China’s Wenyi Ding solidified his standing among amateur golf’s top players by winning the 118th Southern Amateur on Saturday.
Ding, a rising sophomore at Arizona State who is from Beijing, birdied four of his final seven holes at Idle Hour Country Club in Lexington, Kentucky, to pull away for a three-stroke victory. He shot 6-under-par 64 for an 18-under 262 total for 72 holes at the Donald Ross-designed Idle Hour, which is celebrating its centennial.
“It was a really good experience this week,” Ding said. “I made a lot of friends here and ate a lot of good food. It’s my honor to be a champion for this tournament. I’m feeling great, and I know I did a great job.”
Australia’s Quinnton Croker birdied the par-4 18th hole to grab solo second place at 15-under 265. Croker, the reigning Australian Men’s Amateur champion, finished third at the Trans-Mississippi Amateur one week earlier.
American Lance Simpson finished one stroke behind Croker, in third at 14-under 266. Simpson, a rising junior at Tennessee who is from Knoxville, closed with a 68 after starting the final round tied with Ding and Croker.
Ding, who became the first player in Arizona State’s storied golf history to be named both Pacific-12 Conference player and freshman of the year, entered the week at No. 6 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He went 3-1 in match play for the International team in its recent loss to the Americans in the Palmer Cup at Lahinch, Ireland.
The Southern Amateur was the fifth event in the summer-long Elite Amateur Golf Series, which continues this week with the 57th Pacific Coast Amateur at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington.
Next year’s Southern Amateur will be played at Blessings Golf Club, the home course for the University of Arkansas’ men’s and women’s teams, in Johnson, Arkansas.
RESULTS
Chase Nevins overcame three bogeys in the final round to eke out a one-stroke victory on Saturday at the Porter Cup Invitational. Nevins closed with a 2-under 68 on Saturday for an 11-under 269 for 72 holes at Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston, New York.
Nevins, of Great Falls, Virginia, is a rising sophomore at Vanderbilt.
Ryan Edholm, who is from nearby Tonawanda and will be a senior at Canisius, shared second place with Garrett Engle and Kent Noah at 10-under 270.
In the women’s division, Kendall Todd played a bogey-free final round to post a two-stroke victory. Todd, a rising senior at Arkansas from Litchfield Park, Arizona, shot 3-under 67 for a 5-under 275 total to overtake third-round leader Nicole Gal of Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
Steve Harmon