Northern Amateur: Gilkison edges O'Reilly in aggregate playoff

July 24, 2020 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

Josh Gilkison (Kent State photo)

Josh Gilkison of Kent State and Brendan O'Reilly of Illinois both shot 11 under at Sand Creek Country Club

Josh Gilkison defeated Brendan O'Reilly in a three-hole aggregate playoff to win the 45th North Amateur at Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton, Indiana.

Gilkison, a rising senior at Kent State, and O'Reilly, a rising senior at Illinois, finished the 54-hole tournament at 11-under 205, three shots ahead of the rest of the field.

O'Reilly carried a one-shot lead over Gilkison into the final round, a lead he maintained through the front nine despite a pair of early two-shot swings.

The pair matched scores until the par-5 15th, when Gilkison drew even with a birdie, only to give it right back with a bogey on the par-3 16th. The par-4 17th looked like it would be the key hole of the tournament, with a two-shot swing giving Gilkison a one-shot lead heading to the 54th hole. But again he gave it back with a bogey and the two went to extra holes.

In the three-hole aggregate playoff, Gilkison went 1 under to edge out O'Reilly and take the Northern Amateur title. With the win, Gilkison becomes the third Kent State player in the last six years, joining Chase Johnson and Ian Holt.

Josh Gilkison (L) and Brendan O'Reilly (Northern Amateur photo)

The defending champion, Mitch Davis of the University of Indiana, finished in a tie for third at 8 under par with Nate Vontz of Creighton University and Timothy Lim of Drake Unviersity.

Gilkison showed good form coming into the event, coming off of a 9th place finish in the Ohio Amateur.

Results: Northern Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Josh Gilkison	Springboro, OH	400	65-70-70=205
2	Brendan O'Reilly	Hinsdale, IL	300	67-67-71=205
T3	Nate Vontz	Lincoln, NE	200	72-71-65=208
T3	Tim Lim	Hoffman Estates, IL	200	68-71-69=208
T3	Mitch Davis	Valparaiso, IN	200	69-69-70=208

View full results for Northern Amateur

About the Northern Amateur

Northern Amateur: Gilkison edges O'Reilly in aggregate playoff

Popular national amateur tournament played from 1967-2001 (with a solid list of past champions) returned to the schedule in 2011. 54-hole stroke play championship with a field of 96 players. Par-3 contest held after round 1.