Quentin Debove signed for an even-par 72 on Sunday to claim the 27th Terra Cotta Invitational at Naples (Florida) National Golf Club. Debove shot 3-under 213 to win by a shot over Bryan Kim, PJ Maybank and Jonathan Bale.
“It’s been a while since I won anything, so this feels great,” Debove told Global Golf Post. “It is the biggest win of my amateur career.”
Debove opened with a 72 before posting a 3-under 69 in the second round. He began the final round four shots behind his playing competitor Bale, a 35-year-old reinstated amateur from Wales. However, Bale made five bogeys, including on Nos. 16 and 17, on the way to a 77.
Bales’ bogey on the par-3 17th proved to be the turning point in the final round. Debove hit an 8-iron to 12 feet on the downwind 201-yard hole, and Bale sailed his tee shot into the left bunker. His second shot landed next to Debove’s ball. Bale putted first and missed, showing Debove the line. Debove poured in his putt to take the lead, and a routine par on the 18th hole sealed his win.
Debove, of Paris, France, is a junior at the University of Florida who was No. 191 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He has averaged 70.7 strokes per round while competing in seven of the Gators’ 10 tournaments in 2022-23, with two top-10 finishes. His victory at Terra Cotta could help him crack the starting five for the postseason, though he will not be competing with UF this week in the Southeastern Conference Championship at Sea Island Golf Club on St. Simons Island, Georgia.
Debove intends to play in the leading European amateur events this summer before returning to the U.S. to play in the Western Amateur and, he hopes, the U.S. Amateur before starting his senior year in Gainesville.
RESULTS
Jim Nugent