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Aug. 9—Bradley Mulder, a key contributor on Mead High's 2023 state championship and Colorado Christian University's Division II national title the ensuing year as a freshman, is no stranger to high-pressure holes or putts in golf tournaments.
Mulder was going in reverse in the final round of the Washington Amateur in late June as a three-stroke lead evaporated after an errant drive on No. 7 sailed out of bounds and a bogey on No. 9 at the Home Course in DuPont, near Olympia.
At stake? The winner earns an exemption into the U.S. Amateur, which Mulder refers to as the "best amateur tournament in the world."
No longer atop the leaderboard after a 3-over 39 on the front side — his worst score in the 54-hole event by five strokes — Mulder somehow shifted from reverse to overdrive, not easy to do given the mounting pressure and his usually reliable swing taking a timeout.
"I was kind of frustrated," Mulder said. "I had a mental shift. Instead of the mindset, 'Hey, I'm losing this,' I thought, 'I'm only one shot back and I have an opportunity to win.' "
He reinforced his words with action. Mulder produced his best nine of the tournament, a high bar considering he opened with 6-under 66 and a 67 in Round 2.
He birdied No. 10 and posted back-to-back birds at 15 and 16 to pull even with former Washington State standout Sam Renner. After Renner made par on the 360-yard, par-4 17th, Mulder's drive settled just short of a greenside bunker and he chipped to 12 feet.
"How I'd describe it, I almost feel like I kind of blacked out," Mulder said. "My heart was beating so fast. I putted it and somehow it went in. On 18, I hit a great drive and it wasn't too hard to make a par from there.
"I feel like that's why you play sports, just to feel those things. Even if I hadn't pulled it out, being in that moment is super fun for me. I was going to learn something from it."
Mulder added another bullet point to his growing golf resume. He and twin brother Benjamin shared fifth place, leading Mead to the 2023 3A state crown and sending 37-year head coach Paul Peters into retirement with his fifth title.
Bradley was named the 2024 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference freshman of the year as CCU captured a national championship. He followed that up with first-team All-RMAC selections the last two seasons as the Cougars made deep runs in the national tournament. He was honorable mention All-American as a junior.
Cameron Cantillana, Mulder's former teammate at Mead, is a rising sophomore at Colorado Christian.
Mulder took a brief detour, transferring to Missouri last fall before rejoining CCU for the spring season.
"I just wanted to see what was out there," he said. "I would say it was just not a good fit for me. I'm grateful for my time at Missouri, it taught me a lot, but CCU was definitely just a better fit overall."
Next up for Mulder is the U.S. Amateur and a 312-player field — Renner also qualified for the event — with at least 47 of the top 50 amateurs in the world rankings. He plays Monday at Philadelphia Country Club and Tuesday at famed Merion Golf Club, regarded as one of the toughest courses on the planet and known for woven wicker baskets on top of its flagsticks. The top 64 after Tuesday's round advance to match play.
The USGA began rewarding state amateur champions with a spot in the U.S. Amateur in 2024. Roughly 11% of the 64 match play participants last year were state amateur champs.
Mulder got his first glimpse of Philadelphia Country Club on Saturday during a practice round and he took his first swings at Merion, which has hosted five U.S. Opens, on Sunday.
"Philly Country Club is definitely a slightly different test than Merion with a lot of drivers, pretty long, kind of a big ballpark," said Mulder, a rising senior at Colorado Christian. "I think that's pretty good for my game. I like playing courses that are typically long. I have pretty high ball speed in the mid-180 range.
"Merion is supposed to be more technical, hit a lot of 2-irons off the tee. You walk the fairways and you don't see a single blemish on the course."
Mulder aims for one- to two-shot improvements annually and often reaches that goal.
"A lot of that is just being super detail oriented," he said. "I've always been a pretty hard worker. I've gained a lot of ball speed, worked a ton on my short game. My mechanics just got way better over the last few years, my swing."
He plays and/or practices frequently with brother Benjamin, a rising senior on WSU's team, sharpening both of their games.
"We pretty much go to the course every day in the summers," Mulder said. "It's awesome to have him around. We bounce ideas off each other."
Mulder's U.S. Amateur preparations took a different turn after his family heeded evacuation orders when the devastating fires struck Spokane on Aug. 1.
"We stayed at a family friend's house and drove down to Palouse Ridge to practice," Mulder said. "It's been a really chaotic last week, but luckily our house survived."
Mulder's goal this week is similar to one he takes into every tournament situation.
"I just want to play aggressive," he said. "I just want to go through my process, just be professional out there, be confident and aggressive. If I can do that, I'm not as worried about the final result."
Should that happen, the results will likely turn out just fine.
Jim Meehan can be reached at 509-459-5585 or at [email protected].
Continue reading...
Mulder was going in reverse in the final round of the Washington Amateur in late June as a three-stroke lead evaporated after an errant drive on No. 7 sailed out of bounds and a bogey on No. 9 at the Home Course in DuPont, near Olympia.
At stake? The winner earns an exemption into the U.S. Amateur, which Mulder refers to as the "best amateur tournament in the world."
No longer atop the leaderboard after a 3-over 39 on the front side — his worst score in the 54-hole event by five strokes — Mulder somehow shifted from reverse to overdrive, not easy to do given the mounting pressure and his usually reliable swing taking a timeout.
"I was kind of frustrated," Mulder said. "I had a mental shift. Instead of the mindset, 'Hey, I'm losing this,' I thought, 'I'm only one shot back and I have an opportunity to win.' "
He reinforced his words with action. Mulder produced his best nine of the tournament, a high bar considering he opened with 6-under 66 and a 67 in Round 2.
He birdied No. 10 and posted back-to-back birds at 15 and 16 to pull even with former Washington State standout Sam Renner. After Renner made par on the 360-yard, par-4 17th, Mulder's drive settled just short of a greenside bunker and he chipped to 12 feet.
"How I'd describe it, I almost feel like I kind of blacked out," Mulder said. "My heart was beating so fast. I putted it and somehow it went in. On 18, I hit a great drive and it wasn't too hard to make a par from there.
"I feel like that's why you play sports, just to feel those things. Even if I hadn't pulled it out, being in that moment is super fun for me. I was going to learn something from it."
Mulder added another bullet point to his growing golf resume. He and twin brother Benjamin shared fifth place, leading Mead to the 2023 3A state crown and sending 37-year head coach Paul Peters into retirement with his fifth title.
Bradley was named the 2024 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference freshman of the year as CCU captured a national championship. He followed that up with first-team All-RMAC selections the last two seasons as the Cougars made deep runs in the national tournament. He was honorable mention All-American as a junior.
Cameron Cantillana, Mulder's former teammate at Mead, is a rising sophomore at Colorado Christian.
Mulder took a brief detour, transferring to Missouri last fall before rejoining CCU for the spring season.
"I just wanted to see what was out there," he said. "I would say it was just not a good fit for me. I'm grateful for my time at Missouri, it taught me a lot, but CCU was definitely just a better fit overall."
Next up for Mulder is the U.S. Amateur and a 312-player field — Renner also qualified for the event — with at least 47 of the top 50 amateurs in the world rankings. He plays Monday at Philadelphia Country Club and Tuesday at famed Merion Golf Club, regarded as one of the toughest courses on the planet and known for woven wicker baskets on top of its flagsticks. The top 64 after Tuesday's round advance to match play.
The USGA began rewarding state amateur champions with a spot in the U.S. Amateur in 2024. Roughly 11% of the 64 match play participants last year were state amateur champs.
Mulder got his first glimpse of Philadelphia Country Club on Saturday during a practice round and he took his first swings at Merion, which has hosted five U.S. Opens, on Sunday.
"Philly Country Club is definitely a slightly different test than Merion with a lot of drivers, pretty long, kind of a big ballpark," said Mulder, a rising senior at Colorado Christian. "I think that's pretty good for my game. I like playing courses that are typically long. I have pretty high ball speed in the mid-180 range.
"Merion is supposed to be more technical, hit a lot of 2-irons off the tee. You walk the fairways and you don't see a single blemish on the course."
Mulder aims for one- to two-shot improvements annually and often reaches that goal.
"A lot of that is just being super detail oriented," he said. "I've always been a pretty hard worker. I've gained a lot of ball speed, worked a ton on my short game. My mechanics just got way better over the last few years, my swing."
He plays and/or practices frequently with brother Benjamin, a rising senior on WSU's team, sharpening both of their games.
"We pretty much go to the course every day in the summers," Mulder said. "It's awesome to have him around. We bounce ideas off each other."
Mulder's U.S. Amateur preparations took a different turn after his family heeded evacuation orders when the devastating fires struck Spokane on Aug. 1.
"We stayed at a family friend's house and drove down to Palouse Ridge to practice," Mulder said. "It's been a really chaotic last week, but luckily our house survived."
Mulder's goal this week is similar to one he takes into every tournament situation.
"I just want to play aggressive," he said. "I just want to go through my process, just be professional out there, be confident and aggressive. If I can do that, I'm not as worried about the final result."
Should that happen, the results will likely turn out just fine.
Jim Meehan can be reached at 509-459-5585 or at [email protected].
Continue reading...
