Sam Horsfield chips in on 18th hole to repeat at New Year's Invitational

1/11/2015 | by Golfweek

Sam Horsfield

Looking to defend his title, soon-to-be Florida Gator Sam Horsfield needed to chip in on the final hole to win

Story by Andy Zunz of Golfweek ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Jan. 11, 2015) — After Brandon Pierce set up a kick-in birdie on the par-five 18th, Sam Horsfield needed a heroic shot to repeat at the New Year's Invitational in regulation. Horsfield, the No. 26 golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, delivered. Faced with a 25-yard shot, Horsfield committed to a bump-and-run with his 8-iron. About three-quarters of the way to the hole, he said "Please hit the flag." The ball did just that, striking the pin with pace and falling in for eagle, saving a would-be 10-foot comebacker and winning the tournament. "I launched my club up in the air and I don't remember anything else, to be honest with you," said Horsfield. "I had a pretty good read on it. It was uphill left to right, with pretty good break." Horsfield closed with rounds of four-under 68 and three-under 69 on the weekend to finish the 72-hole tournament at 8-under 280. The University of Florida signee bogeyed three times on the front nine of St. Petersburg Country Club Sunday, but he played the back nine in four-under with two birdies and an eagle to earn his second straight New Year's Invitational title. Horsfield entered the final round in a three-way tie for first at five-under with U.S. Amateur champion Gunn Yang and former North Carolina Tar Heel Michael McGowan. McGowan and Yang each shot rounds of even-par 72 on Sunday to fall back into a tie for third, giving Pierce the chance to move into second with a final-round 69. Pierce, a sophomore at LSU, did not compete in a collegiate event this fall, but earned one top-10 in three events as a freshman last season. Georgia Tech senior Drew Czuchry rounded out the top five with Chris Selfridge at three-under. Other notables in the field include former Stanford golfer Jim Liu (two-under 286), South Florida senior Joseph Winslow (three-over 291), and Florida commit Kyler Tate (four-over 292).

Results: New Year's Invitational

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Sam Horsfield	, England	700	72-71-68-69=280
2	Brandon Pierce	Covington, LA	500	71-70-71-69=281
T3	Gunn Yang	, Korea	400	74-69-68-72=283
T3	Michael McGowan	Southern Pines, NC	400	72-69-70-72=283
T5	Drew Czuchry	Auburn, GA	400	73-72-70-70=285

View full results for New Year's Invitational

About the New Year's Invitational

Historic invitational golf tournament that originated on the Lakewood golf course in 1927. This same amateur invitational tournament -- which attracts top Florida amateurs and a strong group of out-of- state players as well -- continues, unbroken, ea...

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