Ostrom flashes his mental toughness in Southwestern Amateur win

June 15, 2019 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

- Southwestern Amateur photo

Notre Dame senior Hunter Ostrom (Meridian, Idaho) closes with a 65 to win by three shots at the Desert Mountain Club

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Notre Dame senior Hunter Ostrom shot a final round five-under-par 65 on Saturday to capture the 104th Annual Southwestern Amateur at Scottsdale’s Desert Mountain Club in North Scottsdale.

Ostrom (66-65-68-65-264) finished the tournament at 16 under par, three shots better than AJ Ott (66-67-69-65-267) of Fort Collins, Colo., and Phoenix resident Gavin Cohen (69-67-64-67- 267). Once again on Saturday, Ostrom relied on his mental game, especially on the back nine. “I did get some breaks on the front nine--a 20-footer on #9--that got me stable. Yet I knew I had to be stronger mentally on the back nine.”

Related: Hole-in-one sparks Ostrom to Southwestern Amateur lead
Related: In swirling desert winds, Ostrom maintains Southwestern lead

The senior marketing major from Meridian, Idaho, capped the round with a 4-footer on #18 for birdie. “The greens were a lot firmer today so it made the shots very difficult,” he said. To stay focused before every round, Ostrom kept to a regular routine and tried not to think of the next day’s play. “On Friday night I went to the Carefree (Ariz.) Rodeo to keep my mind off the game.”

Since his parents, Todd and Kim, recently purchased a home and golf membership at Desert Mountain and will be dividing their time between Scottsdale and Meridian, Ostrom will be back playing the Desert Mountain courses once he graduates from Notre Dame next spring. “I’ll be moving here to play winter golf.” He plans to turn professional following graduation.

For Ott, play was a little easier today than in Friday’s windy conditions. A senior at Colorado State University, Ott got off to a shaky start for the first five holes but came back on the back nine, putting better than past rounds and shooting a birdie on #7.

1️⃣6️⃣-under hole-in-one performance.

Thoughts from the champion💬#SWAmateur pic.twitter.com/XO0cmM9j7c
— Southwestern Amateur (@SouthwesternAm) June 15, 2019

Cohen, who recently moved with his family to Phoenix from Tucson, had a smooth final round. “I had a birdie on #16 which provided nice momentum and put pressure on Hunter. I also had a good shot on #17,” the Loyola Marymount junior said, adding, “The approach shot from 230 yards assured me that I could keep my emotions in check in pressure situations.” Once again, his dad caddied for him. “He advised that I just play against the course and stick to the game plan.”

The field of 84 players played under clear skies and no wind.

With this win, Ostrom joins such celebrated past Southwestern Amateur champions as Mark O’Meara (1980), Corey Pavin (1981), Tom Pernice, Jr. (1982), and current PGA Tour stars Ryan Palmer (1999), Nick Watney (2002), Kevin Dougherty (2012), J.T. Poston (2013) and Kyle Jones (2014).

Now in its 104th year, the Southwestern Amateur has been played at a variety of sites throughout Arizona, California, Texas, Nevada and New Mexico.

For the first time in its history, the event will expand to include women and mixed team play starting in 2020. “We are excited to be breaking new ground by bringing an additional tournament to women’s amateur golf as well as continuing the 105-year-old men’s tournament,” said John Ranslem, executive director of the Southwestern Golf Association. Mixed team play will consist of one man and one woman per team for a total of 72 teams. “We think the team concept will be well-received by top-ranked amateur players worldwide,” said Phil Mahoney, SWGA president.

Related: Southwestern Am to make a revolutionary format change in 2020

Since its founding in 1915 as a regional match play invitational tournament for private golf course members to compete against the nation’s best amateur players, the Southwestern Amateur has developed a stellar reputation as a high-quality competition for the nation’s top players. For the past six years, the Southwestern Amateur has been played at the Desert Mountain Club in Scottsdale on one of Desert Mountain’s six Jack Nicklaus-designed signature golf courses.

Results: Southwestern Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Hunter Ostrom	Eagle, ID	700	66-65-68-65=264
T2	A.J. Ott	Fort Collins, CO	500	66-67-69-65=267
T2	Gavin Cohen	Tucson, AZ	500	69-67-64-67=267
T4	Brock Stanger	Orem, UT	400	69-69-67-66=271
T4	Jamie Cheatham	San Diego, CA	400	68-66-70-67=271

View full results for Southwestern Amateur

About the Southwestern Amateur

Ostrom flashes his mental toughness in Southwestern Amateur win

The Southwestern Men's Amateur Golf Championship is a prestigious 72-hole stroke play competition open to top national-level amateurs holding a handicap index of 1.4 or better. Following the first 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 36 players...