Kuss Flying Solo

Indiana Player Only Competitor To Eschew Using A Caddie

By Andrew Robinton, USGA

 

Fairfield, Conn. — Amber Jean Kuss, the oldest player in the field at this year’s U.S. Junior Girls’ Championship, walked out of the scorer’s tent after her final round of stroke-play qualifying on Tuesday, took a deep breath, and said, “I

feel pretty good right now.”

 

Kuss had more energy than she deserved. For the second consecutive day, she failed to break 80 at challenging Brooklawn Country Club, posting 83 to go with an opening-round 81 on Monday). Moreover, braving the morning heat and surviving a golf course that tirelessly wanders up and down this hilly New England landscape, Kuss completed the 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying with her 30-pound bag strapped to her back.

 

Though this Indiana State Junior Champion’s game was off, she turned many heads this week as the only competitor in the 156-player field who dared to

walk this exacting course alone, according to Jack Page, the caddie master at Brooklawn C.C.

 

Unlike many junior golf and high school competitions, the USGA permits all competitors in its competitions to take a caddie. Of the 155 players who used a caddie, an estimated 90 of those golfers chose to rely on club caddies to assist them in navigating the tricky A.W. Tillinghast layout. The number of players

who chose to utilize a local caddie is down from previous Girls’ Juniors most

likely because siblings of players are now permitted to caddie.

 

Kuss, though accustomed to carrying her own bag in high school tournaments, usually relies on her father, who was her high school coach, to caddie for her in other events, as she did at this year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. She reached a road block upon arriving at the Sectional

Qualifying site for the Junior Girls’ Championship, as the USGA prohibits a parent, step-parent or guardian from caddying for their child in either the qualifying, practice or championship rounds. It’s a special provision put in for the Girls’

Junior and U.S. Junior.

 

So she decided to carry the bag herself.

 

“Sometimes it gets a little frustrating with your dad on the bag,” Kuss said. “We tend to frustrate each other sometimes out there.”

  For Kuss, or any player for that matter, walking the 6,303-yard course is no summer stroll in the park. Tillinghast exploited the hilly topography to create picturesque but nonetheless intimidating and physically demanding golf holes. A perfect example is the par-5 eighth hole that measures just 448 yards, but is straight uphill. Holes one, three and six also are uphill, while on the back nine, holes 13 and 16 are no easy hike, making the extra weight on one’s back reason enough to hire a caddie. But it wasn’t a deterrent for Kuss.

  

“I usually carry my own bag so it’s just kind of a comfort thing,” she said. “I felt like I could do it, that I could carry my own bag instead of maybe getting a caddie that I wasn’t used to or wasn’t familiar with.”

 

Discounting this week’s performance, Kuss’ self-reliance helps more than hurts her game. She was the No. 1 player on the boys’ golf team in high school (her school did not field a girls’ team), and has signed to play golf this fall at the College of Charleston, where she will be a freshman. This year, she won the Indiana State Junior Championship, was third in the Indiana State Women’s Amateur and placed ninth at the Indiana Women’s Open.

 

“I think I do alright for myself,” she said.

 

With or without a caddie.

Andrew Robinton is a USGA intern in the Media Relations department. He can be reached at arobinton@usga.org.