Shaheen survives wild finish to claim Louisiana Mid-Am title
Hank Shaheen (LGA photo)
BROUSSARD, La. (Aug. 5, 2018) – Sometimes finishing a golf tournament doesn’t just come down to the players. When weather intervenes, just determining a winner can feel like a major feat.
The end of the Louisiana Mid-Amateur played out with plenty of drama, from both players and Mother Nature. Three players finished 54 holes tied at 8-under 208 at Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club, and it got crazier from there.
Brandon Aydlett of Metairie, James Fuselier of Laplace and Hank Shaheen of Dequincy entered sudden death at the par-4 18th to determine a champion. Shaheen had the best opportunity to close out the championship with a 4-foot birdie putt, but it burned the edge and he settled for par. Aydlett also made par, while Fuselier narrowly missed his par putt and was eliminated.
Aydlett and Shaheen tied No. 18 twice more with pars before dangerous weather moved in and halted the playoff for a little over an hour. When the weather had cleared, the 18th was no longer playable because of water accumulation so the committee changed the playoff hole to the par-3 eighth.
The eighth hole plays 158 yards, and a right hole location brought a water hazard heavily into play. Aydlett was first to hit, and his tee shot bounced off the edge of a bulkhead and into the water. Shaheen took the water out of play but launched his tee shot over the green to the left.
From the drop zone, Aydlett hit his third shot to within 12 feet of the hole. Shaheen gingerly hit his chip shot, and it stopped just beyond the ridge in the middle of the green but still 20 feet short of the hole. Shaheen missed his par putt, and Aydlett had a chance to extend the playoff, but he missed his bogey putt to the left and had to tap in for a double-bogey 5. Shaheen made his bogey putt to win and clinch his first LGA Mid-Amateur Championship.
This victory is especially sweet for Shaheen, who finished third in this event last year. Shaheen got himself into the playoff with a final-round 65. The round included eagles at the par-5 first (555 yards) and the par-5 14th (513 yards). He had a back-nine 31.
Information from the Louisiana Golf Association used in this report
ABOUT THE Louisiana Mid-Amateur
The Louisiana Golf Association Mid-Amateur
Championship is a 54 hole event for Louisiana
residents
25 years of age or older. Entries are open to any
Louisiana resident (as of at least 90 days prior to
August 4, 2017) who is an amateur golfer holding
membership in a LGA member club in good
standing.
Entrants must possess a certified USGA Handicap
Index
of 8.0 or less.
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