Sean Rowen Closes at Indiana Amateur
Sean Rowen goes wire-to-wire (IGA photo)
COLUMBUS, Ind. (June 25, 2015) -- The 115th Indiana Amateur Championship came to a close Thursday as 41-year old Sean Rowen went wire-to- wire to capture his first Indiana Amateur Title. Rowen had a 5-shot lead going into the final round and would need all of them as a roller-coaster of a round found him only one shot ahead of runner-up Andrew Havill at the end of the day.
Havill, a rising junior at the University of Indiana, sat in a tie for a third at 2-under par entering the final round, six strokes back of Rowen and playing in the 2nd to last group. Knowing he needed to post something low to catch Rowen, the native of Carmel, Ind. birdied holes 10-12 and added another on 17 to post a back nine 32 and finish with an amazing closing 67.
Meanwhile, Rowen got off to a dream start with an eagle at the par-5 1st hole but would follow it up with a double bogey on the 3rd. Rowen would shoot even par on the front nine and open the back with a double bogey on the long par-4 10th.
Amazingly, Rowen would follow up the double with another eagle at the short par-4 11th to get his round back to even par. Unaware of what Havill was doing, Rowen made two more bogeys along with a birdie coming in and his final round 73 was just enough to hold of Havill.
βIt has always been a goal of mine to win the State Am. I can honestly say it would be one of the best moments of my golf career,β Rowen said after the 3rd round. βI started playing on the Indiana Junior Tour when I was a kid and my dad is an Indiana Senior Amateur Champion, so for me this win would be really special.β
Rowen got that moment he wished for Thursday and deservedly so. Rowen became the first non-college player to win the State Am since Jeff Smith of Indianapolis won at age 43 in 2006. Congratulations Sean Rowen.
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ABOUT THE Indiana Amateur
District Qualifiers for non-exempt players.
18-hole qualifier, 72-hole championship. Players must
have an Indiana address and a handicap of no greater
than 9.9.
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