Taylor Pendrith wins Porter Cup

July 27, 2013 | by Benjamin Larsen of AmateurGolf.com

-- Photo Courtesy Porter Cup

Canadian Taylor Pendrith shot a final-round 67 to take the prestigious Porter Cup by 5 shots. <br>See our complete coverage »

LEWISTON, N.Y. (July 27, 2013) -- It’s said that red and green don’t go together well unless it’s during the holiday season. But that doesn’t matter to Taylor Pendrith.

Donning a red Canadian golf shirt, Pendrith fired a final-round 67 to put the finishing touches on a masterful run, taking the 2013 Porter Cup by five shots at Niagara Falls Country Club.

Pendrith, who hails from Ontario --- less than two hours away --- paired his red shirt well with the green jacket awarded to the Porter Cup winner.

Entering the final round with a two-shot lead thanks to an eye-popping 7- under 63 on Friday, Pendrith, who plays at Kent State, turned in what he needed --- and then some --- to walk away the victor. His 67 on Saturday, in front of a large following of onlookers, included five birdies. Facing a surge from players within his group and others, Pendrith nailed three straight birdies on Nos. 5, 6 and 7 to all but put it out of reach.

"It feels great," Pendrith said. "Just to see the list of names of those who have won it before me is awesome. This my biggest win."

CLICK HERE FOR FINAL-ROUND PHOTOS FROM THE PORTER CUP
Tyler Dunlap, who held the lead after the second round thanks to a pair of 65s, took second place. He shot a final-round 69, which was punctuated by a 40-foot uphill and turning birdie putt in front of the large gallery on the 18th hole. Dunlap, a Texas A&M golfer, finished the 72-hole, four- day event 11-under.

The lengthy birdie putt, which drew a loud applause from the gallery, separated Dunlap from Justin Shin and Brady Watt, who ended up at 10-under and in third place.

Shin, who won the 2012 Northeast Amateur, shot 64 in Round 1 to take the lead. He followed it up with a pair of 67s before shooting 2-over 72 on Saturday. Watt, from Australia, shot a final-round 69 to sneak into third place. He went 65- 66 on Thursday and Friday to put himself into contention.

Texas Longhorn Toni Hakula, of Finland, shot Saturday’s low round --- a 64 --- to sneak into 5th place alone.

Defending champion Richy Werenski shot 72 on Saturday and finished tied for 29th at 2-over for the event.

Local favorite Gavin Hall, the U.S. Open participant hailing from nearby Pittsford, NY, shot a final-round 69 to finish tied for eighth place. A large gallery followed him throughout the day.

Walker Cup selections Max Homa and Patrick Rodgers weren’t in the mix. Homa, the 2013 NCAA individual champion, shot a final-round 68 to finish tied for eighth, 10 shots behind Pendrith. Rodgers shot 1- under 69 to tie for 17th.

They were all chasing Pendrith.

"I just made a lot of birdies," he said. "I think all told I made 25 birdies and anytime you do that, you do pretty well. Putting was very good for me. A lot of them seemed to be dropping for me."

The top 25 players and ties are exempt into next year's Porter Cup, meaning any player at even par or better will be invited to the 56th Porter Cup.

Michael Weaver won the Campbell Award, which goes to the lowest aggregate score from the Northeast Amateur, The Players and the Porter Cup.

Nick Gilliam was the event's top mid-amateur. Gilliam, the 2001 NCAA Champion, shot 68 on Saturday to finish at 2-under and tied for 17th. He was six shots better than Todd White.

See the rest of our original from the 55th Porter Cup above. For full results, use the link below.

Results: Porter Cup

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Taylor Pendrith	, Canada	1500	68-66-63-67--264
2	Ty Dunlap	Westlake, TX	1000	65-65-70-69--269
T3	Justin Shin	, Canada	700	64-67-67-72--270
T3	Brady Watt	, Australia	700	70-65-66-69--270
5	Toni Hakula	, Finland	700	74-68-66-64--272

View full results for Porter Cup

About the Porter Cup

One of the premier amateur events in the nation, this 72-hole stroke play invitational has lots of extra activities that give this event a special flavor. The winning player receives a green blazer, as well as an invitation to the Master of the Amate...