The Old Trail Course
(Jonathan Landing Photo)
JUPITER, FL (July 17, 2016) -- Christopher Carlin of
Plantation, largely an unknown among Palm Beach
County golfers, pulled off a stunner Sunday by winning
the 41st annual Palm Beach Kennel Club/County
Amateur Championship.
Trailing by four strokes after two rounds and by a
trio of threesomes in the final round pairings, Carlin
shot the low score of the weekend, a 7-under-par 65,
on the Fazio course at Jonathan’s Landing Golf Club at
Old Trail.
At 210, he finished three strokes ahead of two
players at 213; Ryan Crowley of West Palm Beach, the
presumed winner when he walked off the 18th green,
and Pete Williams of Juno Beach, who had three 71's to
capture senior honors (50-older) for the second year in
a row.
“I didn’t realize I might could have a chance to win
until I got to the scoring table after the round,” Carlin
said. “I had made seven birdies (at Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 9,
then at the 11th,12th and 13th) but I thought I might
need at least one more.” He did not have a bogey but
made 10-12 foot par-saving putts at the 14th and 17th
holes.
A recent graduate of Palm Beach State College,
Crowley was visibly shaken and nearly speechless when
he turned in his scorecard and saw Carlin’s name
already ahead of his on the leaderboard. Crowley had
beaten Patrick Dewey of North Palm Beach, who works
in the bag room at Old Trail, by 72-74 after they had
been tied at the start of play Sunday.
“I had no idea anyone had gone that low,” Crowley
said.“Not until I got to the scoring table.” He took the
lead over Dewey with birdies at the 4th, 6th and 9th
holes and led Dewey by as many as three shots with
five holes to go.
Close observers of South Florida golf might recall
Carlin, 26, the assistant men’s and women’s golf coach
at Barry University in Miami, from which he graduated
in 2011. He teamed with Kenny Leech of Boca Raton to
win the South Florida PGA Pro-Scratch in 2015 at the CC
of Florida; with Nicolas Cavero to capture the Florida
State GA Four-Ball on July 10 at Orchid Island in Vero
Beach; and played in 10 Minor League Golf Tour events
in 2011-12, a tie for fourth being his best finish. This
was his first PBCGA start.
View results for Palm Beach County Amateur
ABOUT THE Palm Beach County Amateur
54-hole Individual Stroke Play Championship with a
single Open division; the field will be cut to the low
60 + ties after the second round.
View Complete Tournament Information