- Sunshine State Amateur photo
Alejandro Fierro of Mexico and
Xiaowen Yin of China took home men's and women's titles Wednesday afternoon at the Sunshine State Amateur held at the El Campeon Golf Course in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
Fierro, a native of Merida, Mexico who attends nearby International Junior Golf Academy at Bishops Gate, finished the 54-hole event at 2-over 218 to earn a two-stroke win over
Ervin Chang of Malaysia who plays collegiately at Liberty University.
Yin, 16, shot a final-round 73 to come from three shots back to take the women's title with a 1-over score of 217, three shots clear of
Nicole Gal of Canada.
After opening the tournament with rounds of 69 and 70, Fierro sat at 5-under par entering the final round and had enough of a cushion to hold off a hard-charging Chang who closed with a 71 in very windy conditions to move five spots up the leaderboard into a second-place at 2-over 218.
Beni Long of Canada crafted the low round of the day on the men's side with a 4-under 68 to tie for eighth place at 6-over 222.
Yin entered the day three shots off the pace of 36-hole leader
Jieming Yang of China. While her countrywomen fell out of contention with a final round 81, Yin was able to snatch the title with a final round 73 which left her at 1-over 217 for her three days of work at El Campeon.
Fierro and Yin are no strangers to the winner's circle.
Fierro, a member of Mexico's Junior National Team, won the Golfweek International Junior tournament a year ago at the Conservatory Course in Palm Coast, Florida, with a final-hole birdie.
Yin, currently the eighth-ranked women's amateur in the world, has won nine times over the last two years. She made history last October with a five-stroke victory in the Zhangjiagang Shuangshan Challenge to become the youngest winner in China LPGA Tour history. She recently finished second to France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard at Stage II of LPGA Q-School but did not advance due to her age.
ABOUT THE Sunshine State Men's Amateur
The Sunshine State Amateur golf championship is an
annual tournament hosted in Florida and gathering
high-level amateur golfers (Men & Women) from the
United States of America and abroad. Sister
tournament to the Orlando International Amateur. 54-
hole stroke play championship with exemptions based
on rankings and performance in various championships.
Max handicap 1.
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