Breaking the Mold

Here's to Colt Knost, whose 2 and 1 victory over Michael Thompson gave him the US Amateur title on Sunday at venerable Olympic Club just outside of San Francisco. Knost became the second man in history (Ryan Moore the other) to win both the US Amateur and US Amateur Public Links in the same year. It's a remarkable achievement in its own right, but is being made all the more remarkable by the astoundment of those in the media and the galleries that a man with the stature of Knost could achieve so much.

He doesn't look the part. He's a big kid - like Calc, JD, or Walrus big. He didn't start playing the game until much later than most with what his resume now contains. In a game that has transformed to a power and fitness contest, Knost defies the odds at the amateur level. I would place special emphasis on the amateur level. Yes, the kids in collegiate golf play a brand that is much closer to Tour style these days. Still, though, a very high percentage of collegiate golfers simply do not have the talent or the discipline to become a pro golfer. Amateur golf, as a whole, is a different style of play that professional bomb and gouge. It's more sophisticated and what you or I are used to seeing on the links. That is why it is so difficult to gauge just how well Colt Knost would do at the professional level. And therein lies Colt's Conundrum.

By virtue of his victory in the US Amateur (and US Am Pub Links), Knost has secured berths into both the Masters, US Open, and Open Championships for next year. The problem for him is that all of those invitations to compete are contingent upon him remaining an amateur golfer until then. Basically, he would have to remain an amateur golfer for close to a year to take advantage of all of these invites. Knost just graduated from college and has no real source of income yet. Even if he did find a job, he would not really be able to take full advantage of his talents in terms of practice and upkeep of his game. Rust could take hold and he could lose form.

His second option - aside from remaining an amateur - is to turn pro. Nevermind his considerable talents for a moment and note the fates of recent US Amateur champions. Many have struggled to find success at the professional level. Here are the US Am winners after Tiger finished the threepeat in 1996:

1997 - Matt Kuchar - middle of the pack this season on Tour, winner of 2002 Honda Classic
1998 - Hank Kuehne - at least he's dating Venus Williams...
1999 - David Gossett - struggling still to find the professional game comfort zone
2000 - Jeff Quinney - broke through this year after years on the N'Wide Tour
2001 - Bubba Dickerson - got to the Big Show last year and finished 127 on the money list
2002 - Ricky Barnes - still floating around on the Nationwide Tour after taking the Masters by storm
2003 - Nick Flanagan - SUCCESS! He is the best story in golf right now (other than Stricker)
2004 - Ryan Moore - injuries have plagued an otherwise talented yet unorthodoxed golfer
2005 - Eduardo Molinari - floating around in Europe
2006 - Richie Ramsey - made his professional debut this summer at the Russian Open, TBD

Basically, just because you have the Havemeyer Trophy does not mean trading it in for sponsorship deals will guarantee your success. It has proven to be a difficult transition. But, Knost needs a career and golf seems like a natural fit. Knost had said that even with a win in the final that there was almost no way he could stay a professional until the US Open in 2008 at Torrey Pines. That's the plan of action: suck it up and stay an amateur until next April's Masters. Play the Masters. Then turn pro. You have a half decent chance to make the field of the US Open. Even if you don't, it's really not that big of a loss because you would probably not have a whole lot of fun trudging around Torrey Pines in a US Open. Just wait until the Buick Invitational in 2009 and then you can see the place, ok?

Regardless of what he decides, Knost deserves three cheers for his performance, grace, and ability.