Ken Tanigawa wins Arizona Amateur

8/8/2015 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

Ken Tanigawa

Mid-Amateur player Ken Tanigawa handed Mesa Community College golfer Austin Fletcher a 4-and-2 defeat at Southern Dunes on Saturday

MARICOPA, Ariz. — Ken Tanigawa of Phoenix finished his impressive run at the 91st Arizona Amateur with a 4-and-2 win in Saturday's championship match over Austin Fletcher. Fletcher quickly went up two holes after a birdie at the third but Tanigawa won three of the next four holes and never looked back. He birdied six of his next ten holes, and even threw in an eagle at the par-4 14th for good measure. His sixth birdie of the run, on the par-5 16th, closed out Fletcher and secured the victory for the mid-amateur player from Phoenix. Tanigawa reached the finale by running all over Arizona Christian incoming freshman Dean Harpe in his semifinal match, closing him out 9-and-7. Tanigawa, the 7-seed who reached the quarterfinals during the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur, reached the 18th hole in his opening match back on Wednesday but closed out his opponents well before reaching the final hole in the remaining matches. Fletcher, a Mesa Community College golfer originally from Memphis, Tenn., would have likely faced medalist and No. 1 seed Bryan Hoops in the round of 16 if it were not for Sam Triplett's unlikely 5-and-4 upset in the first round. Fletcher secured a narrow 1-up victory over Triplett before picking up a 4-and-3, as well as a 3-and-2 victory during Friday's matches, including his semifinal matchup with University of Arkansas-Little Rock junior Brady Edwards. Southern Dunes, site of the annual Saguaro Amateur, also plays host to many USGA qualifiers, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur.

About the Arizona Amateur

The event will play host to a maximum field size of 156 players for qualifying rounds, with the field cut to the top 64 players for the match play championship, all competing in one division. The event will consist of a 36-hole qualifier, followed by...

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