New Jersey Amateur: Austin Devereux charges from two back to win
8/6/2020 | by Brayden Conover of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for New Jersey State Amateur, Essex County Country Club
Rider University senior grinds his way to win despite a lack of confidence on the greens
Rider University senior Austin Devereux began the final round of the 119th New Jersey State Golf Association Amateur in third place, just two shots back of the 54-hole leader.
Making his debut in the event, Devereux was coming off a T-30 finish at the NJSGA Open two weeks ago where he competed against amateurs and pros alike. Devereux's brother, Max, won the Amateur back in 2015, giving Austin the opportunity to make history as the only set of brothers to win the NJSGA Amateur.
Paired with NJSGA junior champion Dean Greyserman in the second-to-last group, the two duked it out for the title as overnight leaders Chris Dejohn and Brendan Hansen stumbled from their perch with 18 holes separating them from a win. Greyserman, who shot a tournament-low 67 in the first round, kept Devereux focused and on edge throughout the day.
“That 40-footer on top of Dean’s chip-in really got my confidence going,” Devereux told the NJSGA. “The biggest thing for me this week was putting. I had one three-putt all week. The funny thing is, putting was always my biggest weakness.”
Posting a front nine 35 (-1), Devereux kept things rolling on the back nine as he birdied three of his first five holes after making the turn. Despite having issues with the short stick, Devereux had a gameplan and executed it to near perfection.
“I said coming into today that I wanted to hit fairways and give myself some looks,” Devereux said. “So today, I hit 12 fairways and 16 greens. My birdie looks were all inside 20 feet and I made a lot of 10-footers. After the front nine, I decided to get aggressive. You had to be aggressive here, especially where the pins were located.”
Following a birdie on the par-3 14th, he logged a two-stroke lead over Greyserman. Gaining another shot over Greyserman after he bogeyed the par-5 15th, Devereux cruised to the 18th tee. Leaving a bit of drama, Devereux carded a bogey for a final round 69 and a 282 (-6) total.
“I’ve taken my game to another level this summer,” said Devereux. “I’m much more confident.”
2019 champion Mark Costanza came up short in his efforts to defend. He finished in solo third at 3-under (285). 54-hole co-leader Chris Dejohn tied for sixth at 1-under (287) alongside Ethan Ng. Fellow 54-hole leader Brendan Hansen carded a final round 74 to finish in a tie for fourth with Ryan Lee at 2-under (286).
Results: New Jersey State Amateur
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brielle, NJ | 200 | 72-73-68-69=282 | |
| 2 | Boca Raton, FL | 100 | 67-76-71-70=284 | |
| 3 | Morristown, NJ | 50 | 72-75-68-70=285 | |
| T4 | Norwood, NJ | 50 | 74-71-72-69=286 | |
| T4 | Spring Lake, NJ | 50 | 72-68-72-74=286 |
About the New Jersey State Amateur
Open to male amateurs who have qualified through one of three qualifying sites or have met the exemption criteria. Format is 72 holes of stroke play with a cut to the low 40 scores after the second round.
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