OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – It seems like the only time Robbie Ziegler gets to play nowadays is when he’s not recruiting.
And yet there he was Wednesday, standing on the tee of the 16th hole at Olympia Fields, all square against Paul Dunne, the 22-year-old Irishman who last month held a share of the 54-hole lead at St. Andrews.
“I laughed with my dad when I saw the pairings come out,” Ziegler said. “I just watched that guy on TV at the Open.”
Such is the nature of 18-hole match play that a 25-year-old assistant coach at Wisconsin can hang with a guy who was 18 holes from becoming the first amateur in 85 years to win the year’s third major.