Cox runs away with the Orlando International Amateur
12/30/2019 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff
see also: View results for Orlando International Amateur, Mission Inn Resort - El Campeon Course
Kyle Cox of the University of Texas Arlington recently started playing a cut and it paid off at Orange County National
By Shawn Allen
With a five shot lead going into the 18th of the Orlando International Amateur, hosted on the Panther Lake course at Orange County National, Kyle Cox felt as confident as he ever has, and he wasn't going to let up.
"I've noticed that when I play more passive, I don't play as well." So Cox took his 53-hole lead and smoked driver down the fairway, hit a cut shot to pin high, and made an easy two putt to seal the championship.
Cox, a sophomore at the University of Texas, Arlington, started the day one back of the leader Luke Gifford. Like he had in the previous two rounds, he played near flawless golf, making two birdies on the front. By the end of the tournament he totaled 17 birdies and one eagle with only four bogeys -- three of them coming on the second nine of the second round.
As his playing partners Gifford and Hunter Bott stumbled on the front, each playing it +1, Cox took
the lead and didn't look back. On the 11th hole, arguably the most difficult hole on the course
today, a 225-yard uphill par-3 with a crosswind and the pin pushed to the back left of the
kidney shaped green, Cox hit three wood.
"Hunter and I are similar distances and I saw he hit a really good 2-iron into there and it came up short. There was no way I could get a 2-iron there, so I hit three wood." He then made the birdie putt, and the rout was on.
Gifford and Bott bogeyed (or worse) a handful of times on the back nine while Cox made three more birdies.
"I just felt in control. I just felt I knew where it was going. Being in the fairway a lot helped. It just felt pretty care free, and that's what I look for. Consistency. Fairways, greens, and try and make the putt."
The closest challenge came from two groups in front of the leaders. Justin Tereshko, the University of Louisville Assistant Golf Coach (not a bad gig), started out the round with his hair on fire. He birdied three of the first five holes to take him to -9, two within the lead. But a bogey on the sixth derailed his chance at a run. He made two birdies on the back, and added in one bogey, finishing the tournament at -9.
Paul Swindell, one of Tereshko's playing partners, started the day with a bogey to fall to -6 on the tournament. If a run to the championship was going to happen, Swindell might've taken himself out of it. But he birdied three times on the front getting to two back. Then on the back, he played it even, never able to take advantage of the scoring opportunities that many in the field did the day before.
Incidentally, the third member of the Swindell/Tereshko group was Trevor Johnson, a golfer on the Louisville team. "It was the first time in my eight years of coaching that I have ever been paired with one of my players," Tereshko said.
It almost didn't happen. "I saw Trevor had finished [round two] at -7, and I was going into 18 at -6. If I wanted to be paired with him the next day, I'd have to birdie the last hole." And he did, giving himself the chance to play the final round with a player with whom he regularly plays qualifying rounds at Louisville.
The pairings were fun, but it was the championship that mattered. Cox's confidence and consistency secured the tournament while his group melted away, and Tereshko, Swindell, and Johnson were just too far back, finishing -9, -8, and -7 respectively.
This is Cox's best finish in an elite amateur field. In February, he finished 5th at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate.
The Orlando International Am, in its 5th year, is the best event in Central Florida over the holidays. It is played at Orange County National, which hosted the Korn Ferry Finals, the tournament that determines whether Korn Ferry Tour members will earn their PGA Tour cards. And the OIA attracts elite amateurs from around the world, including golfers from 28 different countries and over 20 different universities.
How'd he win such a big event? "I just switched to a cut a couple months ago, and I played really well." Just like that, he switched. Apparently it worked.
Hopefully he keeps hitting the cut, because he'll need it next year when the tournament returns to Orange County National.
With a five shot lead going into the 18th of the Orlando International Amateur, hosted on the Panther Lake course at Orange County National, Kyle Cox felt as confident as he ever has, and he wasn't going to let up.
"I've noticed that when I play more passive, I don't play as well." So Cox took his 53-hole lead and smoked driver down the fairway, hit a cut shot to pin high, and made an easy two putt to seal the championship.
Cox, a sophomore at the University of Texas, Arlington, started the day one back of the leader Luke Gifford. Like he had in the previous two rounds, he played near flawless golf, making two birdies on the front. By the end of the tournament he totaled 17 birdies and one eagle with only four bogeys -- three of them coming on the second nine of the second round.
"Hunter and I are similar distances and I saw he hit a really good 2-iron into there and it came up short. There was no way I could get a 2-iron there, so I hit three wood." He then made the birdie putt, and the rout was on.
Gifford and Bott bogeyed (or worse) a handful of times on the back nine while Cox made three more birdies.
"I just felt in control. I just felt I knew where it was going. Being in the fairway a lot helped. It just felt pretty care free, and that's what I look for. Consistency. Fairways, greens, and try and make the putt."
The closest challenge came from two groups in front of the leaders. Justin Tereshko, the University of Louisville Assistant Golf Coach (not a bad gig), started out the round with his hair on fire. He birdied three of the first five holes to take him to -9, two within the lead. But a bogey on the sixth derailed his chance at a run. He made two birdies on the back, and added in one bogey, finishing the tournament at -9.
Paul Swindell, one of Tereshko's playing partners, started the day with a bogey to fall to -6 on the tournament. If a run to the championship was going to happen, Swindell might've taken himself out of it. But he birdied three times on the front getting to two back. Then on the back, he played it even, never able to take advantage of the scoring opportunities that many in the field did the day before.
Incidentally, the third member of the Swindell/Tereshko group was Trevor Johnson, a golfer on the Louisville team. "It was the first time in my eight years of coaching that I have ever been paired with one of my players," Tereshko said.
It almost didn't happen. "I saw Trevor had finished [round two] at -7, and I was going into 18 at -6. If I wanted to be paired with him the next day, I'd have to birdie the last hole." And he did, giving himself the chance to play the final round with a player with whom he regularly plays qualifying rounds at Louisville.
The pairings were fun, but it was the championship that mattered. Cox's confidence and consistency secured the tournament while his group melted away, and Tereshko, Swindell, and Johnson were just too far back, finishing -9, -8, and -7 respectively.
This is Cox's best finish in an elite amateur field. In February, he finished 5th at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate.
The Orlando International Am, in its 5th year, is the best event in Central Florida over the holidays. It is played at Orange County National, which hosted the Korn Ferry Finals, the tournament that determines whether Korn Ferry Tour members will earn their PGA Tour cards. And the OIA attracts elite amateurs from around the world, including golfers from 28 different countries and over 20 different universities.
How'd he win such a big event? "I just switched to a cut a couple months ago, and I played really well." Just like that, he switched. Apparently it worked.
Hopefully he keeps hitting the cut, because he'll need it next year when the tournament returns to Orange County National.
Results: Orlando International Amateur
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrollton, TX | 400 | 65-68-66=199 | |
| T2 | Lexington, KY | 300 | 70-67-68=205 | |
| T2 | Franklin, TN | 300 | 68-68-69=205 | |
| 4 | Boca Raton, FL | 200 | 68-64-74=206 | |
| 5 | St. Petersburg, FL | 200 | 70-68-69=207 |
About the Orlando International Amateur
The Orlando International Amateur Championship is an annual golf tournament gathering high-level amateur golfers from the United States of America and abroad. 54-hole stroke play championship, playing 18 holes per day. Open to low-handicap amateurs, ...
Most Popular Articles
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced
Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing
2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING
Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Final Stage: Ewart Leads Five New TOUR Card Winners
Dec 14, 2025A.J. Ewart topped Final Stage at TPC Sawgrass, leading five players who secured PGA TOUR membership for 2026.
Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch
Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory
Inside Gil Hanse’s Restoration of Baltusrol’s Upper Course: A Return to Tillinghast’s
Dec 11, 2025Renowned architect Gil Hanse reveals how he brought Baltusrol’s Upper Course back to life by honoring A.W. Tillinghast’s original