Vandalia’s Greaser wins prestigious Western Am

Austin Greaser hits on the 16th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at The Country Club, Thursday, June 16, 2022, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Credit: Julio Cortez

Credit: Julio Cortez

Austin Greaser hits on the 16th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at The Country Club, Thursday, June 16, 2022, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Vandalia native Austin Greaser on Saturday joined a list of Western Amateur champions that includes Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, among others.

Greaser defeated Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira of Argentina 1-up to win the 120th playing of the prestigious event at Exmoor County Club in Highland Park, Ill. In the semifinals earlier Saturday, Greaser beat William Mouw 3 and 2.

It’s been quite a year for Greaser, who was the medalist at the NCAA Yale Regional and led the the North Carolina Tarheels to the NCAA Championship in March. He played in the Masters in April and made the cut in the U.S. Open in June.

Woods won the Western Am in 1994, Nicklaus in 1961.

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