Eastern Michigan Athletics
Beau Breault Captures 107th Annual Michigan Amateur
6/24/2018 11:01:00 AM | Men's Golf
The EMU senior joins Korey Mahoney as the only Eagles to claim the title
GROSSE POINTE WOODS, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - Eastern Michigan University senior Beau Breault (Hartland, Mich.-Hartland) turned back Anthony Sorentino of Shelby Township Saturday, June 23, at the Country Club of Detroit to become the eighth golfer in 107 years to win the Michigan Amateur Championship after being the runner-up the year prior.
With the historic victory, Breault is the second player from Eastern Michigan to win the Michigan Amateur. Former Eagle Korey Mahoney won the 2002 title at the Country Club of Jackson.
"I proved to myself I could do it last year," Breault said after his 4-and-3 final match win garnered him the Staghorn Trophy as the winner of the 107th Michigan Amateur Championship. "Then this year I just said, 'you know let's must make it to match play and then anything can happen. Let's get it done this year.'"
Breault, who lost a year ago to Tom Werkmeister of Grandville in the final match, went 4-up through a five-hole stretch (Nos. 5 through 9) winning with two pars and two birdies against Sorentino in the final. Then he matched him in scores over the next six holes to put it away.
"Beau played fantastic," said Sorentino, a 40-year-old attorney who has won three GAM Mid-Amateur Championships and made a splash in golf as one of the golfers on the first reality show presentation of The Big Break by the Golf Channel in 2003.
"I know he was under par and I was a couple over, but he really just beat me senseless. I was hanging in there and hanging in there, but I couldn't get anything going against him. He hit it great all day. He hits it really long and has two, three clubs less going into every green and that's a big advantage. He's a great player."
Breault used a fast start in the morning semifinal and beat Hope College golfer Josh Gibson of Grandville 5 and 4, and Sorentino rallied from behind and slipped past Georgia Tech golfer Ben Smith of Novi 1-up in the other semifinal.
"It still hasn't really hit me yet that I won," Breault said. "I was laser-focused all day. I didn't think about anything about after the tournament because I didn't want to get ahead of myself. I just tried to stay focused, hit smart shots and stay in the moment. And now it is finally starting to hit me. I just won. This is awesome."
Breault won six matches, five of which were over by the 16th hole, giving him an 11-1 record in match play in the last two Michigan Amateurs. He made the final match last year after tying for 25th during stroke-play qualifying.
Breault said he made an equipment change a few weeks ago and it has helped him, and he thanked his childhood friend, high school golf teammate and caddie Baker Stevenson.
"I'm hitting my driver really well," he said. "I switched shafts trying to get a lower more controlled ball flight. I hit a lot of fairways this week. Baker and I picked out a lot of good targets. It kind of made it easy because there are a bunch of fairway bunkers that are 270 to 290 (yards), which went I hit it well, I can carry. It made the fairways a little bit wider. So when I hit driver well it set up the rest of the shots. I hit a lot of wedges and my putter was rolling it well, too."
Breault earned an exemption into the Golf Association of Michigan Championship Aug. 20-21 at Meadowbrook Country Club and the GAM Tournament of Champions, Oct. 8, at Detroit Golf Club.
He also hopes to qualify for the U.S. Amateur, which will be held Aug. 13-19 at Pebble Beach.
"This win means a lot of exemptions," he said. "I don't have to quality for a lot of stuff now, which is nice. It means the Tournament of Champions and mostly a lot of confidence. I just proved to myself when I stay focused, play smart and play my game I'm hard to beat. It's a really good feeling knowing that, and that all the hard worked paid off."
Breault was the first runner-up to return and win since 2007 when PGA Tour player Ryan Brehm pulled it off as an amateur. The very first runner-up in 1906, Phillip Stanton of Grand Rapids did it in 1907. The others include David Ward of Big Rapids in 1926, Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member Bob Babbish of Detroit in 1935, Mike Andonian of Pontiac in 1962, Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member Randy Erskine of Battle Creek in 1972, and five-time Michigan Amateur champion and Hall of Fame member Pete Green of Franklin in 1986.
With the historic victory, Breault is the second player from Eastern Michigan to win the Michigan Amateur. Former Eagle Korey Mahoney won the 2002 title at the Country Club of Jackson.
"I proved to myself I could do it last year," Breault said after his 4-and-3 final match win garnered him the Staghorn Trophy as the winner of the 107th Michigan Amateur Championship. "Then this year I just said, 'you know let's must make it to match play and then anything can happen. Let's get it done this year.'"
Breault, who lost a year ago to Tom Werkmeister of Grandville in the final match, went 4-up through a five-hole stretch (Nos. 5 through 9) winning with two pars and two birdies against Sorentino in the final. Then he matched him in scores over the next six holes to put it away.
"Beau played fantastic," said Sorentino, a 40-year-old attorney who has won three GAM Mid-Amateur Championships and made a splash in golf as one of the golfers on the first reality show presentation of The Big Break by the Golf Channel in 2003.
"I know he was under par and I was a couple over, but he really just beat me senseless. I was hanging in there and hanging in there, but I couldn't get anything going against him. He hit it great all day. He hits it really long and has two, three clubs less going into every green and that's a big advantage. He's a great player."
Breault used a fast start in the morning semifinal and beat Hope College golfer Josh Gibson of Grandville 5 and 4, and Sorentino rallied from behind and slipped past Georgia Tech golfer Ben Smith of Novi 1-up in the other semifinal.
"It still hasn't really hit me yet that I won," Breault said. "I was laser-focused all day. I didn't think about anything about after the tournament because I didn't want to get ahead of myself. I just tried to stay focused, hit smart shots and stay in the moment. And now it is finally starting to hit me. I just won. This is awesome."
Breault won six matches, five of which were over by the 16th hole, giving him an 11-1 record in match play in the last two Michigan Amateurs. He made the final match last year after tying for 25th during stroke-play qualifying.
Breault said he made an equipment change a few weeks ago and it has helped him, and he thanked his childhood friend, high school golf teammate and caddie Baker Stevenson.
"I'm hitting my driver really well," he said. "I switched shafts trying to get a lower more controlled ball flight. I hit a lot of fairways this week. Baker and I picked out a lot of good targets. It kind of made it easy because there are a bunch of fairway bunkers that are 270 to 290 (yards), which went I hit it well, I can carry. It made the fairways a little bit wider. So when I hit driver well it set up the rest of the shots. I hit a lot of wedges and my putter was rolling it well, too."
Breault earned an exemption into the Golf Association of Michigan Championship Aug. 20-21 at Meadowbrook Country Club and the GAM Tournament of Champions, Oct. 8, at Detroit Golf Club.
He also hopes to qualify for the U.S. Amateur, which will be held Aug. 13-19 at Pebble Beach.
"This win means a lot of exemptions," he said. "I don't have to quality for a lot of stuff now, which is nice. It means the Tournament of Champions and mostly a lot of confidence. I just proved to myself when I stay focused, play smart and play my game I'm hard to beat. It's a really good feeling knowing that, and that all the hard worked paid off."
Breault was the first runner-up to return and win since 2007 when PGA Tour player Ryan Brehm pulled it off as an amateur. The very first runner-up in 1906, Phillip Stanton of Grand Rapids did it in 1907. The others include David Ward of Big Rapids in 1926, Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member Bob Babbish of Detroit in 1935, Mike Andonian of Pontiac in 1962, Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member Randy Erskine of Battle Creek in 1972, and five-time Michigan Amateur champion and Hall of Fame member Pete Green of Franklin in 1986.
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