A year after playing spoiler, U.S. Junior champ back in Lowcountry

Whether by design or by coincidence, Philip Barbaree’s return to the Lowcountry this week sent him past Colleton River Plantation’s entrance before pulling up to Berkeley Hall’s front gates.

“That was definitely great to see,” the Louisiana teen said Thursday. “Obviously I have really good memories, and it was a lot of fun last year. So to come back and drive past Colleton River and knowing what happened there, it was pretty cool.”

It was Colleton River, of course, that provided the backdrop as Barbaree captured the U.S. Junior Amateur title in an epic comeback over Hilton Head Island’s own Andrew Orischak. Now Barbaree has the chance to line up a unique double when he tees it up Friday in The Players Amateur.

And if he finds himself in contention Monday, perhaps he won’t have to wear the black hat.

That’s not a given, with the 72-man international field also featuring such homegrown collegians as Bryson Nimmer (Clemson), Will Miles (South Carolina) and J.D. Lehman (Louisville). There’s also Todd White, the Walker Cup veteran who once taught at Hilton Head Island High before moving to Spartanburg.

The weekend will determine whether any of that comes to pass. The field also includes two of the top 25 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, along with several other high-profile collegians.

It’s a step up in class for Barbaree, who still has his senior year of high school in front of him. But it never hurts to be able to reach into the memory bank for how to win on the other guy’s home turf.

“I don’t know how everyone here feels about it,” Barbaree said with a sly grin, “but it made it better for me. I would have been glad to win no matter who (the opponent) was, but it was a lot harder with all the support going to Andrew. I just had to pull through, and I did.”

A gallery of perhaps 500 people turned out in hopes of celebrating a Lowcountry triumph, hopes rising as Orischak built a 5-up lead with eight holes to play.

“It was definitely a home game for Andrew,” Barbaree recalled. “He had so much support. There were maybe four or five people out there rooting for me, and about 200 rooting for him. It was definitely difficult.”

Even in the swirl of anticipation, though, Barbaree kept his composure. He was only a few weeks removed from winning the AJGA’s Tournament of Champions, along with a runner-up finish at the Trans-Mississippi Amateur.

“I didn’t have too many negatives in my head,” Barbaree said. “Just play each hole and see what happens. On the tee, I stood there and told myself I need to pretty much play perfect golf to have a chance. I ended up making a couple of good shots and he made a couple of mistakes. That was it right there.”

A pair of errant drives by Orischak — on the final hole of regulation and the first playoff hole — flipped the outcome. Barbaree went into the record books for matching the largest comeback in U.S. Junior Amateur history.

And, perhaps, for spoiling the homegrown fairy tale.

“I was just taking it how it was,” he said. “I was glad to get the win. I don’t feel like the villain at all.”

Barbaree and Orischak have since crossed paths a few times at tournaments, including getting paired together for the first two rounds of the Azalea Invitational in Charleston.

“We haven’t talked about it at all, really, but it was nice to see him again,” he said. “I didn’t really know Andrew when we played. It’s so focused and mentally draining, it’s hard to have a conversation with somebody you want to beat.”

Orischak is sitting this week out, resting a nagging injury as he targets a return to the U.S. Junior Amateur later this month.

Barbaree also has dealt with injury concerns of late, following a bout of tendinitis in his hand. Whether it all comes together in time remains to be seen.

“I think it’s just a matter of having confidence in my own game and trusting myself,” Barbaree said. “If not this week, I’ll be back again hopefully. Whatever happens, I know it’ll make me a better player.”

This story was originally published July 8, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "A year after playing spoiler, U.S. Junior champ back in Lowcountry."