Austin Connelly wins Jones Cup in playoff

February 1, 2015 | by Conner Penfold of AmateurGolf.com

Austin Connelly with his winning trophy<br>(Photo courtesy of Bridget Connelly)

With a final-round 68 at Ocean Forest, Austin Connelly tied first and second round leader Kyle Jones and won in a playoff

SEA ISLAND, Ga. — For the second straight year, Austin Connelly found himself in a playoff at the Jones Cup Invitational. Losing in 2014 to fellow Canadian Corey Conners, the 18-year-old shot a final-round 68 at Ocean Forest Golf Club to force his way into another playoff where this time, he won.

With the win, Connelly earns an exemption from the PGA TOUR to the 2015 McGladrey Classic, being held next October at the Sea Island Golf Club's Seaside course. This was the first year the Jones Cup winner was granted such an exemption.

Connelly trailed second-round leader Kyle Jones of Snowflake, Ariz. by seven shots heading into Sunday's final round, then made two 20- footers on the first two playoff holes to knock off the Baylor University senior. Connelly shot even-par 71 on day one to sit three back of Jones, who opened with 68, with Connelly falling even further behind after posting 77 on Saturday.

ROUND TWO RECAP: Kyle Jones maintains three-shot advantage
ROUND ONE RECAP: Kyle Jones leads with opening-round 68

But Connelly's final round 68 consisted of six birdies — one more than he had made in the first two rounds combined — as he fought back to tie Jones, who struggled to a four-over 75 on Sunday.

Jones bogeyed holes seven through nine to post 39 on the front nine before fighting back with birdies at 10 and 12. But those red numbers were cancelled out by bogeys at 15 and 17.

Hank Lebioda of Florida State had a chance to win outright with a par on 18 but had his approach shot roll down a bank off the green, giving way to a double bogey. He finished in a tie for third place with Alabama junior Tom Lovelady. Connelly could have made par and won outright on 18, as well, but a bogey and a par for Jones sent both players to extra holes, where Connelly's putter helped him claim victory.

"I hit good putts the entire week," Connelly told Golfweek. "I didn't make much the first few days, but today I gave myself good looks, hit a couple inside of 5 feet and kept that momentum going through that entire round."

Last year's winner Conners, the No. 1 ranked amateur in the world according to the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com rankings, shot 73- 76-74 in his attempt to defend and finished in a tie for 14th.

In November, Connelly signed his letter of intent to play for the University of Arkansas starting in the fall of 2015. Connelly shares dual citizenship with Canada and the United States, where he goes to high school in Irving, Texas.

His 2014 amateur season involved a Tailhade Cup victory, a runner-up finish at the Argentine Amateur, as well as a quarterfinal appearance at the North & South Amateur.

Follow the link below for full results.

Results: Jones Cup

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
T1	Austin Connelly	, Canada	1200	71-77-68=216
T1	Kyle Jones	Snowflake, AZ	900	68-73-75=216
T3	Tom Lovelady	Birmingham, AL	700	73-74-70=217
T3	Hank Lebioda	Winter Springs, FL	700	72-72-73=217
T5	Jack Maguire	St. Petersburg, FL	700	73-77-70=220

View full results for Jones Cup

About the Jones Cup

Austin Connelly wins Jones Cup in playoff

The Jones Cup is probably the biggest of the springtime amateur majors in the United States, and the reason is the venue and the strong U.S. and international field. The past champions list is littered with PGA Tour stars, including Justin Thomas, Pa...