'He just really knows how to play golf': UW's Cameron Huss caps an impressive summer by winning the Wisconsin State Open

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University of Wisconsin golfer Cameron Huss (left) is congratulated by two-time Wisconsin State Open champion Harrison Ott Thursday after Huss won the State Open for the first time at SentryWorld in Stevens Point.

STEVENS POINT — One of Cameron Huss’ biggest goals for the summer was to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Championship. He fell just short last month in Deerfield, Ill., and it took him a bit to get over the disappointment.

That meant, however, that he would be able to play in the 103rd Suter Ward Group at Morgan Stanley Wisconsin State Open this week at SentryWorld. As consolation prizes go, it was a pretty good one.

Huss, of Kenosha, came out Thursday morning to finish the final round — suspended by darkness Wednesday night — and made four of the lowest-stress pars you’ll ever see to win the title by three strokes over two-time State Open champion Harrison Ott of Brookfield.

“They were low-stress, but the situation was stressful,” said Huss, a rising senior at the University of Wisconsin. “I think it might have been a little easier if we were able to continue yesterday.”

Huss closed with a 1-under 70 and finished the tournament at 2-under 282. He was the only player under par. Ott, who plays on PGA Tour Canada, shot a final-round 69 and finished solo second at 1-over 285. He earned $14,000 for being the low professional.

“I try not to think about that stuff too much,” he said of the prize money. “I just try to trust that it’s going to happen how it’s supposed to. But golf is expensive and living is expensive, so it’s definitely nice.”

For Huss, who turned 21 on Aug. 1, the victory finished off an incredible run of summer golf. In June, he chipped in for birdie on the final hole of regulation to force a playoff in the Ray Fischer Amateur Championship and then birdied the second extra hole to beat UW assistant coach Ross Thomson. Last month, he finished runner-up to Jack Schultz in the State Amateur at Erin Hills.

“I’ve said it to a lot of people: he just really knows how to play golf. … Very simple. Very mature. And easygoing on the golf course. He just knows how to play golf. I was really impressed.”

– Two-time State Open champion Harrison Ott on first-time winner Cameron Huss

Huss was 19-under par in the Fischer, 3-under in the State Amateur and 2-under in the State Open for a total of 24-under in the state’s three “majors."

“Anytime in the State Am or usually the State Open if you’re under par — especially the State Am — you’re going to be right there,” he said. “But, yeah, it feels good to play some good golf this summer.

“I’m excited to get back to school now. I didn’t have the best college season last year so I’m excited to have some good form for that. Hopefully, our team can go make some noise this fall and into the spring.”

Huss might not have won at SentryWorld, however, had he not switched drivers after the first round. He ditched his Titleist gamer for a Ping G430 backup, which he purchased with his shop credit for winning the Ray Fischer.

“I didn’t have much intention of using it right away and then I started hitting it and I was like, ‘Oh, this is actually pretty good,’” he said. “I used the Titleist driver in the first round and just drove it horrible. So I called in the Ping for the second, third and fourth rounds.

“I started hitting snap hooks (with the Titleist), which is the ball flight I don’t think anyone likes to see. And I can’t really hit the Ping left so I was happy with that. At least I knew it was going right if I missed it.“

When the final round resumed at 8 a.m., Ott faced a 25-yard chip from the left side of the 15th green and Huss had an 8-foot birdie putt. The players had marked their balls, instead of opting to finish the hole, when the horn blew Wednesday night.

Ott’s chip grazed the hole but his ball rolled 12 feet by and he missed the par putt. Huss also missed, but he tapped in for par and his lead grew to four strokes with three holes left.

“I thought a chip-in would be a bonus, but I thought that I hit a really good putt,” Ott said. “I didn’t see it missing low. It really (broke) at the end. That kind of took the wind out of the sails quite early. Then I guess it made my job pretty clear.”

Making three consecutive birdies is no easy task anywhere, but it was going to be especially difficult on the last three holes of a State Open at SentryWorld.

Huss, meanwhile, was a rock. He hit his tee shot to 18 feet on the par-3 16th hole, hit his approach to 12 feet on the par-4 17th and hit his approach to 15 feet on the par-4 18th. He didn’t make any of the birdie putts but left himself easy par putts of two feet or less on all three.

Ott had to get up and down for par from behind the 16th green but then he came close to making things interesting when he nearly holed his approach for an eagle on No. 17, and from a divot, no less. Part of the ball actually was hanging over the lip of the cup.

“I mean, it might make (Huss) a little more nervous, but I still needed a two-shot swing (had it gone in),” Ott said. “It probably would have hyped me up and that makes that tee shot (on 18) a little tougher. I don’t know if it would have changed that much. One shot (closer), I guess.”

Ott won the 2020 State Open by six shots at Blue Mound Golf & Country Club and the 2021 State Open by four shots at Blackwolf Run. So, he’s finished 1-1-2 in his last three starts. He did not play last year because of a conflict with the PGA Tour Canada schedule.

“As far as not winning, that really wasn’t on my radar,” he said. “If someone went out there and shot 18-under, I’d tip my cap to him. I was just trying to play my game and I don’t think I did a great job of that in the third round (76). The first 15 holes of the third round are what I would look back on as far as, let’s think about what went on there.”

George Kneiser of Oconomowoc and Michael Crowley of Fox Point tied for third place at 3-over 287, five strokes behind Huss. Kneiser, a former UW-Green Bay golfer, plays on PGA Tour Canada and the 53-year-old Crowley is the head PGA professional at Morningstar Golfers Club. Each earned $8,125.

Sam Weatherhead of Oconomowoc, playing in his first Wisconsin State Open, finished fifth at 4-over 288 and earned $5,000. He moved to Wisconsin in January with his wife, Kristyn. Both work at Erin Hills, Sam as a cook and Kristyn in merchandising.

Weatherhead played at Michigan State, won the 2016 Michigan Amateur and then played professionally for six years before deciding to end his quest to try to reach the PGA Tour. Before the State Open, he had played just two competitive rounds this year — the U.S. Open and State Open qualifiers.

“Definitely just kind of felt out of practice,” he said. “The last six years it’s been my full-time job to play golf so it’s a little bit different this year. I’m kind of transitioning to figure out what’s next in life. It’s still obviously fun to compete but I think I made four double-bogeys out there this week. Typically in the past I would pride myself on avoiding those doubles.”

Weatherhead also led the field with 19 birdies.

“I do still hit the good shots, too,” he said. “I’ve got to eliminate those big numbers and I think I can still be very competitive.”

Former UW golfer Griffin Barela of Lakewood, Colo., finished sixth at 289 and Thomas Longbella of Chippewa Falls, the 2020 State Amateur champion, was seventh at 290. Schultz, the reigning State Am champ, finished T-11 at 295.

Huss will be back in action Sept. 3-5, when Wisconsin competes in the Marquette Intercollegiate at Erin Hills. Weatherhead and Ott, who were paired with him in the final round, predicted a bright future for Huss, a self-described “golf nerd” who has never had formal instruction and grew up playing public courses in Kenosha County.

“He’s just super mature,” Ott said. “I’ve said it to a lot of people: he just really knows how to play golf. … Very simple. Very mature. And easygoing on the golf course. He just knows how to play golf. I was really impressed.”

Said Weatherhead, “He is solid. His short game is absolutely phenomenal. I saw him use his putter a lot from off the green and every time it seemed like he had a tap-in. Yeah, he’s very solid. If he keeps at it, I think he’ll be pretty good.”

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