It’s been quite the week for Timmy Hildebrand, a star golfer at Westfield and Purdue.
Next up: The entire country and possibly the world?
Hildebrand, who is soon to start his junior year as a Boilermaker, first garnered medalist honors in qualifying at Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton early this week to advance to the 116th U.S. Amateur Championship.
Later this week, Hildebrand stamped his name on an elite list of golfers – including more than a few professionals – by winning the Northern Amateur, which also took place at Sand Creek in Chesterton.
At the US Amateur qualifying, Hildebrand earned medalist honors after shooting identical rounds of 69 for a 36-hole total of 6-under par 138. He defeated Charles Waddell by one shot to advance to his first US Amateur Championship, played Aug. 14 to 20 at Riviera Country Club and Bel-Air Country Club (stroke play co-host) in Los Angeles.
Hildebrand recorded nine birdies, 24 pars and three bogeys during the day and was tied for second after 18 holes. His final round 69 was one of just two rounds in the 60s during the afternoon session. Hildebrand won medalist honors out of 80 players competing for three spots.
Hildebrand will be among 312 players competing at Riviera and Bel-Air. The top 64 through 36 holes of stroke play advance to match play, beginning Aug. 16.
But Hildebrand wasn’t done yet. He won the prestigious Northern Amateur, a 54-hole tournament that finished on Friday, with a dominant 11-under par 205. Hildebrand’s score was four shots ahead of second place.
Hildebrand started slowly, with a two-under 70 effort for his first round. That included four birdies and put him in the lead pack. In the second round, Hildebrand shot a three-under 69, moving him up to third place, making five birdies along the way.
Hildebrand saved the best for the last round, a six-under 66 that sent him to the trophy. He improved his birdie count to six for the day, and also made an eagle on the par 5 hole No. 15. Hildebrand’s 11 under par is a new record when expressed as score to par.
Hildebrand had a strong sophomore season at Purdue, earning PING All-Region honors after averaging 73.03 strokes per round. He led the squad with seven top 20 finishes, tying for 10th at the Big Ten Championships and tying for 17th at the NCAA Regional Championships.
The champions list at the Northern Amateur includes several players that have gone on to PGA careers, including another Indiana native, Bo Van Pelt. The Richmond graduate won the 1995 edition, and went on to a successful pro career, getting as high as No. 20 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Speaking of rankings, Hildebrand is making an impact on the World Amateur Golf Rankings. He currently holds a rank of No. 162. The rankings rate over 10,000 players in 4,000 tournaments across the globe. A complicated point system is used to rank the golfers; Hildebrand currently holds a point average of 890.2044, the top ranked man is Joaquin Niemann of Chile, with an average of 1293.0334.
Last year’s Northern Amateur counted in the rankings as a category “F” tournament. Events are listed in schedule strength beginning with Elite, then by a letter ranking from “A” to “G.” The NCAA Division I and the U.S. Amateur are considered Elite events.
Only players who finish in the top two in “F” events earn points, so Hildebrand could see a jump in his ranking when the new list comes out Wednesday morning.
The rankings are maintained by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland – known as the “Home of Golf.” The R&A publishes new rankings every Wednesday at noon British time, which is 7 a.m. Eastern time.
Meanwhile, Hildebrand wasn’t the only player at the Northern Amateur. Johnny Watts, a Hamilton Southeastern graduate and incoming Ball State senior tied for 10th at Sand Creek, finishing with a one-under par 215. Watts totaled nine birdies and also made a hole in one – Watts aced the Par 3 hole No. 13 in the first round.
Watts’ former HSE teammate, Graham McAree, tied for 23rd with a 219. The senior-to-be at the University of Indianapolis had 10 birdies over his round, and also joined the eagle club. McAree eagled the Par 5 hole No. 1 in his second round.
Recent Carmel graduate Kevin Stone tied for 49th with a 227. The soon-to-be Ohio State freshman and Mental Attitude Award winner had seven birdies for the week.
Thomas Lewis, a Westfield graduate and incoming junior at Purdue, tied for 69th with a 234. Lewis had five birdies in his tournament.
Westfield and Purdue star Timmy Hildebrand won two big tournaments this week at Sand Creek in Chesterton. He earned at spot in the U.S. Amateur by winning a qualifier event on Tuesday, then won the prestigious Northern Amateur on Friday. (Photo courtesy Purdue Athletics)