Simon Zach Wins the Gobbler Amateur
11/22/2017 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff
see also: View results for Gobbler Amateur, Sewailo Golf Club
The University of Louisville golfer from the Czech Republic conquers the wind to win his 2nd straight tournament
TUCSON, AZ (November 22, 2017) - Simon Zach won the 2017 Gobbler Amateur at Sewailo Golf Club in Tucson on Wednesday by one shot over Tianlang Guan (China/University of Arizona) and two over mid-amateur Reid Hatley of Hayden Lake, Idaho.
Zach, a junior on the University of Louisville golf team who hails from the Czech Republic, shot a final round one-under par 70 to finish at -4.
The weather provided for more difficult conditions on Wednesday as winds from the east/southeast gusted up to 25 mph throughout the morning.
Zach has been on quite the roll as this is his second consecutive major victory. He shot 66-63-66 to win the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational in late October.
“It’s great," said Zach. "Back to back wins. I worked hard for it. I had a good end of the season. I’m going to take some time off and then head back to school for the spring. I had been a having a good season and had been close to winning. Then I finished birdie-eagle winning my first college event (at Makai) changing my point-of-view that I can finish off victories. I played solid all three rounds here at Sewailo and I played well in the tough conditions today.”
Hatley carried the lead into the final round but had to settle for third place after a closing 73. Hatley designed the champion's trophy for the Gobbler Amateur and had a great chance to lift it but fell two shots short.
Trevor Lampson finished fourth at even-par 213 after a final-round 74, while Kento Yamawaki finished fifth at 214.
Hunter Epson had the low round of the day, a two-under 69, to move into a tie for sixth with Gookmin Kim and Josh McCollum.
ROUND TWO RECAP
Reid Hatley (Hayden Lake, ID) shot a four-under 67 to take a one shot lead into the final round of the Gobbler Amateur at the Sewailo Club.
Hatley, this year's Pacific Northwest Mid-Amateur Player-of-the-Year, had a disappointing bogey at his first hole of the day, the par-five 10th, but rallied with four birdies before the turn. He picked up another shot to par on his second nine and now sits at four-under 138 through two rounds.
Hatley is a former University of Arizona player who earned NCAA Honorable Mention All-American honors after the 1999-2000 season. His company, RHI Golf (among other services) designs trophies and awards, and Hatley designed the trophy for the Gobbler Amateur, as well as the other events in the Troon Saguaro Amateur Series, of which the Gobbler is the second event. With a good round on Wednesday he will have the chance to win one of his trophies for the first time.
First-round leader Simon Zach of the Czech Republic and the University of Louisville shot a one-under 70 to get to three under for the tournament and one shot behind Hatley. Also one shot back are Trevor Lampson (71-68) of Gilbert, AZ and Tianlang Guan (72-67) of China, who famously played in the 2013 Masters at the age of 14 after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur to receive the invitation.
Raymond Navis (Nipomo, CA) and Declan Kenny (Dallas, TX) share fifth place at two-under 140.
The 2017 Gobbler Amateur is in its second year and it is the second event in the four-event Troon Saguaro Amateur Series. The first event was the Sizzler Amateur in the summer, and the final two will be the Agave Amateur in December and the Saguaro Amateur in January.
FIRST ROUND RECAP
Simon Zach shot a two-under 69 at the Sewailo Club to take the first-round lead at the Gobbler Amateur.
Zach is from the Czech Republic and currently plays college golf at the University of Louisville. he got off to a slow start but had three birdies in a four hole stretch in the middle of his round, then birdied the last two holes to take the lead.
Ten players are within two shots of Zach's lead, including four players just one shot back at one-under 70. Chase Carlson (Tacoma, Wash), Jackson Lake (Clovis, Calif), Kento Yamawaki (Encinitas, Calif), and Raymond Navis (Nipomo, Calif) all put up red numbers on Monday.
Five players are at even par, including Daniel List of Australia, and the 2017 Pacific Northwest Mid-Amateur Player-of-the-Year Reid Hatley of hayden Lake, Idaho.
Round two will be played on Tuesday, with the final round on Wednesday.
Results: Gobbler Amateur
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | , Czech Republic | 300 | 69-70-70=209 | |
| 2 | , China | 200 | 72-67-71=210 | |
| 3 | Hayden Lake, ID | 100 | 71-67-73=211 | |
| 4 | Gilbert, AZ | 100 | 71-68-74=213 | |
| 5 | Encinitas, CA | 100 | 70-73-71=214 |
About the Gobbler Amateur
Founded in 2016, the Gobbler Invitational is a 54-hole stroke play event with no cut. It is open to male amateur golfers with an index of 3.0 or less. A variety of exemption categories are offered, based mostly on rankings and USGA appearances. The t...
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