Austin Connelly with his winning trophy
(Photo courtesy of Bridget Connelly)
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.
ABOUT THE Jones Cup
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,
Patrick Reed, Luke List, Kyle Stanley, Beau Hossler
and
several others.
This 54-hole individual stroke-play event,
inaugurated
in 2001, is played at Ocean Forest Golf Club.
The Rees Jones design opened in 1995 and has
hosted
the Georgia State Amateur Championship, the
Southern Amateur Championship and the 2001
Walker
Cup Match. The Jones Cup brings together
many of the finest amateurs from the United States
and abroad for a three-day competition.
The Jones Cup was born from a deep commitment to
amateur golf by the A.W. Jones family, who
founded the Cloister and Sea Island Golf Club in
1928.
The Sea Island Golf Club has played host to
seven USGA championships. The Jones Cup is yet
another extension of the family's strong
involvement in amateur golf.
View Complete Tournament Information