{"id":231203,"date":"2025-10-17T09:37:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T09:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/231203\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T09:37:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T09:37:12","slug":"drue-nicholas-reflects-on-a-season-to-remember","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/231203\/","title":{"rendered":"Drue Nicholas reflects on a season to remember"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"Drue Nicholas transferred from N.C. State to Drexel to pursue a business career and not golf.<\/p>\n

Drue Nicholas never had the chance to meet the late Jay Sigel, America\u2019s best male amateur golfer since Bobby Jones, who passed away earlier this year.<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, put himself right next to Sigel with his golf this summer, however. By winning the BMW Philadelphia Amateur and the Philadelphia Open in the same year, he became only the second player to accomplish that double, joining Sigel, who won both tournaments in 1987.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot,\u201d said the recent graduate of Drexel University, where he was a three-time All-Colonial Athletic Association selection. \u201cWhen they first said it to me I didn\u2019t know it was a thing. Whenever you get your name mentioned in the same sentence with a guy like that it\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the 105th Open, conducted by the Golf Association of Philadelphia at Biderman Golf Course in Wilmington, Delaware, Nicholas led with a first-round 65 and was paired with Braden Shattuck, whom Nicholas considers the best pro in GAP, in Round 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cI realized I had the opportunity to do something cool that next 18,\u201d Nicholas said about his mindset before the second round. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t easy. It was a round that had its highs and lows. I kept telling myself how cool it would be to win the Philly Open, and the Philly Am in the same year and be mentioned in the same sentence as Jay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Shattuck was 5-under par through the first nine holes of Round 2 and Nicholas found himself three strokes behind. Ditching conventional wisdom and superstition, he kept the historic GAP double in his mind as he chased Shattuck.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was in the back of my mind all day,\u201d Nicholas said. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to get down on yourself when you are three down going into the last nine. I thought about it the entire round, mainly to keep my mood up. I think it helped me, honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicholas posted a clean back nine with four birdies for a 67 and a record-breaking score of 12-under-par 132 while Shattuck bogeyed 10 and 11 and ultimately finished three strokes behind.<\/p>\n

The strategy of allowing goals to creep into his mind, almost like talking about a no-hitter, proved correct for Nicholas.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually when you think of goals, it doesn\u2019t help but in his case it did,\u201d said Nicholas, who finished second at the Patterson Cup in a playoff to narrowly miss winning three GAP majors in a year. He previously won the Patterson Cup in 2022.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the year, Nicholas experienced another positive alignment at the 125th BMW Philadelphia Amateur at Aronimink Golf Club, coincidentally the home club of Sigel, who won a record six Philadelphia Opens as well as two Philadelphia Amateurs.<\/p>\n

In another historic twist, Sigel won the Philadelphia Open the last time it was played at Biderman 50 years ago in 1975.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe broke the record for the largest margin of victory, and I broke some kind of record for lowest score,\u201d said Nicholas, who plays out of Galloway National Golf Club. \u201cA lot of things went right for me. It\u2019s like the stars aligned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier in the year, Nicholas experienced another positive alignment at the 125th BMW Philadelphia Amateur at Aronimink Golf Club, coincidentally the home club of Sigel, who won a record six Philadelphia Opens as well as two Philadelphia Amateurs.<\/p>\n

Nicholas defeated Patrick Isztwan of Huntingdon Valley Country Club, 5 and 4, in the scheduled 36-hole final.<\/p>\n

\u201cWinning it at a place so rich in history like that is super special,\u201d said Nicholas, who is a business development officer at a holding company.<\/p>\n

Nicholas, who had missed match play in each of the previous two years at the Amateur, was tied through 18 holes of the final.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first 18 was kind of a pillow fight,\u201d he said. \u201cNeither of us played well and I walked off that green thinking I got away with one.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a quick practice session after lunch, he found a swing key with his driver.<\/p>\n

\u201cI played solid and luckily that was enough,\u201d Nicholas said of the second 18. \u201cPlenty of guys would have beat me on a day like that. That\u2019s match play. I hung in there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Nicholas joins Jay Sigel as the only players to win Philadelphia Amateur and Open in the same year.<\/p>\n

With the victory, Nicholas earned a place in the field at the U.S. Amateur at the Olympic Club near San Francisco, his first USGA championship appearance.<\/p>\n

He shot 74-75 and failed to qualify for match play but \u201cit made me feel important for a week,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI realized how great some people are at golf,\u201d Nicholas said of his U.S. Amateur experience. \u201cI\u2019m good and there\u2019s a lot of other good guys but when you get put on that national level, it\u2019s like an eye-opener.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicholas, who transferred from North Carolina State to Drexel, has a mature perspective on his life. He decided to transfer after one year at N.C. State to pursue his passion \u2013 a business career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI left the eighth-ranked team in the country to go to Drexel and I don\u2019t even know if they were in the top 200,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were polar opposites but for what I wanted to get out of it, it was perfect. They took great care of me there and I am really happy I made the switch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicholas has no aspirations of playing golf for a living, despite his historic season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not something I expected to happen, but it did, and I am really fortunate for that,\u201d said Nicholas, who earned GAP\u2019s Player of the Year award (to be given on Nov. 12). \u201cIt\u2019s been a wild ride, but I am very thankful for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

One imagines Jay Sigel would have approved.<\/p>\n

Photos Courtesy Golf Association of Philadelphia
\n\u00a9 2025 Global Golf Post LLC<\/p>\n

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