Citizen Staff/James Wold
Beaver Dam native Austin Ehlenfeldt watches his tee shot on the 13th hole at Old Hickory Golf Club during the final round of Thursday's Wisconsin State Amateur Golf Championship.
A home course advantage turned into a pair of exemptions for two Old Hickory members Thursday.
Beaver Dam's Austin Ehlenfeldt and Watertown's Alan Thompson both qualified for the 2009 State Amateur Championship after each finished inside the top 25 of this year's event.
Ehlenfeldt finished tied for 19th with a total of 300.
"I really tried to not think about what my score was," said Ehlenfeldt. "It was just a grind on the front nine."
Ehlenfeldt played solid golf and stood at even par until the seventh hole. However, a plugged lie in the greenside bunker eventually led to a double bogey.
On the next hole, Ehlenfeldt tried to drive the green on the short par 4 eighth but landed in the water and he took another double bogey.
Two holes later, he suffered a third double bogey and it appeared he might not end the day in the top 25. But after what he even termed a "stupid" bogey on the par 5 16th, Ehlenfeldt hit his best shot of the day on 17, landing the ball within 18 inches.
The ensuing birdie combined with par on 18 got him into next year's event.
"I regained some energy on the final nine," Ehlenfeldt said. "This was my first four-day tournament I've played since last year's State Am."
Thompson, meanwhile, couldn't be happier about his finish.
"My first goal was to make next year's event and I did," Thompson said. "I didn't hit the ball well today but I putted really well."
Thompson birdied No. 4 but gave away shots with bogeys on the fifth and seventh holes. On the back side, he birdied 10 before losing strokes on 11 and 12. He then hit a perfect second shot to within six inches on the difficult 14th hole en route to birdie.
Even a bogey on the 17th couldn't dampen his spirits.
"I didn't chip the ball that well and I lost a lot of shots around the green," Thompson said. "Overall, 12th for me is a good showing and I'm pleased with that."
Another Old Hickory member, Craig Haltom, missed exempt status for next year by three shots, shooting a final round 74 for a 304 total.
Both players couldn't be happier about playing this event in front of the home crowd.
"It was a really good tournament," Thompson said. "I thought it was a real success for Old Hickory and all of it was a blast."
Ehlenfeldt couldn't agree more.
"It was awesome," Ehlenfeldt said of the tournament. "I'll remember it for the rest of my life. The people were really supportive even though I didn't play that well.
"This is one of my favorite courses. I'm glad everyone got a chance to experience it, too."