Justin Pahl of Lakeland High School and Clinton Township golfer stays in hunt at Michigan Amateur

Clinton Township golfer stays in hunt at Michigan Amateur

• By TOM LANG MIPrepZoneMD- Updated: Thursday, 06/20/13 08:04 pm

Andrew Chapman of Traverse City took out medalist Tom Werkmeister in a round of 32 match at the Michigan Amateur in Muskegon Thursday.

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MUSKEGON – Brad Bastion led wire-to-wire in his second match Thursday afternoon to reach the sweet 16 of the 102nd Michigan Amateur after a convincing 6-and-4 win over Brody Schiller of Freeland.

Earlier in the day, Bastion, of Clinton Township, cleaned up 4-and-3 over Anthony Keim of St. Johns. Thursday play began with 64 golfers at the Muskegon Country Club.

“Physically I feel pretty good, mentally it’s starting to drain on me very soon here,” Bastion said, happy about not having to go 18 holes in either match. “That’s a blessing to get it over soon.

“A really, really promising, good player that I just beat, Brody Schiller. Very talented; he’s got a lot of these (Amateurs) coming up in his future. He’s awesome.”

At age 28 Bastion should have many state Amateurs in his future too. But for the short term his goal is to improve on his best finish, which came in 2011.

“I’d like to exceed the final 8 from a couple years ago and I’d like to play in the finals; but I’m happy to be here,” Bastion said. “I look forward to this tournament every year.”

In the first two rounds of stroke play Tuesday and Wednesday, a format Bastion prefers to match play, Bastion said he was having trouble with his irons but was putting and scoring well. The same held true for the first two rounds of match play – almost.

“I struck the ball really, really well today,” he said. “My speed on the greens was a little off in spots today, which cost me a couple holes in my first match but I made some clutch 5 and 6-footers in the second match that really helped me out. My speed was off just enough to make me uncomfortable on some putts.”

Former major league pitcher Mike Ignasiak (4 years with Milwaukee Brewers), who was born in Mt. Clemens and played baseball at the University of Michigan, also reached the sweet 16. He beat Mike Nagy (Manistique) 2-and-1 in Thursday’s morning round, then Andrew Yeager (Grand Rapids) 4-and-2 late in the afternoon.

Three others with local ties lost in match play. Stroke play medalist Tom Werkmeister, a graudate of Mott High School in Warren who is now living in Kentwood, was knocked out in the second round after three extra holes exactly one week after winning the prestigious Michigan Open at The Orchards.

“It wasn’t easy out there, but I wasn’t playing like I had been playing,” Werkmeister said.

Austin Kreger of St. Clair Shores was all square going into the last hole with Erik Schleicher of Grosse Pointe Shores in the morning round, but lost on 18. The Lake Shore grad was playing in his fifth Michigan Amateur but had never played in match play before Thursday.

Connor Jones, a senior-to-be at Utica Eisenhower, also lost on the final hole – but he had an uphill climb going against GAM Player of the Decade (for the 2000s), Russ Cunningham.

“I definitely knew (the history) of who I was playing,” Jones said. “I was a little nervous when I first saw the brackets, but it was fun and the nerves settled.”

Cunningham is the golf coach at Oakland University.

“I really don’t know if he was looking at me (with a recruiting eye), but I just played 18 holes with him so I guess he could see what I can do,” Jones said with a smile.

Jones proved his mettle. Down two holes at the turn, Jones won three straight holes to go 1-up after 12. Cunningham won 13 to make it all-square, then went 1-up on 16 and held Jones off the remainder of the way.

“This showed me what I can do and I think I can win it in the next couple of years,” Jones said. “Definitely a positive experience to come out with; it was hard, but fun.”