Your winner and forever U.S. Am Pub Links champion: Byron Meth
Byron Meth will forever be the reigning U.S. Amateur Public Links champion. That's because he's the last one.
The University of the Pacific senior won the 2014 and final U.S. Am Pub Links title, earning a Masters berth with a victory at Sand Creek Station Golf Course in Newton, Kan., last July. Following a grueling 36-hole final match, Meth beat Doug Ghim on the first hole of sudden death to take the title.
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"Instead of the putt being 'to win the Masters,' like you do when you're a kid on the putting green, it was to get into the Masters," Meth said in a telephone interview last week. "It was nice to remember that childhood memory as I stood over that putt."
As it turns out, a running joke between Meth and his dad, who made the last-minute call to come to Kansas with his son, became reality.
"We were joking that it would be fun to be called the perpetual champion," Meth said. "As the week went on, we started thinking that maybe it wasn't a joke, and that it could become a reality."
The U.S. Golf Association retired the event after Meth had won, replacing it with the national four-ball event that will be played for the first time in May at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. The Am Pub Links had lost its purpose, effectively turning into another U.S. Amateur.
Meth takes pride in being the last player to get an invitation to drive down Magnolia Lane.
"It was one of those things that was extra motivation for me," he said. "If I was going to go to Augusta National, it was to play, not to watch."
Meth will spend a couple of nights on the grounds at Augusta National, staying in the famous Crow's Nest above the clubhouse on Sunday and Monday night. He'll then change accommodations, staying with his family and coach Bob Madsen, who has taught Meth since he was 10, for the rest of the week.
The first few days will be an opportunity for Meth to chart the greens and get used to Masters-caliber firmness. He'll also play a practice round with 1992 champion Fred Couples, arranged through Couples' caddie Casey Kerr. Kerr has been somewhat of a mentor to Meth for the last five months, giving him a bit of the lay of the hilly land at Augusta National.
While Meth, the 56th-ranked amateur in the world, will certainly take in the full Masters experience, he's not simply happy to be in the field. Two good rounds at Augusta National could put a charge in his forthcoming pro career. Any player who makes the cut in the Masters is exempt into the second stage of Web.com Tour Q-School.
Then again, Meth will not prepare to the point of exhaustion.
"You're never fully prepared for a golf tournament," he said.
"I'll just try to control my misses, missing in the right spots. Six is better than seven. Two is better than three. And see how it goes."
Regardless of how this week pans out for Meth, it'll be good preparation for next week. On Sunday night, Meth will take a red-eye flight from Georgia to Los Angeles for his collegiate conference championship tournament. Then, on May 9, it's on to the next stage of his life.
"I'll graduate, hopefully," joked the 22-year-old.
It'll be a busy summer for Meth, who will remain an amateur so he can compete in the Western Am, U.S. Amateur and potentially play on the Palmer Cup and Walker Cup teams. But that's far off from now. This week is about appreciating a huge accomplishment he can never do again.
"The Masters is just the greatest tournament ever," Meth said, "so we're going to go and enjoy the experience."
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Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.