the pressure of being in contention at such a big tournament for the first time in his life.

“I’ve never felt this way before. I’ve never been in position to win a tournament of this magnitude,’’ he offered. “It was difficult for me to handle my emotions. . . It’s hard for you not to get ahead of yourself when you’re just a few shots away from winning an event like this.’’

He was not sure where he stood over the final holes, but he did hear someone in the crowd say he was three strokes ahead as he was playing 17.

“I heard that but I kind of blocked it out,’’ he said. On 17, he drove into the water.

“The nerves got the best of me on that one. I don’t even know what happened there. I let one get away from me there,’’ he said. “I don’t think anything really prepares you for how you feel on the last four, five six holes in a tournament like this. I tried to draw on previous experience of playing well and hitting good quality golf shots and stay in a positive mental said. But like I said, it’s really difficult to handle your emotions and just hit one shot at a time. Your hands are shaking. You are thinking about potential misses. You see more trouble.’’

Everyone else did, too, allowing Wedel to come away with the biggest victory of his life. He is in the process of trying to arrange sponsors for a pro career. He expects to turn pro after The US Amateur in August, although that could change.

“I keep joking that it might be after The Masters,’’ he said. Winning the US Amateur would get him a spot at August.