Stewart Hagestad earned AmateurGolf.com’s 2017 Mid-Amateur Player of the Year award, which is based on a point system in major amateur over the course of the year.
The 26-year-old Hagestad, from Newport Beach and USC, actually began his run in September of 2016, when he captured the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship in Elverson, Pa.
Hagestad, who also won the 2016 Metropolitan Championship in New York, was 4 down to 2014 champion Scott Harvey with five holes left in the 2016 U.S. Mid-Am, but made birdies on five of the next six holes—including a 14-foot birdie putt to win on the 37th hole.
That earned him a spot in the 2017 Masters in April at Augusta National, where he not only became the first Mid-Amateur champion to make the cut, but also finished as low amateur in a tie for 26th.
Hagestad, who works for a real estate firm in New York City, was awarded the Silver Cup in Butler Cabin, alongside Masters champion Sergio Garcia of Spain, who received the Green Jacket in the live television presentation. Then Hagestad also was honored in the formal awards ceremony on the 18th green.
After tying for13th in the Irish Open and playing for the Metropolitan Golf Association in the Carey Cup against the Golfing Union of Ireland, Hagestad returned to the United States and qualified for the U.S. Open at Erin Hills, although he missed the cut.
Hagestad also finished fourth in the Coleman Invitational at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla., tied for 10th in the Metropolitan Open in Deal, N.J., tied for 10th in the Trans-Mississippi Amateur at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., and tied for 21st in the Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, R.I.
Those results landed him a spot on the U.S. team for the Walker Cup and he helped the Americans to a 19-7 victory at Los Angeles Country Club with a 2-and-1 victory over Jack Singh Brar in Sunday singles.
Hagestad finished first in the 2017 AmateurGolf.com’s Mid-Amateur Rankings with 2700 points, followed by Owen Edwards of Wales at 2300, Scott Harvey of Kernersville, N.C., at 2200, Garrett Rank of Canada at 1700 and Justin Tereshko of Greensboro, N.C., at 1625.
